It was January 30 last year and I was feeling a little down. Over the past five years, I had asked some of my friends if they were interested in doing a trip to Scotland and Ireland.
A few of them said yes but later said it wasn’t something that they wanted to commit to. After this happened a few times, I began to feel like I would never make the trip because I had no one to go with.
But on Thursday, January 30 2025, something happened. I spontaneously paid a deposit for a Contiki tour through Scotland and Ireland, and I decided I would make the trip by myself.
Once the thrill of booking my first solo overseas trip died down, I must admit I began to feel some nerves. This is pretty normal for anyone who is deciding to travel solo. I had nerves about the small things like, ‘What if I don’t make friends?’ or ‘If I don’t drink will I be forced to?’, so I am here to answer all things solo travelling on Contiki to encourage you to take the leap and book a trip.
What is Contiki?
They are a global tour company that offer organised group trips for people aged between 18 and 35-years-old that handle all transport, accommodation and activities.
Once you arrive at the beginning everything is sorted for you (well, the only decision you will need to make is what restaurant to go to for dinner a few nights).
For solo travellers, I think this is a great option as you have a safety net to fall back on when travelling through foreign countries.
What are the activities like?
When you book a Contiki tour they send you a thorough itinerary of what will be happening each day on the trip. This outlines all included activities that are part of the cost of the trip meaning you do not have to pay any out-of-pocket expenses. On my trip some of the included activities were a cruise across Loch Ness in the Scottish Highlands, entry into Blarney Castle and a guided walking tour through Belfast.
The rest of the activities are called ‘Free Time Add Ons’ (FTAs), which are not included in the price of the Contiki, and you will have to pay an additional fee. Before the trip this really wasn’t something I knew much about, which was my own fault, so I got an expensive surprise when the bill for my FTAs came. I did all the extra activities, and my additional bill came out to nearly $1,000 AUD. Make sure you budget for this before you leave because, as my Trip Manager said, “It is more expensive to come back to the country than do the activity now”.
You don’t want to regret not doing something on the trip, so make sure you budget additional money. Some of my FTAs included the Guinness Storehouse and Jameson Distillery, exploring the island of Inishmore, a traditional Scottish and Irish evening and doing a bike tour through Kilkenny.
How social is the trip?
I was nervous ahead of the trip as a solo traveller because I was worried I wouldn’t be able to make friends. In hindsight this was a silly concern. I ended up making friends within the first five minutes of meeting everyone.
You end up spending so much time with the people on your trip that you become a large family and will always have someone around to do something with.
The other thing I was worried about was the drinking aspect of the trip. I was concerned because, as I have gotten a little older, I stopped drinking as much as I used too. I will say, there was a lot of drinking and going out but there was never any pressure at all to drink or to go out if it wasn’t something you wanted to do. Most of the travellers just want to have a good time with everyone.
How do you travel around?
Most of your time between stops will be spent on a coach. You will form a strange sort of connection with the coach and be sad to see it go on the last day. We also got a ferry between Scotland and Ireland, and other trips will use flights to go between countries. All of this will be organised by your Trip Manager and is paid for prior to the start of the trip.
Is it expensive?
Any overseas trip will be expensive, but I think a Contiki is a good way to go. There are ways to make the trip cheaper, but it depends on the traveller. For example, I spent more money on booking a solo room.
It is nearly $1,000 cheaper if you are happy to share a room with another traveller on the trip. Travellers can choose not to do all the FTAs, which will save a chunk of money. In the end, make decisions based on your own budget and desires and you will have a great time.
Should I do the Scotland and Ireland Contiki?
If you are like me and are amazed by the history, architecture and landscape of Scotland and Ireland than doing a Contiki was the perfect way to do the trip. I was able to see 17 cities including Edinburgh, Glasgow, the Scottish Highlands, Dublin, Galway, Kilkenny and Belfast over 13 days.
On my own I don’t think I would have been able to see so much. There was a moment when we were doing the cruise across Loch Ness where I thought to myself, ‘is this real life?’. That moment has made me recommend the trip to everyone!
Should I book one?
1000 per cent yes! I cannot recommend solo travel enough and I think every person in their 20s needs to experience it. Bite the bullet and book your trip now!
