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Contiki Tours is a huge operator of escorted motorcoach tours for young people
(worlds largest operator of tours for 18-to-35 year-olds, they claim), with about 100
itineraries throughout Europe, Australia, New Zealand, North America, and Africa. The tours
operate exactly as any escorted motorcoach tour would, except that all the participants are
between the ages of 18 and 35. That policy obviously creates an atmosphere congenial to young
persons, who otherwise have not been heavy users in the past of the escorted motorcoach mode,
the latter booked primarily by middle-aged and older persons.
Their tours are also quite inexpensive. In Europe, for example, budget tour prices average just $
65 per person per day, including motorcoach transportation, lodgings, tour manager and driver,
excursions and some meals. Discounts are given for group bookings (5% off for four people reserving
together, 10% off for ten reserving at the same time), and for last-minute bookings on tours that have
not sold out.
In 1961, New Zealander John Anderson arrived in London to tour Europe. By himself and without much money, he devised a plan so that he would not have to travel alone.
He put a deposit on a yellow minibus and gathered a group of people to travel with, and they spent 12 weeks exploring Europe together. At the end of the trip, he tried
to sell the minibus without success. The following year he decided to advertise his Europe trip again. This time he was able to fit two trips into the summer season.
The first tours were booked by 19-29 year olds, starting the tradition of Contiki Holidays being for youth travelers. Today, yellow is the base color in the logo, the
same as the original bus.
Nowadays, most participants in Contiki tours are Australian, but many New Zealanders and North Americans travel with Contiki. Contiki is growing in popularity in
the Far East, South America, Central America and Europe.
Contiki is the most popular youth travel company in the world, carrying over 150 000 18-35 year olds worldwide in 2007.
If you know of a great destination we're missing,
review it for us!!
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