You’re ready for the trip of a lifetime but you aren’t sure who can make it happen – Contiki or Expat Explore. You love the look and sound of both operators but how do you know which one is right for you? Time for a quick compare and contrast!
Group size, age requirements and travel styles
When deciding Contiki or Expat Explore, it is important to realise that both offer a variety of trips that adhere to different travel styles.
Contiki caters to young adults exclusively (18-35), so most tours are action-packed with sightseeing, local dinners and nightlife options. They each allow you to move at a nonstop pace or take it easier, depending on the experience you’re looking for.
Expat Explore offers a larger variety of tours when you consider that they accept travellers of all ages. Most of their travellers range in age from 20 to 30 years old but they also have many 50 to 60-year-olds on the same tours as well. Expat is the preferred choice for families or very budget conscious travellers.
Contiki’s Europe tours usually have 50 travellers in a group while their USA, Canada, New Zealand and Australia tours have an average group size of 30. Their Latin and South America tours offer the most intimate experiences when it comes to group size.
Expat Explore generally has anywhere between 40 to 50 travellers on a single tour. They only offer twin-sharing hotel accommodations for the most part and don’t use local guides for the most part, instead relying solely on company guides whereas Contiki uses local guides where possible.
Physical requirements
With both operators, generally there are no strenuous activities that are involved, although some optional excursions, if you decide to do them, may involve swimming, bike riding or small hikes.
This should be checked on a per itinerary basis as there may be times throughout specialty tours (hiking for example) where a certain level of fitness will be required. This will be outlined in the itinerary of each tour.
Neither Contiki nor Expat Explore feature specific “trekking” tours so you don’t need to be overly fit to enjoy these tours comfortably.
Accommodation
The standard and style of accommodation varies depending on the tour.
Contiki might place you in a hotel, a hostel, a campsite or somewhere else entirely.
Expat Explore will only ever place you in a hotel, with an average rating of 3 stars. Neither operator charges single supplements for solo travellers.
Transportation
Both operators provide a variety of transportation options based on the trips.
Contiki and Expat Explore use a combination of private buses and public transit to get you where you need to go. In most cases, you’ll be relying on chartered buses but both operators offer very similar transportation options.
Destinations
Contiki offers tours to the following locations: Europe, Asia, North America, Australia, New Zealand, and Latin America.
Expat Explore specialises in European destinations and currently offer tours all across Europe and also Egypt.
Pricing
Contiki is considered affordable for budget travellers with their average price per day sitting at roughly USD $140. This cost is determined by the number of scheduled activities per day in the itinerary, of which there are many.
Expat Explore also offers budget tours for all ages around Europe with their average price per day costing slightly less than Contiki, at approximately USD $116.
They have two different travel styles, budget and comfort which can affect the prices of tours. Their accommodation is normally 3-star standard and not all activities are included in the tour price.
There are many factors that affect the price when travelling with either company; things like accommodations and the number of included activities that can either increase or decrease the price of the overall trip.
Looking for more info? Find reviews for Contiki tours here and reviews for Expat Explore tours here.
