Contiki already operates good value vacations, averaging under $60 for land arrangements (hotel, sightseeing, transportation and most meals, per person in a double room). With airfare, the per day (not per night) average is around $100. The firm says it is the world's largest travel company for 18- to 35-year olds, and its prices reflect the buying power of younger people in general.
One of their better bargains is a European Discovery program, a 14-day (12-night) experience taking in eight of the most popular countries on that continent. Prices start at $1,395 per person (after the $100 discount and sharing a double room), including round-trip airfare from New York to London. (Add-on fares are available from more than 65 other US cities, too.) You visit Venice (with a motorboat trip to the Piazza San Marco), Paris (including a nighttime illuminations tour), Rome (with its ancient ruins), Florence (a walking tour is included) and Munich (what else, a Bavarian beer hall) and have a chance to go whitewater rafting in the Austrian Tyrols.
Another popular package is a 14-day (12-night) Great Britain tour, during which you have a chance to experience London (sightseeing tour included), Stonehenge, Warwick Castle, a drive through the Scottish Highlands (including Loch Ness and a nonview of its monster) and a chance to get out on Lake Windermere. Prices for this start at $1,415 per person (after the $100 discount and sharing a double room), including round-trip airfare from New York to London.
In order to avoid single supplements, Contiki will match solo travelers with same-sex roommates on request, and there are plenty of optional excursions and extensions on each itinerary if you should desire to take them.
For more information, phone your travel agent or call Contiki at 888/CONTIKI, or go to their Web site, www.contiki.com.
