5 Reasons Why You Should Travel With Contiki

In 2008, I went on my first Eurotrip by myself, and booking my tour with Contiki was one of the smartest things I’ve ever done!


Contiki is the worldwide leader in tours for 18-35s. Offering an unbeatable mix of sightseeing and culture in over 40 countries across 6 continents, we create hassle-free vacations for like-minded people who share a passion for discovering amazing places.
--- Contiki Website

I booked a European Impressions tour that took me to 11 countries in 20 days with 50 other people! Whether you are traveling solo, traveling with a friend, or are a couple on your honeymoon, I totally recommend it! Here are the reasons why I won’t book anywhere else, and why I would totally do it again in a heartbeat!

1. Contiki makes everything Easy

It was my first big solo trip in the land of far far away, so naturally, I was a little intimidated. I didn’t know what to expect and everything was unfamiliar. Contiki just takes the fear away because they take care of everything. The itineraries are set, the tours are organized, the excursions - although optional - are pretty awesome, and even if I traveled by myself, not once did I feel alone! Our tourguide, Sandy, she knew her stuff. She’s been a tourguide for years so she had the inside knowledge about all these cool places both inside and outside of Contiki’s inineraries. Translate: She hooked us up on all the best places in each country to go out for drinks and good fun!

Meet Sandy, our amazing tour guide!

2. Contiki is considerably Cheap!

I spent around $2500 for the tour that I chose. If you break that down, that amounts to about $125 a day for 20 days – which includes board and lodging, transportation, breakfast, most dinners, and the amazing tours! I think what I appreciated most out of what I paid for was the convenience. It saved me the trouble of having to figure out where to go and what to do and who to hang out with. It was so nice to have been able to just sit there and let the tourguides lead the way – especially since I knew nothing of the places we visited! And if you’re traveling alone for the first time, trust me. You’ll appreciate the hand holding just as much as I did!

The ladies outside Moulin Rouge

Our group in front of the Leaning Tower of Pisa

3. It’s like being back in High School

Seriously – I felt like I was caught in the middle of the storylines of Gossip Girl and Melrose Place combined! I guess if you bring a group of fifty 18 to 35 year olds (with raging hormones) together for 20 days, all sorts of drama is bound to ensue – and they did! People hooking up with people, people switching partners, catfights, threesomes, you name it, they all happened! One of the perks of being a wallflower in this situation is that I got to see everything, but still managed to stay outside of the raw and compelling bubble of it all. Twenty days doesn’t seem much, but when you spend every waking minute of it together, it feels like a lifetime! I did, however, make quite a few good friends. I’m pretty sure all of us did! That’s actually one of my favorite things about this tour. You get to make so many lifelong friends in such a short period of time whether you like it or not! So if you’re more of a lone wolf who prefers solitude and isolation, then forget about Coniki. You’ll hate it.

My Roomies!

4. Your (alcohol) limits are tested

There is a reason why this tour is for 18 to 35 year olds. At first, I thought it was just because they were targeting the hip and youthful and cool --- and that’s all still true, but after going through it myself I realized it’s also because you need to have the energy and vigor to be able to keep up!  The tour is so fast paced, you’ll need a vacation after the Contiki vacation! Everyday you have to get on the bus by 7 to 7:30 am, and you’re out and about for more than 12 hours.
And then… there’s the drinking. We literally drank - Every. Single. Night. You never want to be the loser who slept in and missed out on all the fun, so you drink… and you keep drinking until your liver explodes. When we got to Munich for Oktoberfest, 35 of my tour mates didn’t even bother seeing the city. They went right down to the grounds and drank the whole day! I had half a mind to see a little bit of Munich. But the others? They didn't even care. They just went straight for the steins! Now that’s hard core!
There will be nights where you only get a few minutes of sleep and you wake up with a throbbing hangover, but you can’t sleep in because you’re driving to Italy for the next 8 hours! So unless you have Betty White as your grandmother, I think it’s best to leave them at home and go through the painful yet epic journey yourself… For what doesn’t kill you… keeps you alive to drink another day.

This is what my tourmates looked like when I found them - after drinking for 4 hours

Having my first beer, and hanging out with hot German locals :)

5. It is the MOST FUN you will ever have in your LIFE

I remember vividly… I was enjoying a gondola ride in Venice, giggling at our gondolier who was singing what I could only describe as an Italian marching band song of sorts, when I turned to my roommate and asked:

“Where were we yesterday?”
“I think we were in Austria.”
“Oh I thought we were in Germany.”
“No that was the other night – Oktoberfest remember?”
“Ah, you’re right. Where are we going tommorow?”
“Florence, I think?”
“Oh. Wow.”

Best. Conversation. Ever! Going to bed in one country to explore another the next day, that’s the Contiki life!
It’s been years since the European Impressions trip, but I still speak very fondly of it to anyone who listens. I went on top of Mt Pilatus in Switzerland, drank Oktoberfest beer in Munich, ate waffles in Belgium, rode a gondola in Venice, danced the flamenco in Barcelona, saw the Mona Lisa in Paris, and got high (for the first time in my life) in Amsterdam! In 20 days I did all that, in the company of 50 other people who were just as excited as I was to be there! It really was one of the best times of my 20’s, that’s for sure. I conquered Europe and lived to tell the tale!

Now that I’m 30 and starting to feel the pains of old age creeping in, I sometimes wonder if my body could still keep up with Contiki’s frenzied pace. Will my limbs be able to survive all the walking? Will I still have the energy to keep up with the tweens? Will my liver still hold copious amounts of alcohol as it did before?

Probably not.

Will I do it again?

AB-SO-FREAKIN-LUTE-LY!!!

**Contiki did not pay me to write this article. I really just love them that much. :)


******
Hi There! Have we met before? You look familiar! Those shoes look great on you, by the way! I’m Eartha and I recently decided to quit my job to travel the worrrrld! Join me in my adventures by checking back on my blog, and leaving me a comment or two!

• Subscribe to my blog and get updated every time I post here!
• Add me to your feed reader here!
• Wanna be Facebook friends? Like my page here!
• Are you as epigramatic as I am? Tweet me @earth2eartha
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• Or if you want to leave me a message or a limerick, email me here!

Come and visit me again soon! :)

*****

10 Movies That Inspired Me To Travel

For the last time – I am NOT doing an "Eat, Pray Love"!

No offense to Elizabeth Gilbert and her personal journey… but if I hear another person say – “Aww, you’re doing an ‘Eat, Pray, Love’” in response to my decision to travel the world, I swear I’m going to lose it and throw my shoe at someone.

I can understand why some people might associate what I’m about to do with that book/movie, but please! Ms Gilbert did not invent round the world solo female travelers!
I do, however, have a list of (way better) movies that gave me an overwhelming sense of wanderlust. These are movies that made me go home afterwards and check flights to their featured destinations, and some of them actually made me book! A fair warning: Some of these (or all of them) are chick flicks… but if we can get past that, you’ll see that these visually stimulating films actually have a lot more to it than the sappy, fuzzy and unrealistic story lines. They got me out the door for one thing…

Here it is, 10 of the many movies that inspired me to travel.

1. Under The Tuscan Sun 

This is actually one of my favorite Diane Lane movies. A woman moves to Italy after a painful divorce, buys and restores a house, has an Italian love affair, gallivants across Italy… what’s not to like? Oh and did I mention Sandra Oh is in it? 

2. Midnight in Paris 

Seriously – the opening sequence of this movie made me want to get out of the movie theater and book my flight out to Paris. I did, eventually… about 2 months after the movie came out. Look at that… 4 minutes of uninterrupted Parisian beauty.

3. My Life in Ruins 

People usually say “Mamma Mia” made them want to visit Greece… but I say "My Life in Ruins" is a better movie for Greek Inspiration. For one thing, Nia Vardalos’ character is a tourguide in Greece, so the movie takes you to all these amazing places with a bonus commentary! It’s not a very good movie, but it showcases amazing Greek locations.

4. Brave 

I love "Brave"! And I LOVE Scotland! I know this is an animated movie but they based their animation on real places in Scotland! An example is the Callanish Standing Stones in the Isle of Lewis, or the Eilean Donan Castle in Loch Duich… I’ve been to Scotland several times, but watching Brave definitely made me want to go back and explore the country, Merida style!

5. Leap Year 

I saw this movie with my travel buddy, Karen, and it was a different experience for both of us. It inspired me to go to Ireland to marvel in its beauty, and it inspired her to go to Ireland to propose marriage to someone! Either way, it made us want to GO there and I think that says a lot. And Matthew Goode is hot!

6. Letters to Juliet 

Apart from the beautiful Italian scenery, and the fact that it made me want to go to Verona to leave a letter for Juliet, this quote is what made me really like it:
'"What" and "If" are two words as non-threatening as words can be. But put them together side-by-side and they have the power to haunt you for the rest of your life: What if? What if? What if?'

What if?

7. PS I Love You

OK now this movie, along with "Leap Year" is an Ireland overload - but in a good way. To those of you who have seen the movie, remember that scene where Jerry was describing the first time he saw Holly? How he said he's never seen so many colors on a woman before, but that she somehow looked like she belonged? That's it. That was the moment I knew I HAD to go to Ireland. And I did. And I loved it!

And yes, I did bawl my eyes out in this movie. Several times. *sniff*

8. Chasing Liberty

This movie is a "Roman Holiday" wannabe, but they go to Prague, Berlin, Austria and Italy! And there's skinny dipping in the Danube, and bungee jumping and a Love Parade! It's awesome! And Matthew Goode is hot! (Did I say that already?)

9. The Lord Of The Rings

Middle Earth. Rivendell. The Shire. Mordor. Need I really say more? 

10. The Lizzie McGuire Movie

This is probably the one movie in this list that I’m most ashamed of. First, because it’s Hilary Duff, and second, because I actually enjoyed it. Yes I used to watch Lizzie McGuire on the Disney Channel. And Yes I rooted for Lizzie and Gordo. Shut up.

In my defense, I saw this when I was a lot younger and I was still living in the Philippines then. I was jealous of American kids that had the opportunity to go on exchange programs or exposure trips to Europe. The farthest we got in the Philippines was a province 2 hours away from the city! Anyway… the Lizzie McGuire Movie poster also had a significant tagline: The only risk in an adventure is not taking it at all. It’s cheesy… but cute, right? Right??

Voila, everybody! That’s my top 10. There are still quite a few that I would’ve wanted to include on here but I don’t want to overdo it. Time to hear from YOU! What are your favorite travel movies? Anything in particular you want to recommend I should see to pump me up for the trip? Please leave comments below! I’d love to hear about your list! :)

******
Hi There! Have we met before? You look familiar! Those shoes look great on you, by the way! I’m Eartha and I recently decided to quit my job to travel the worrrrld! Join me in my adventures by checking back on my blog, and leaving me a comment or two!

• Subscribe to my blog and get updated every time I post here!
• Add me to your feed reader here!
• Wanna be Facebook friends? Like my page here!
• Are you as epigramatic as I am? Tweet me @earth2eartha
• Do you have cool photos on Instagram? Check mine out too @earth2eartha
• Or if you want to leave me a message or a limerick, email me here!

Come and visit me again soon! :)

*****

My 2013 Travel Destinations - Parts 2 & 3

On my last post, I showed you the first leg of my RTW tour – The Friends and Family Discount! I will sache around Middle Earth, hang out with a statue of an Akita, and roll around in mud at a music festival! Good stuff! On the next leg, I will get down and dirty all over Europe. This is still a very rough itinerary, but if Help Exchange permits, these are the places I want to visit. Welcome to the second leg of My 2013 Destinations:

Part 2: The Helpex Backpacking Europe Experience 

Italy

Photo from www.chrystal-clear.com

I’ve been to Venice and Florence, and only spent a couple days there. This time around, I want to visit areas that are not as touristy. I really want to learn more about the Italian culture… their food, their lifestyle… and I want to know how the Italian women maintain their voluptuous figures, having 24 hour access to pizza, pasta, olive oil and wine!

Croatia

Photo from www.akademifantasia.org

They say Croatia is the new Ibiza. I’ll have to find out for myself!

Greece

Santorini - Photo from hdwallpapers.com

Of course I’m going to Greece. How can I not?? I’m obsessed with Greek Mythology, and am convinced I am one of Poseidon’s great great granddaughters. I want to go to the Oracle at Delphi and say hey.

Israel

Photo from www.nationalgeographicexpeditions.com

I want to go to Israel and do the Holy Land tour. This is the one country that my dad recommends I visit, and as the most traveled man I know, I trust his judgement. I think it will be pretty epic. I’m already getting goosebumps just thinking about it.

Egypt

Photo from Flashtrafficblog.wordpress.com

The Pyramids! Santiago! The Alchemist! Buried Treasure! My Personal Legend!

Iceland

Photo from www.inspiredbyiceland.com

I have heard so many wonderful things about how amazing Iceland is… and just this past weekend at the LA Travel andAdventure Show, I met a really cool Icelandic local who talked passionately about his country! I’ve been having reservations about visiting Iceland just because it’s so far away from everywhere else in Europe. It’s a completely separate island, and I’d have to fly there. But after speaking with my new friend, I’ve decided to go for it… Yes. I will go to Iceland! Hopefully I can see the Aurora Borealis while I’m there!!!

Spain

Photo from www.travel.nationalgeographic.com

I’ve only been to Barcelona… I’d like to explore different areas like Madrid, Ibiza or Sevilla too. Everywhere I go, I get mistaken for a Latina anyway… might as well spend time in Spain and hang with people who sort of look like me? Haha!

_____

Like I said, this is a very rough itinerary… I don’t want to set things in stone because I don’t know how things would work out with Help Exchange, and I’m still trying to figure things out, money-wise. But if all goes well, I’m hoping to be able to visit these places between the months of July and December. I plan to spend the Christmas holidays in the UK with friends and family, that way I won’t get too lonesome on the road by myself. Let’s hope I get a real white Christmas this time! :)

After the holidays, I’ll still have a few months to spare before my RTW year ends… and there are a few more places I want to visit outside of Europe that I’d like to visit before going back to California. That brings me to the bonus, third leg of my tour:

PART 3: The Magical Mystery Tour – Journey Home

I don’t know if I can accomplish this because I don’t even know if my funds will last me this long… but if I’m lucky, then these are the remaining countries on my list.

Costa Rica

Costa Rican Waterfalls - www.deviantart.com

Studies show that Costa Rica is the Happiest Place on Earth. Yes – it beat Disneyland, and I want to personally find that out for myself!

Brazil

Photo from Funzine.hu

I am going to Carnival!!! I am going to make this happen, you just watch me. I will rock a feathery costume and dance till I drop! :)

Alaska

Photo from brandonsetter.com

OK I know this is a State – but I wanna visit anyway! I haven’t been here and I hear it’s amazing! Maybe if I don't see the Aurora Borealis in Iceland, I might see it here! :)

Canada

Photo by Allie Greenman

I have tons of friends in Canada and I would love to go and see all of them before I go back home!

My 2013 Travel Destinations - Part 1

As I get closer to my “launch” date, I’m getting more and more nervous. I’ve been so busy getting myself excited about the round the world travel I'm doing this 2013 that I think I’ve forgotten about how big a deal this is. So then I’ve started panicking, and I’ve been spending my days dazed and bewildered. There’s SO much I still need to do. My mind is literally one big clusterfuck of to-do lists that I feel like I can't tick off!

Incidentally, something completely cosmic happened to me the other day. I got pulled over by a cop for “running the red light” (but I really didn’t!!!)
When my pleas for him to send me off with a warning didn’t work, he asked me to take my sunglasses off and he looked me square in the eyes. He said, “I want you to listen to me. Do me a favor, okay? I don’t know what’s going on in your head right now. I’m not sure if you’re zoning off, or if you just have a lot on your mind. Whatever it is, I just need you to pay attention, and focus. Can you do that?”

It wasn’t until I was driving away from him that I realized he might actually not be talking about the road.

Eerie, right? 

I tried to be as cute as Vanessa Hudgens in this photo, but it didn't work. 

And so I am choosing to take his advice (which will cost me about $500) and get my act together. I shall focus on what needs to be done, and I’ll start by giving you an outline of what my year could potentially look like. :)

Every travel website I’m subscribed to have come up with their top 2013 destinations, and I thought I’d join the bandwagon! I haven’t really talked in detail about my plans for this year… I guess because I’m not even sure about all my stops myself. I do however, have a rough itinerary, PLUS a ‘wishlist’ of countries/places I want to visit on this round of the world tour. For visualization purposes, I’m going to divide my trip into three legs:

First Leg – The Friends and Family Discount

This is the leg of the tour that is pretty much absolute. I’m buying my plane tickets in the next week or so, I’ve arranged my accommodations with the people I’m visiting… in other words, this one’s a sure thing.

PHILIPPINES

I’m going home, amigos. A month in the Philippines of doing absolutely nothing.

OK maybe I'll be doing some of this...

My friends and I on a mundane Saturday night at my house

AUSTRALIA 

Sydney! Photo from worldplacez.blogspot.com

Melbourne! Photo from Wikipedia

I’m traveling to Sydney and Melbourne with my travel buddy, Karen, and we’ll be staying with my family in Sydney, and her friends in Melbourne. I’ve never been, but always loved Australians and their spirit! I have absolutely no expectations, just excitement!

NEW ZEALAND

Gorgeous New Zealand Landscape

Hobbiton! YAY!

I’m even MORE excited about New Zealand! I’m going to visit Hobbiton! I hear so many wonderful things about this little country, and I’ve become very good friends with a Kiwi, so I’m definitely expecting to fall in love with NZ! I even have the ONE RING of power to guide me through this adventure – courtesy of my Kiwi bird, Jackie!

JAPAN

One of my best friends from high school is taking me in! I also have a sister who lives there! I’ll be staying mainly in Tokyo, but will visit Kyoto for their temples as well. Honestly, I just want to see the statue of Hachiko.

The Statue of Hachiko in Shibuya!

Gorgeous Kyoto in Autumn

DUBAI & ABU DHABI

Sex and the City anyone? I doubt I’ll be traveling in the same fashion as they did, but I’m looking forward to some desert moon adventures!

Desert Safari in Abu Dhabi

Dubai

UNITED KINGDOM

I’m flying to the UK after Dubai and I’ll be staying with Abby & Kit (AKA Mom and Dad) as usual! The UK will be my “homebase” because I’ll be spending most of my backpacking in Europe. If I ever get lonely or sad or broke, I’ll just train it back to the UK and stay with mom and dad in Cardiff and work for them as a babysitter/entertainer! At the end of June though, we are going to attend Glastonbury -- one of the biggest music festivals in the world! It’s like Woodstock! We’ll be camping over there for 5 days in proper hippie fashion, and will be rocking out to the best music from the best musicians!

Standby for a photo of ME covered in Mud this June.

The Glastonbury Festival in England from lollitop.magicate.eu  

I will also most likely be spending time with my friends in London and Scotland. I haven’t worked out the details yet – so, friends from London and Scotland, if you’re reading this, let’s hang out, OK? :)

And that concludes the first leg of the tour. I will be on all of the above from April to July. Aaaagh I can’t wait! Let’s hope I don’t blow off all my money during this period!

Stay tuned for my next post where I talk about the second leg which I’d like to call: The Helpex Backpacking Europe Experience! On that post, I will talk about the potential countries I’d like to visit while I “work” my way through Europe with free board and lodging with the help of Help Exchange.

Till next week! TTFN! :)

My Top 12 of 2012

The best thing about owning (and writing in) a journal or a planner is being able to look back at the things you’ve done in the year. Significant events, or even little occurrences I would have otherwise forgotten are all scribbled in detail in my Starbucks Planner. On January 1, 2013, the first thing I did was sort through those pages… and I don’t know – I can’t really describe the feeling of looking back. It’s a mix of nostalgia, embarrassment, pleasure and pride. 2012 was momentous for me, to say the least. I wish I could share every single thing that I thought was noteworthy, but then I don’t think everyone would appreciate little details like “worst hangover I’ve ever had” or “tried cupping for the first time”. SO… I chose my top 12 – in the order that it happened. Here it is folks, Earth2Eartha’s Top 12 of 2012!

1. American Citizenship

On January 18, 2012, I officially became a citizen of the United States! It took me 5 years and it was well worth the wait! The oath taking ceremony got me pretty emotional, especially being around 3000 other people who shared the same “American Dream”. I swore my oath, waved my flag, and just 10 days later I received the main reason why it made it all worth it for me --- my blue passport. :) And just a couple months after that, I used it for my big ----

2. Eurotrip

In March, I went on a big 30^th birthday Eurotrip with my best travel buddy, Karen. We went to Paris, Colmar, Strasbourg, Zurich, Salzburg, Vienna and Prague. For two weeks, we walked, trained, and flew all over those countries, eating and drinking (coffee) our way through, having the time of our lives!

3. 30^th Birthday in London

After the big tour, Karen and I flew back to London just in time for my 30^th birthday celebration with my friends. We had dinner, we had drinks, we had a cake, and I was in the best company of friends. I'd turn 30 in London any day!

4. Meeting My Hero

Just a few days after my birthday, I went and met (or rather, stalked) my all time favorite writer, Danny Wallace. My friend, Lea and I waited for him to come out of Capitol Radio where he had a breakfast show, met him and found out he was even more awesome in person, and he gave me a birthday present which were tickets to see Paul McCartney play at the Royal Albert Hall that night!
BEST. DAY. EVER.

5. Easter in Lyme Regis

My friends and I had a great Easter holiday just hanging out and practically doing nothing in Lyme Regis. All we did was eat, drink, or jump, or play crazy golf, or sing in a karaoke bar. After all the festivities and excitement from my big Eurotrip and my birthday, it was nice to be able to just relax and take it easy before I had to go back home.

Our Easter Holiday at Lyme Regis

Because we always jump at every opportunity

6. 6 Seasons And A Movie

Community: Sixseasonsandamovie Art Gallery

This was probably one of the best serendipitous experiences I’ve ever had last year! I am a huge fan of the show, Community, and my friend, Wriss and I just happened to walk into a little Community art show, right around the corner from my apartment! I seriously geeked out! It was awesome!

7. Making the Decision To Quit

I remember vividly… It was the night of August 20^th that I asked the Universe for clarity… and when I woke up on August 21, I knew. That same day, I told my siblings. The day after, I told my best friends. The day after that, I told my parents. At the same time, I was packing up my apartment, getting myself ready to move out… Things progressed SO FAST, but it was all necessary. I knew I had to let a lot of things go to be able to move forward and make my lifelong dream come true: To Travel The World!

8. Living in Long Beach

For 2 months, I had the pleasure of experiencing what it was like living in a great place like Long Beach (read full post here). It was difficult, having to move out of my apartment in LA and letting go of most of my possessions, but I had so much fun living with my friend Wriss in a city I consider a hidden gem.

9. The ARGO Premiere

With my friend, Amy at The Academy. And Oscar.

This was another really fortunate accident! My friend, Amy invited me to go and see a “screening” of the movie, Argo. The tickets said to come in a business attire, because it was going to be held at “The Academy”. Little did I know that “The Academy” was THE Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (as in The Oscars), and the little screening was actually THE PREMIERE of the movie, complete with the red carpet and celebrities and everything! George Clooney was sitting right behind us, and Ben Affleck himself came up on stage to introduce his film. I was in a small cinema, breathing the same air as George, Ben, Jon Favreau and John Goodman. It was AMAZING!!! All that – and the movie was AWESOME!

10. The Les Miserables Experience

This one is epic. I randomly found a flyer for a Les Miserables auditions on a lamp post near my office. I went, auditioned and got in! Only the people I grew up with really know this about me – but Musical Theater is another one of my true passions (next to traveling). I never had the guts (or pipes) to really pursue it though, so I liked the idea of doing Community Theater. That way I could still work and earn money during the day, and live my Smash-esque Broadway fantasy at night! Win-win! I had such a great time doing Les Miserables with the Jewish Women’s Repertory (Yes, I was the only non-white, non-Jew in the whole cast)! It was a process that took us 6 months to stage, and we performed for 3 nights last December. It was incredible… Just being on stage, singing again… it gives me a high similar to what I get when I fly. And we did Les Mis!!! It’s Les Mis! Ahhh…

Getting totally in character!

With Little Eponine and Little Cosette

11. Being able to Vote

After 6 years of being in this country, and after getting my US Citizenship – I was finally able to exercise my right to vote for the first time! I voted – and my president won. :)

12. My White Christmas

Just like I mentioned in my previous blog post – a White Christmas was a dream realized for me! Being able to close the year out spending Christmas eve with my family, and then snowboarding with my sister was such a treat. YAY to 2012!