Contiki vs EF College Break (EF Ultimate Break) - Tour Companies Compared
Compare details and see what other travelers are saying.
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| Rating Breakdown |
Overall — 5
Value — 4.7
Guide — 4.7
Activities — 4.7
Lodging — 4.7
Transportation — 4.7
Meals — 4.7
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Overall — 3
Value — 2.8
Guide — 2.9
Activities — 2.8
Lodging — 2.8
Transportation — 2.8
Meals — 2.8
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| Recent Reviews |
Fantastic organisation, got to see the world with no stress and with awe0.0 August 2019T
Tiffany Recommends
Sophie was amazing and did her best to give my group all the information she had and made sure everyone had options and ideas of what was happening throughout the whole trip. Making sure everyone felt included and safe. Would definitely recommend this trip for travellers who want a slow pace trip but still with all the contiki fun.
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Tour Contiki Company ReviewsEXCELLENT SERVICE0.0 August 2019A
Anonymous Recommends
This trip is amazing if you want to get a taste for everything NZ has to offer! Perfect for adrenaline junkies. Even on days with poor weather our Tour Manager Bryce and Driver Louis made sure we still had amazing activities planned, our trip never skipped a beat thanks to these two!
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Tour Contiki Company ReviewsAn awesome trip0.0 August 2019E
Ethan Recommends
Its an awesome trip with awe inspiring sights, amazing cities and crazy fun adventures all round. And The activities are well worth doing as they provide an experience you won’t ever forget.
Tour Contiki Company Reviews |
DO NOT TRAVEL WITH EF ULTIMATE BREAK0.0 May 2019B
Bethany Does Not Recommend
DO NOT TRAVEL WITH EF ULTIMATE BREAK. They do not value returning customers, they will not help you if your trip goes awry. I am really disappointed in this agency and how they handled my request for a partial refund for my trip due to things I missed because of their negligence. I just went on the Greek island getaway tour with them and spent $3000 to not get to visit the Parthenon and the acropolis when that was one of the most important things I was looking forward to. I tried to plan it on my own around the itinerary but was reassured we would visit it and we didn’t. Their customer service is awful and they don’t care whether you’ve been a customer for years. The whole trip was a disaster and they do not show any empathy for you. If you want to visit Greece you are better off planning it yourself. Don’t book with them.
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Tour The Greek IslandsConvenience of payments is not worth the stress.0.0 October 2018RG
Rose G Does Not Recommend
So far, our experience has not been great.
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We booked, everyone was fabulous, we were excited! I was offered an additional $100 off of my trip and $45 off the price of private rooming, along with my boyfriends. Obviously an incentive to get us to book. Neither discounts were ever taken off the bill, even after sending in emails. Eventually I sent screenshots of what other reps had said and had the $45 taken off, but they refuse to honor the other discount. Oh well, only $200. We are supposed to be leaving in January. They recently emailed and said that due to low enrollment, they are changing the dates to combine us with another group. Not only did I get this time off work, but the second date is after my semester already starts. Im not sure what Ill do for school, and no one at EF seems to care how this affects us. We selected a specific date? How can you just go and change it? Oh well, we will have to make it work. Finally, the cherry on the cake here, we are told that our private room isn't a guarantee and we wont necessarily get it if we change dates. So the upgrade we already paid $700 for isn't necessarily available. No one ever mentioned it being questionable, they were in such a rush to take our money they didn't even feel the need to let us know. I told them that the private rooming is make-or-break for us, and Ive been waiting on a reply for days. So far, the anxiety I feel over losing out on 3k is not worth the convenience of the monthly payments. Id highly recommend booking elsewhere unless you are unemployed and not a student. A trip with Tyson is an amazing trip0.0 August 2018LoD
Life of Dan Recommends
This trip was the European Road trip that was specifically done for New Years. It took us on a road trip through Amsterdam, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Italy, France and London.
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The trip was truely an experience which was only made amazing due to the awesome time we had with our tour director Tyson Monfredini. The man is overall the best director ive ever taken a trip with. He is so unbelievably helpful in all things and is super down to earth. Unlike directors who are there just to do their jobs and thats it; Tyson really makes you feel like family. He will go out with you to explore the city, give you advice and overall act like a true friend. The trip involves visiting multiple cites via a couch bus. After so much time traveling you create a bond with the individuals who are on the trip and you might end up doing other trips with some of those people. You will explore the cities, clubs, bars, new foods, cultures and so much more. I truly recommended this trip for a person who wants to hit the road and explore. If you want check out my channel and look at some of the trips I have taken. Each place is in its own segments and I have more videos I need to still need to post. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yp2IZNX6Moo&lc=UgyENhdE6rU6iaI3hJV4AaABAg Tour EF College Break Company Reviews |
| Tours | 319 Trips | 27 Trips |
| Average Trip Price Per Day | $ 195 | $ 229 |
| Operator Type | Mixed Land & Cruise | Group Tour Operator |
| Size | Global Operator | Global Operator |
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| Service Level | Budget | Standard |
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| Headquarters | Anaheim, California, United States | Cambridge, MA, USA |
| Year Established | 1962 | 2003 |
| Solo Friendly | Good for singles, No single supplement | N/A |
| Tour Languages | English | English |
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Since 1962, Contiki has been a leader in providing exceptional global experiences for 18-35 year olds.
What Makes Contiki Stand Out?
Contiki offers tours curated by travel experts and specifically designed for 18-35 year old travelers. They pride themselves on creating lifelong memories among international groups of like-minded travelers. They offer a comprehensive selection of trips, over 300 of them, all over the world including transport, accommodation, included activities and free time.
Their product range spans three different styles based on the pace of the trip: Discovery Plus, In-Depth Explorer, and Easy Pace. Make sure to read the details of each trip and choose the right one for your travel style.
Who Will Enjoy Traveling with Contiki?
Is Contiki only for 18-35?
Yes, Contiki is specifically for travelers between the ages of 18-35.
Sociable, spontaneous, and easy-going travelers who are between the ages of 18-35 will definitely love the Contiki travel experience. These are trips for those young people who travel for the sheer joy of meeting locals, experiencing the nightlife, relaxing in the sun, and pounding the pavement for the next unique local gem.
Having a good time, being active, and spending less time in museums is something to expect on a Contiki tour. If you’re the kind of young person who likes meeting a lot of new people, are excited to try new things, Contiki could be a good choice.
Contiki trips are very much about being young and having fun - so you might miss a particular cultural attraction in favor of a group decision to instead explore a local market or neighborhood not in the guidebooks. Contiki tends to attract partiers more than bookworms.
The guides and groups are generally warm and welcoming.
Top Destinations
Contiki offers 300+ trips in over 50 countries. They are especially popular for young travelers looking to explore Europe and Asia. Other top regions include Latin America, Australia, and New Zealand.
Contiki Travel Style
Contiki trips keep budget very much in mind when designing their trips. Expect a mix of 2 to 3-star hotels, guesthouses, and hostels on most trips. Contiki uses a mix of private coaches and public transportation to get around.
The Contiki travel style is designed to allow for spontaneity - appreciate and get to know the culture through immersive activities, outdoors adventures, and local gems, off the tourist path.
Contiki trips can be found across a variety of travel themes and styles:
- Active: specially designed to get the adrenaline pumping
- Beach Vacations: get ready for a tropical getaway
- Christmas Tours: experience European Christmas Markets
- Detour Mini Adventures: immersive getaways with incredible local hosts.
- Hiking & Trekking: work up a sweat in some of the most beautiful locations in the world
- Island Hopping: glide from paradise isle to paradise isle
- New Year’s Eve Tours: Ring in the new year abroad
- Pride Trips: Go all out for Pride in some of Europe’s most out-and-proud cities
- Safari: There’s nothing on earth quite like an African wildlife safari
- Short Breaks: Trips under 7 days
- Ski Holidays & Snowboarding Trips: Our ski trips are a perfect mix of thrills and serenity.
- Small Group Tours: the perfect balance between social travel and small groups
- Solo Travel: 70% of our travelers join our trips solo, so you'll travel with like-minded young people who want to make friends, experience new things and create lifelong memories
Why Choose a Tour With Contiki?
Contiki is a great choice for younger travelers looking to socialize with others during their trip. All of their travelers are between the ages of 18-35, and creating memories and becoming a part of something together are the primary reasons for traveling with Contiki.
Groups are a mix of people from around the world including US, Canada, Australia, and the U.K. They have over 60 years of experience leading cultural tours in different parts of the world and have a wide range of options to choose from.
Newly rebranded as ‘EF Ultimate Break’, EF College Break has been a leader in educational tours, language services, and study abroad experiences since 1965.
What Makes EF Ultimate Break Stand Out?
- A strong sense of fun, with an educational twist
- Affordable travel for college aged adults
- Strong emphasis on social activities, meeting locals and making new friends
- Flights included in the price of the trip
- Generous payment plans
EF stands for “Education First”, and they have been offering educational travel experiences, exchange programs, work and teach abroad assistance, and language courses for over 50 years. They focus on making sure the often daunting and complicated process of planning an abroad experience, whether for pleasure or a career change, remains as simple as possible.
Their travel experiences were named EF College Break, however they rebranded in 2017 becoming EF Ultimate Break, reflecting a fresher more youth driven outlook, and placing less emphasis on the education aspect and more on the fun aspect.
Their tours are about being completely immersed in your destination and appreciating all it has to offer with your tour group who are guaranteed to become your good friends by the end. This is like a study abroad journey with all the fun and none of the schoolwork.
Who Will Enjoy Traveling With EF Ultimate Break?
- 18-29 Year Olds
- Social Travelers
- Travelers looking to enjoy the nightlife, but also get up early for sightseeing
- College students
- Budget travelers
- Single and Solo travelers
This is the kind of trip that active outgoing, social college aged adults interested in learning and having fun will enjoy. If you have a “work hard play hard” kind of mentality you will fit in well with their approach to traveling.
EF Ultimate Break specifically caters to 18-29 year olds, and their pretty strict about this (though the broader spectrum of their educational programs are open to adults and working professionals).
Their main target being 18-29, tours are designed to not be price prohibitive, itineraries include a lot of social activities, and the emphasis is on having fun and staying active, with a sprinkling of educational value thrown in for good measure. Enough for you to maybe convince a parent to put up some of the cost.
Incredibly studious types who gravitate to history tours, archaeological sites, and long moments in each stop learning from a guide may want to check around first before choosing to travel with EF Ultimate Break. One of their mantras is “we don’t do boring” and let’s face it museums often fall under that category.
The emphasis is on being active, seeing and doing a lot - both on the historically significant side as well as the locally immersive side (which in this case might mean your bunkmates are frequently sampling the nightlife).
Top Destinations
EF Ultimate Break covers destinations all over the world
- Europe
- Central America
- South America
- Asia
- Australia / New Zealand
There is a strong emphasis on Europe for EF Ultimate Break, though they do offer group travel experiences around the world. In Europe they cover many popular countries in Western and Central Europe, including Italy, Iceland, and the UK.
In Central America, you can find trips in Cuba, Belize, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, and Panama, and in South America they have departures to Peru, Ecuador, and Argentina.
In Asia, EF Ultimate Break has tours in China, Japan, Thailand, and Vietnam. Lastly you can also find tours in South Africa, and Australia and New Zealand.
EF Ultimate Break Travel Style
Tours are designed to be easy to pay for using installments; and they have a few different payment plans to choose from. You can choose from 1-2 week, 2-4 week, and 4+ week durations, and filter by a variety of trip type.
While on your tour: Accommodations are standard and basic. Think multi-bed hostel rooms with randomly selected roommates from your tour group, more than hotels. A variety of transportation modes will be used, from private motor coach to train to bicycle.
Your Tour Director is a local, ready to introduce you and welcome you to their home - acting as a tour guide and friend.
Why Choose a Tour With EF Ultimate Break?
If you’re a college aged adult looking for a stress free and adventurous tour experience, EF Ultimate Break could be the perfect choice. This is for the type of traveler for whom backpacking through Europe sounds fun, but you’d rather do it with a little less stress, a little more companionship, and the guarantee of a hot meal and drinks with friends. But the adventurous backpacker spirit remains.
Not only that, but they provide generous payment plans, and almost everything is included making it really hard for you to make the excuse that an awesome travel experience is out of reach financially. They want you to see the world, have fun, and provide many ways to make it happen.
They also have a number of other brands with similiar outlooks on education and travel including "EF College Study Tours", "EF Explore America", "EF Tours Girls Trips", "EF Educational Tours Canada", "EF Go Ahead Tours", and "EF Gap Year".
