If you’ve ever experienced a Contiki, you probably find yourself staring at the window every now and then. Thinking back on all the fast friendships. The private jokes, the deep drunken chats, the silly pictures, day songs, delicious food. Feeling nostalgic for all the amazing things you saw with even better people. Thinking back to the nervous hellos at the kick-off, which by the end of the trip turned into tearful goodbyes.
But what if it didn’t have to be the end? Because once you’ve experienced social travel, it opens the door to a lifetime of adventure. So if you’re thinking about round 2 (or 3 or 4) but you don’t know how you’re guna top it, let us tell you why Contiki is EVEN better the second time around.
(And the third, fourth, etc – you get the picture. Like a leather jacket, Contiki just gets better the more you wear it).
You know what to expect
Remember the pre-trip nerves? (It probably seems silly now, knowing how the group became tight so quickly). But now you’ve been there, done that and you know how it all works you’ll be 100x more comfortable with it all. (Plus, you can impart your wisdom on first timers, wise old Contiki sage).
You know what to pack
Remember the pre-trip panic of trying to figure out whether to pack smart clothes, or your dog, or whether or not a hairdryer was a good use of space? Fear no more! Now you can use your social travel street smarts to figure out what’s a must have in the bag and what didn’t get used at all last time. Heading to a new part of the world? Why not check out our Alexa pack my bags skill for a personalised, region-specific packing list?
Budgeting is way easier
You can read all the travel budget guides in the world, but only YOU really know how much you spend, and that’s impossible to know until the second time around. Since you’ve already done one rodeo, you’ll know if you need more bucks for dinner and drinks, or more for shopping because that’s your vibe.
You know how to pace yourself
Y’all know what we’re saying here. Go big or go home is for rookies, it’s slow and steady that wins the race, and Contiki alum know the value of being able to boogie until dawn every night and not having one glorious night at the start of the trip. If you’re going to be a legend at night, you have to be a legend in the morning.
You’re ready for social travel
Going in knowing that you’re about to make new BFF’s for life, you can make room in your heart and prepare your regular, still-nice-but-not-travelling-with-you-friends for the fact they’ll be sharing your company with some newbies again. Saves time on the awkward chats and means you can get down to integrating the groups quicker. It’s what social travel’s all about.
You’re seeing even more of the world
This kinda goes without saying but more travel is always a hard yes from us. Ticking off bucket list destinations is the travel equivalent of a week’s worth of early marks at work.
You’re more willing to try it all
This may not be the same for everyone, but when you do a big overseas trip for the first time you can sometimes hold back out of fear (or budget) and not try everything. Then you return home and you’re kicking yourself thinking ‘I wish I had just gone on that helicopter ride’. Not you this time though! Because this isn’t your first rodeo, you know you’re not missing out on trying that local dish, climbing that mountain or jumping off that boat!
You know what not to take pictures of
It’s harsh but someone had to say it, you do NOT look at all your travel pics. We can’t tell you whether it’s the selfies or endless landscapes that are relegated to collecting internet dust, but after your first trip you’ll know which snaps are worth taking. They’re the ones that always get shown when you talk about the people you met on your trip, made it onto your curated Instagram feed or made it offline (gasp!) into a photo diary of your holiday.
You’re more confident chatting to the locals
It isn’t just about your Contiki squad. You may already have a few phrases ready to go in the language of the country you’re hitting up, but even if you don’t your past trip has taught you that it’s okay to chat to people outside your bubble and NO ONE knows where the best gelato is more than the locals. While everyone else might be too shy to say ‘hola’ you’ll be in there getting the best tips.
You get the past travellers discount
Did we mention that you get 5% off if you’ve travelled with us before? Yep, it’s pretty dang sweet and it’s all yours for simply loving us a second time around <3
