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Finding My Travel Style: From Contiki to Small Group Travel

17 items

TheLayeredTraveller

I have been travelling the world on and off for over 20 years. This list is full of tours I have used throughout the years, and how it shows the evolution in how I choose to travel. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Sections

Chapter 1 — Getting Started

Chapter 2 — Looking Deeper

Chapter 3 — Testing to Find Balance

Chapter 4 — Mixing Styles

Chapter 6 — Today

Chapter 1 — Getting Started

I think that I started the way that most people do. Maybe it's not that way for everyone now, but back then if you were travelling it was almost a rite of passage to do a Contiki tour. A co-worker is currently doing one and the company continues to go strong, it certainly showed me how much of the world I wanted to see.

2004 - My tour no longer exists, but I know that this one was part of it. The only difference is that it returned to LA. This was the first-ever tour that I went on, it was a good introduction to travel, and it definitely started the travel bug. I think I was probably lucky to be travelling with my cousin at the time, it may have been overwhelming at 18, solo.

LA to the Bay

2007 - I did the Eastern Road at the time, I couldn't find a close equivalent tour, it has been a while…lol. Still early in my travel journey, I stuck with what I knew and did Contiki again. It showed me that my tastes had started changing. I was wanting more freedom. Part of the group actually travelled from Krakow to Berlin to avoid travelling with our group. Our guide was not the best.

European Horizon

A blog post I wrote that breaks down small and large group travel and how my tastes evolved over time.

Small Group Tours vs Large Group Tours: 7 Differences I've Noticed

I stand by this…. work on finding yours.

There Is No Right Way to Travel

Chapter 2 — Looking Deeper

This was when I started asking myself what I really wanted out of my travel experiences. The Contiki style tour I always describe as seeing a little of a lot. You may visit say 5 countries but you might see one of two places in them. There's nothing wrong with that style of travel. I just found myself wanting more.

Experiencing Dia De Los Meurtos in Mexico was always a bucketlist item for me and I was lucky enough to tick it off the list in 2019. I wish I had seen it a decade earlier, but it was still amazing.

Day of the Dead in Mexico City | G Adventures

Being prepared is important when you want to have a cultural meaninful trip. Here is a post I wrote around the subject.

How to Prepare for a Cultural Trip (And Keep It Meaningful)

Experiencing Day of the Dead is amazing, here are some tips on doing it respectfully.

Visiting Day of the Dead in Mexico: A Cultural Guide to Doing It Respectfully

Chapter 3 — Testing to Find Balance

Having decided that I wanted to see things more in depth. When I started planning my 2019 trip I decided to, at first, just see Mexico more deeply. I later decided to add Cuba since I was flying that far to begin with…lol…. I was away for about 5 weeks I think.

2019 - This was my first foray into smaller group tours. I knew that large groups weren't for me anymore, so I was exploring the other options. This was an amazing tour, started to show me what I think that I wanted. We had an amazing knowledgeable guide, I wish that I had recorded his answer to the meaning of life question, it was great…lol.

Explore Mexico - 15 Days Tour | Intrepid Travel

2019 - There used to be a 18 to 30 Somethings version of this called Cuba Salsa and Snorkelling I think, it changed names after I booked it, Cuba followed Mexico in my search for my travel style and company. And this was another continued step in the right direction. Amazing your of an amazing country.

Treasures of Cuba | G Adventures

Cultural experiences in spades in Cuba. Including the Buen Vista Social Club.

Some places have a soundtrack 🎶🇨🇺

Chapter 4 — Mixing Styles

This was my first real experience in mixing small group travel with my more independent solo style. I had almost a week to myself between the end of my GAdventures tour and the Anzac Day celebration which was my final event of my trip.

2024 - I planned an entire trip to Turkey around wanting to attend Anzac day. So a tour was a no brainer and this was great, I am told that the classic Absolute Turkey version is as well. A great group and guide made this tour especially memorable.

Turkey: Coastlines & Cappadocia | G Adventures

2024 - The catalyst for the trip to Turkey was wanting to attend the Dawn Service at Gallipoli. Mission accomplished. I was a little disappointed with the guide on this one. He felt more like a glorified chaperone than guide in this instance. That said the experience was smooth.

ANZAC Day Dawn Service | Intrepid Travel

Thinking about making the Anzac Trip, here are some practical tips.

Anzac Day - Gallipoli Travel Guide (What to Expect + Tips)

Chapter 6 — Today

This was the trip that cemented my style of travel. I have come to the conclusion that fusing small group travel with my desire to do some solo exploration is the model that I will use going forward. I am sure that could change as I continue forward in life. But that could change as I move forward in ...

2025 - This was my first Local Living tour experience. I loved being able to stay in the same place for the week and do day trips. The Itinerary has changed a little since I did it, but I would certainly recommend the experience.

Local Living Italy - Tuscany San Gimignano | G Adventures

2025 - One half of the Ultimate Italy Itinerary, this tour gave me a small snapshot of what Northern Italy has to offer. It has made me want to return and experience some places in more detail.

Best of Northern Italy: Florence to Venice | G Adventures

2025 - This tour included one of my favourite accomadations of my entire trip. I will definitely be continuing to explore the LOcal Living Tours in other locations. I would have liked to do this one a little earlier in the season though, things were starting to shut down in the area so some of the Optional Extras weren't offered and public transport was more limited.

Local Living Italy—Amalfi Coast Winter | G Adventures

Here is a post I made about why I have decided to combine small group and solo travel.

5 Reasons I Combine Solo and Small Group Travel (Instead of Choosing One)