After working hard all term in a London primary school, I decided that it was time to go on a European adventure. After all that is why I am here in the UK, to work and travel.
My name is Chantal, I am from Australia and was lucky enough to get a two year Working Holiday Visa. As a teacher, getting the chance to teach overseas and combine that with being able to see the rest of Europe is everything I dreamed of when I started to plan my ‘Big OE’ some two years ago.
I was travelling alone, so was keen to go on an organised tour. I wanted to see as much of Europe as possible, but also keen to do a bit of partying whilst on the road, and what better way to do it than on a Contiki tour!
After selecting one of the huge number of tours on offer, I packed my bag and was ready to join fifty other travellers, on what I hoped was going to be the holiday of a lifetime.
First stop was magical Paris, where I visited the Eiffel Tower and saw a Can –Can show at the Moulin Rouge. Then it was on to the Beaujolais wine region, and after tasting a few glasses of wine we were off to the Olympic city of Barcelona. At last a chance to shop, but with limited space in my bag, I couldn’t go mad.
It was then on to historical Italy, taking in the spectacular sites of Florence, Rome and Venice. After copious amounts of gelato and pizza, we rolled on to Germany and Liechtenstein where the beer flowed and a few steins were consumed. Austria and Switzerland put on picture postcard scenery, and bike riding through Amsterdam was exhilarating!
Contiki was a whirlwind tour, that covered 12 countries in 25 days, and although we were only able to spend two days in each city, it was a great way to take in an overview of Western Europe. Contiki tours are generally cheap (tours range from Hotel, Concept and Camping), but be ready to spend some Euro on optional excursions. However, it was fantastic to have our transport and accommodation planned for us as well as an informed tour guide to show us around. The age group on tour (18-35) ensured a fun time was had by all!
To investigate other Contiki tours, log on to www.contiki.com.
For more information about how you can fill your spare time and for details of great places to visit during the school holidays visit www.teachers4london.co.uk.
Wandering the hilly streets we encountered the greatest attraction of all – the Portuguese bakery! We countered our pastry overload with the most delicious fresh fruit from the local markets, before dining down by the river on the fresh seafood for which the city is famous.