USA Contiki - The experience of a lifetime!

So I bet most of you have sat dreaming of the wonderful America after watching one of your favourite shows, thinking about how amazing it would be to visit.. right? Wanting a relaxing stroll through Central Park after watching friends, dying to go shopping in Beverley hills after watching 90210, wondering if you'll ever wander the streets of LA with a stalker like Joe Goldberg (season 2 YOU). Yup, me too! I have dreamed of this country since I was little, but back then it seemed like the impossible. Well its not! I am about to tell you about my wonderful Contiki tour experience and why it is totally worth doing!

I was sat with one of my friends in a hostel in Sydney, a girl i'd met whilst travelling. We were both in a bit of a rubbish mood, hungover, tired. I suggested we went to do something fun, we were in Sydney after all.. but she was happy enough chilling in the hostel. So I took off by myself with no clue what to do on this sunny Sunday afternoon. I passed an STA travel on my walk and decided to pop in for a chat with a travel agent. I had been thinking about my next trip and had been saving for a while so why not right? It can't hurt to have a little look. TWO booked Contiki tours later.. my piggy bank completely empty (after only paying a deposit) and my stupid impulsive self wondering how this had just happened.

For those of you who don't know what a Contiki is, its a tour company that offer amazingly planned trips all over the world. They have an option for everyone! Its a great way to meet new friends and great for people who don't want to travel solo. They include at least one meal a day, accomodation, and the bus ride from place to place!

So as I said i'd been wanting to go to America for ages now, I just had no idea what the best way of doing it was. I don't drive, so a road trip was off the cards and I feared going alone as America is crazy and also huge! I explained this to the travel agent along with the fact that there was about 20 places on my list that I was desperate to see. She came up with the perfect solution! "Have you heard of Contiki?" In that moment I knew I was in trouble, she had just resolved all of my issues and the little voice in my head was screaming DO IT! She managed to find two perfect trips (she had to do two as I had too many places on my list for just one trip), I soon decided that its an opportunity of a lifetime and I wasn't about to miss out. Now i'm not going to lie to you and tell you that I did this trip on a budget, because believe me I saved a lot of money up. But you don't have to do two trips, one is perfect! All the prices are on the Contiki website and they are all unbelievably reasonable for whats included!

I had booked to go for a month, 2 weeks on one tour and 2 weeks on the other. Don't underestimate how much energy this trip will take up though, doing both trips was super tiring and by the end I was exhausted. After all you're up and moving every few days! The tours I did were LA to the bay, and Eastern discovery. I would highly recommend both. They're jam packed with the best places to see!

TIPS -

• Do not pack too much, this was a mistake I made and oh my god was it stressful. You do not need that extra pair of sunglasses, or those 5 pairs of shoes. Bare in mind that you are packing up and moving every few days, loading a 30kg suitcase onto a bus every other day was not the highlight of my trip. Pack according to the weather and don’t forget to check each place because some will be hot and some cold!

• Plan to take extra money. The tours may include a lot but there's also heaps of activities that you can pay extra for. You do not want to be the one stuck in the hotel whilst everyones at Disneyland!

• I loved my experience but honestly one tour is enough! By the second I was exhausted and it became harder to party every night. I didn't want to sleep on the bus because the views are spectacular but sometimes I was just too tired.

• Don't be shy, you'll be on the tour with couples, solo travellers, groups, best friends, but i'm telling you.. by the end of it you'll all be one big family! Most people I met on the tours i'm still in touch with now, one of which I've been to Mexico, Canada and road tripped around New Zealand with since. Another girl I went to stay with in Melbourne at her parents house! Meeting people who love to travel like you do opens up more opportunity's!!

• Stay organised.. before the tour - read your emails, add your flights to your calendar, save copies of your booking references! During the tour - get up on time, make sure you know your itinerary. Yes, you will get a warning but after a few warnings the bus WILL leave without you. Trust me I know from a close, very hungover experience where my alarm didn't go off. Luckily my Australian friend came to the rescue and woke me up with about 3 minutes to spare. I literally had to grab my stuff and run. Oh and it's not fun crawling onto a bus full of angry people, with last nights outfit and makeup still on.

• Don't leave your dinosaur lying around. If you've read my previous post you'll know I have a toy travel buddy, Arlo. One of the dudes from the tour took him whilst I wasn't looking and managed to get a selfie of every single person on the bus with Arlo before I even noticed!

• If you're a fan of the tv show Charmed, get to LA before your tour starts so you can see it. This had been on my bucket list since I was about 5 years old. Charmed is set in San Fransisco but the house is in LA.. Here's the address.. 1329 Carroll Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90026, United States. I got an uber here for next to nothing, don't be fooled, as you're driving closer and closer you'll probably be thinking "there's no way the Charmed house is going to be on one of these streets" like I was. The streets didn't look nice at all. Then suddenly you take a turn onto the most amazing street, filled with beautiful houses, all different shapes, sizes and colours. Then I saw the Charmed house. What a dream!!!

LA to the bay itinerary -

Los Angeles to San Diego to Phoenix to Sedona to Grand Canyon to Route 66 to Las Vegas to Bass lake to Yosemite to San Fransisco!

Eastern discovery itinerary -

New Orleans to Panama City beach to Orlando to Miami to Daytona to Kennedy space centre to St Augustine to Savannah to Charleston to Raleigh to Richmond to Washington DC to Philadelphia New York City!

In my opinion, LA to the bay was better. The west coast is definitely the one for me! But whatever you choose you will have the most awesome time, I can guarantee it!

TRIP HIGHLIGHTS -

Wow, where to even begin with this. Every day was a highlight, every activity, every bus ride! But ill try and narrow it down for you guys so you can get a feel for the trip!

First of all, I need to mention how amazing the tour guides for both trips were, so down to earth, friendly and extremely helpful.. also always down to party!

In LA I would definitely recommend the Charmed house, I know you probably want me to shut up about it but my god its probably the best thing i've ever seen.. EVER. If you know me you'll realise that I say this about everything I see so please be patient with me.

In San Diego we did a speed boat ride as an extra, this was so cool as you get to drive the boat! We saw lots of seals too which was a bonus!

We also hired, a skateboard, roller blades, a scooter, bikes etc and rode along mission beach at sunset. It was the perfect way to end an amazing day!

One of the extras in Phoenix was a hot air balloon ride. YOU HAVE TO DO THIS! Don't let anyone put you off, its the most peaceful, calm, mesmerising experience you will ever have! This was by far one of my favourite memories. We almost didn't go as well, we had to be up at 4am and I was so close to just skipping it and staying in bed. Thank god I didn't!

The jeep ride in Sedona was cool, its so much fun, especially for you adventurous ones.

OK, watching the sun set over the Grand Canyon is literally insane. Surrounded by the amazing friends you've met on the tour, beers, food, music, and the beautiful colours shining through the canyon. I was speechless. Another extra is the helicopter over the Grand Canyon, this is a pricey one but well worth it! They play the Star Wars main theme song as you're flying over and its all so overwhelming, literally brings tears to your eyes! There isn't enough words to explain how amazing this was. Put it on your bucket list for sure!

Route 66 was the one I was looking forward to most. Everyone thought I was crazy for being so excited as "its just a road". BUT ITS NOT JUST A ROAD, its Route 66! It was exactly how I imagined it, dusty, hot, a small town that looked like something from a horror movie. Then you see the sign, "its just a dumb sign in the road, why are you so excited" my friends mocked me for a while, but I didn't care! It may just be a sign but its the feeling you get when experiencing something you've wanted for so long, the little rush of happiness you get when you realise you've made a dream come true! Soppy I know!

Then we get to Vegas, the vibe here is like no other! You instantly feel like you're playing a part in the hangover movie! I'd suggest spending a whole day going from casino to casino, walking along the beautiful strip, taking it all in, before you get absolutely waisted, have the worlds worst hangover the next morning and don't feel like leaving your bed.

After all that craziness in Vegas you definitely need to wind down. Which is why Bass lake and Yosemite are the perfect places to come after! We got to stay in a beautiful lodge surrounded by forrest and lakes, we had a boat party on the lake, we even got to jump in! We had walks around Yosemite, it was like a dream, the crisp November air, the mountains surrounding you.. my idea of perfect.

Now for San Fran, this ones a place to remember, the Golden Gate Bridge, a beautiful skyline, and some of the steepest streets i've seen. You have to see the bridge, look at it, take pictures of it, walk across it, kiss it for all I care, its AMAZING! One of my favourite views of the bridge is from the viewpoint at the opposite side to the city called Battery Spencer. I also need to mention.. ALCATRAZ! I wanted to tick this off my bucket list for a very long time, and now I have! Do not miss out on this if you ever go to San Fran, the prison is just crazy! You can feel an eerie presence as you're walking past the cells. Its a virtual tour so you gain so much knowledge about the prison as you wander, do it, do it, do it! San Fran completed my first trip and what an awesome trip that was!

"Alcatraz was never no good for nobody"

New Orleans is another one with a great vibe. I'm not sure if you've watched the vampire diaries but its definitely got that witchy feel to it. I went to visit a cemetery, had a peek at Sandra bullocks house and obviously visited the famous Bourbon street. The jazz music was incredible, make sure you check out a few bars whilst you're there!

You can't come all the way to America without a trip to Florida. I managed to come at the perfect time as it was Mickeys very merry Christmas party at the magic kingdom. It was magic alright! After spending the night running round like a child (buying balloons, ears, everything I could possibly get my hands on), we went on most of the rides and the night finished with a firework display over the castle. One word, Unbelievable.

Washington DC is a place i'd never really wanted to go, but it ended up being one of my favourite places! It helped that it was in the middle of November, orange leaves filled the ground, the air was fresh, it was, as they call it.. a beautiful fall. I managed to go to a basket ball game, another huge bucket list moment! The Washington Wizards.. I was in my element with my huge foam hand, fries and soda!

Philadelphia was a highlight for sure. Make sure you get a Philly Cheesesteak from Sonny's, you can't miss out they're really good. Oh, and run up the steps from Rocky.

Last but not least New York City!! Now we're talking. It was FREEZING. But I would of caught a cold a billion times over to explore this amazing city for one more day. With it being the end of November it was so Christmassy, we walked through Central Park, visited Times Square, flagged down a yellow cab, sat on the steps at the MET.. xoxo. We went to the house from sex in the city and the friends apartment building, got the ferry to Staten Island, ate street food, waited at grand central station and watched people ice skating at the Rockefeller centre. The tree wasn't up yet so I have definitely got to go back closer to Christmas! But there is endless amounts of things to do in New York.. I just wish i'd have had more time!

That pretty much sums up my trip! The one thing I loved the most about this experience were the friends that I've made along the way. I always get a little nervous to travel on my own but I'm soon settled into it wondering what the hell I was scared of? If you're a big lover of America like me and you want to get out there and explore then I'd say a contiki is a great way to do so! What are you waiting for?