Contiki Review: The days of my life on my Great Britain and Ireland trip

I was at one of the lowest points of my life when I booked my Great Britain and Ireland Contiki.

I’d just gone through a 7-year-long relationship break up, was feeling disconnected from my identity and passions, and was stuck working in retail management barely scraping by. I was desperate to find something to do for myself. Luckily, I stumbled upon the last minute Contiki deals and noticed an upcoming departure for a trip that had been highly recommended by a friend. I decided this was a sign – I booked the trip, quit my job and travelled from Australia to the other side of the world in search of something, anything to help find me again.

Little did I know exactly how formative this trip would be for me – from new friends, to fantastic experiences and self-discovery, it was everything I could’ve dreamed of and more. If I tried to articulate every fond memory I have of this trip we would be here for far too long, so this is a snapshot of my absolute favourites. 

England

Ghostly York

Reminiscing on my Contiki, this is the first day that comes to mind. It encapsulates the unique joys of Contiki’s social travel and holds multiple of my fondest memories from the trip! Our lovely trip manager, Sinead (or ‘Sin’) took us on an orientation walk through the city before we split off to explore with our newfound besties! 

There’s something so special about York, a city rich in medieval foundations and remnants still standing today. From walking along the remains of the York City Wall, witnessing the sheer gothic magnitude of York Minster and exploring the curious Shambles and Snickelways (a medieval slanted street where butcher shops sold from and the narrow lanes between buildings used for shortcuts), the streets and alleys hold centuries worth of fascinating history – there is just so much personality everywhere we explored! 

Huddled for warmth as dusk rolled in, we awaited the arrival of Clive, our Ghost Walking Tour Guide. His presence, much like the ghosts, did not disappoint. Clive is the perfect storyteller – no need for jumpscares when his articulation of the history and sightings are bone chilling enough. I won’t go into detail on any of Clive’s stories, hopefully you can experience them for yourself, though the Top Hat Man sightings were easily the most haunting – a male ghost with a cane and top hat that trapped people in snickelways. 

It was sobering to hear about some of the events that took place all around York, and even more eye opening to consider Clive’s stories were just a mere glimpse into the centuries’ worth of stories connected to these houses and locations. To say I had a whole new perspective on York, ghosts and history as a whole after the tour would be an understatement. 

Hurrying back to the coach, bellies full from a delicious Yorkshire Pudding, we encountered the most nauseating site in the shadows of a snickleway – a looming presence wearing a top hat… 

Scotland

Highland Highlights

The Scottish Highlands hold a number of incredible Contiki memories for me! From seeing the gorgeous ‘Hairy Coos’ (who are absolute divas, might I add), to eating absolutely delicious homemade stew and roasting marshmallows over a fire, watching one of our group jump in the freezing cold Loch Ness, visiting the Glenfinnan Viaduct (an absolutely surreal experience for any Harry Potter fans) not to mention watching a magnificent and hilarious bagpipes performance!

Without competition though, the highlight of my Highland travels was the time we spent in Edinburgh – a dream come true! I planned an extensive itinerary for my friends to explore – much to their eventual dismay with how much walking it included. I was so serious about this itinerary they started referring to me as ‘Captain’ – my very own ‘Captain my Captain’ moment. It was well worth the expedition, we checked off all the major Harry Potter fan sites like Dean Village and Victoria Street, explored the Royal Mile and devoured a deep fried mars bar. 

Though our second day of exploration included touring Edinburgh Castle, arguably the location to visit in the city, the indisputable highlight of my time in Edinburgh was the group’s night out after whiskey tasting. It was the perfect way to get to know our ‘Scottish Cousins’ (as Sin dubbed them) far better, with the Three Sisters pub providing great tunes, delicious drinks and a dance floor to boogie on! A lot of the group, Scottish Cousins included, headed to a club around the corner to party the night away. The people – amazing! The vibes – absolutely sky high! I so fondly remember this night, it was personally my first big Contiki night and I am so glad to have had the most wonderful time – I would stay up all night with everyone again in a heartbeat. 

Ireland

Tranquil Blarney Castle

Now there is a tiny chance I could be biased, but Ireland was easily the pinnacle of the Contiki and all my travels thus far. I have not stopped raving about everything we did in Ireland, but I’ll try to keep it succinct here. 

The folklore associated with Cork and Blarney Castle (really, with Ireland as a whole) was one of the major highlights of the trip. I was so excited everyday for when Sin would get up on the coach with the microphone and tell us a new story. 

There are so many fun things to do at the Castle – you can kiss the Blarney Stone to get the gift of the gab (or like me, kiss random parts of the rock multiple times before actually kissing the stone – guess I’ve got the gift thrice over?), wander around in search of the Wishing Steps (said to grant your wish within a year if you walk up and down it with your eyes closed), explore the Fairy Glade or wander through the very extensive and beautiful gardens. 

I have never felt more myself in a location than in the Blarney Castle Gardens. I’ve found no specific rhyme or reason as to why I felt so connected here, all I know is I was my most centred self, ever. It was a spookily transformative visit, I left in a trance of newfound purpose, passion and perspective and honestly, I am beyond grateful to have had that experience. 

Luck of the Irish

Ireland was full to the brim with incredible experiences like our Kilkenny Bike Ride (where I very dramatically fell over), visiting Glenshane Country Farm (and promptly falling in love with Jamese, his family and their gorgeous Border Collies) and of course our bittersweet goodbyes at the Irish Farewell dinner (luckily it was difficult to be sad with such delicious food and amazing entertainment, though tears were shed in bucket loads the next morning)! A lot of the group were lucky enough to celebrate St Patrick’s Day in Dublin a few days after the end of the Contiki – already such a cool moment was made tenfold more special sharing it with so much of our beloved Contiki family! 

The undisputed best night out in Ireland, and the whole trip, happened in Galway where we celebrated two birthdays! We had been planning the night pretty much since the first day of Contiki – and thankfully it did not disappoint. Myself and a few pals went to a Thai restaurant, highly recommended and also attended by Tim, our beloved coach driver lovingly dubbed ‘Timomatic’, and Sin. We gorged ourselves on the delicious food and indulged in the cocktails, topped off with a delicious cheesecake sent our way because the waiters thought it was my birthday (it was not). 

Some of the boys created a pub crawl game where we had to check off various tasks at multiple locations which was so fun, though eventually we all ended up at a karaoke bar and sang the night away. In honour of our group’s adoration of Tim our wake up song (effectively our hype song, used to shake any sleepiness) became ‘Set it Off’ by Timomatic, so naturally that was one of the greatest performances of the night – though I will not subject you to any footage. A close second was Sin’s genuinely phenomenal rendition of ‘Riptide’ (seriously, what can’t this woman do). From incredible covers to horrendous ones, it didn’t matter – our Contiki family was together and living our best lives!

To me, the best moments of Contiki are the little moments, where we are our silliest, most vulnerable selves. These are the foundation of what makes travelling with Contiki so special. 

Miscellaneous Moments

Somehow, all of that hardly scratches the surface of the best memories from my Great Britain and Ireland Contiki. Fond memories were even created on the coach drives in between locations – from the incredible historical facts and stories Sinead shared with us, playing Coach Olympics to liven us up again, sharing our gratitude and the multiple ‘Helicopter’ performances Sinead gave us – recalling our hours spent on the coach always bring a smile to my face. 

I cannot articulate how much the friendships I made through Contiki mean to me. Being authentically yourself and vulnerable with perfect strangers for almost three weeks is beyond scary, but is the foundation for lasting bonds and unconditional love. I am confident the friendships I’ve made through Contiki are lifelong ones – friends who have already made me a better version of myself and for that I am beyond grateful. 

It’s only fitting that I leave you with the title of our day song (played at the start of every day, meant to give us ‘the warm and fuzzies’ when we hear it again in daily life) by Nathan Evans as there is no better sentiment to describe what the Great Britain and Ireland Contiki meant to me, and the rest of my wonderful group. 

Those were the ‘Days Of Our Lives’.