Before the big Black Friday Sale every year, EF raises the prices of their trips!! You'll have a 60-day price match guarantee if you book before the sale and will get an extra $100 when you book your first trip using this link > www.efultimatebreak.com/?ba=UAKarina100 ALSO make sure you apply promo code *UAKarina100* to confirm!!
I typically never exchange currency beforehand because I find it much more efficient to go to the ATM once I arrive at the destination - and same is true for Iceland! Just look for ATMs attached to banks and you should be fine 😊
I went with EF Ultimate Break solo to London & Scotland in May! Im going on Hawaii solo with them in July! I also have Australia & New Zealand planned for December 2023!
It’s perfectly normal to be nervous before a solo trip! But I guarantee you’ll fall in looove with Iceland and make some amazing friends along the way :)
Thanks for making this video. I am considering going on a trip. You mentioned packing light for the trips. Did you have access to washing machines at any place you stayed? Or did you pack multiple outfits per day for the whole duration of the trip?
So both of my trips with EF were fairly short (less than 10 days) and I didn’t really feel the need to do laundry; I mainly packed outfits in a “capsule wardrobe” style that I could mix and match! However most hostels and hotels today do offer laundry services if you’d prefer to set time aside for that on your trip! Hope that helps :) happy to answer any questions!
Was there a lot of partying? I recently did a couple of Contikis and the tour manager definitely pushed partying, which wasn't what some of us were looking for. It was almost all about drinking.
Wow I didn’t realize that was the case 😳 I think it definitely depends on the destination, but I would say in general, most people with EF are really excited about the place they’re visiting and really enjoy the educational aspect. You can also find groups of people who want to go out in the evenings, and others who just like a chill night in :)
Ah so highlights of Japan right? Would love to do this trip! I think you could definitely get away with a bigger suitcase then, transportation seems to be much smoother there in general. What time of year are you going?
I would say it varies by destination. But on every trip, you'll find mainly two camps of people - some who love going out each night and experiencing the nightlife in a new destination and others who aren't big on drinking (like myself) who may opt for a different experience (we had a spa night on our Iceland trip!) or prefer to have an early night in. So each trip is what you make of it! I love diving into the local culture and history of each new country I visit so I'm usually up early ready to explore instead of recovering from a hangover haha
@@mapsandfootprints That's reasonable. I went to spain and portugal with contiki last month and i'd say at least 80% of the people went to bars to drink and maybe about 30%, including me, actually ended up going to clubs after and partied extremely hard. Even if i was tired i'd still like to at least go to the bars and get a few drinks since drinking is an important part of almost every culture. It's like going to restaurants. I also made very good memories *wink* *wink* with the people on the trips as well. You do learn about countries' cultures and lifestyles through their bars and drinking habits a lot. What about your ef group? did they party as hard? I think they have a lot of free days right? I feel like these days are usually for sleeping off hangovers lol.
@alextran2490 Europe trips, sure, you’ll find quite a few people who go out each night. But I think Contiki is better known for their “party vibes” so those might be more what you’re looking for!
what advice do you have for saving money so you can travel with ef? i'm super interested but i need to save up quite a bit! did you bring a lot of extra money with you past the initial price?
That’s a really good question, one that I definitely had before traveling with EF. I’d say it really depends on which country/countries you go to and for how long. For example, in Belize my money went a lot further for a lot less and our trip was less than 10 days. Iceland, on the other hand, is one of the most expensive places in the world to travel, but we only had 6 days and more meals were included on the Ultimate Plus itinerary. So typically Central/Latin America destinations will be cheaper than Europe/Africa destinations. Something else to consider that’s not included in the price is the tip for your Tour Director at the end which is about $4 - $6 per day. So I try to set aside that money beforehand. As far as saving up, I try to reduce unnecessary costs in my daily life so I buy groceries and cook 95% of my meals at home, thrift or borrow clothes from family/friends to bring on trips with different climates, and book further in advance - the more time you have before the trip, the smaller the amount of each payment per month. Hope that helps! Happy to answer any additional questions you may have 😊
Something I just thought of that I forgot to mention - I usually try to book my own flights! If you have miles you can use to buy your flights that will save you a good chunk of the cost! I recommend checking your dates on Google Flights as well to see if there’s any deals on your travel days that can save you money
Before the big Black Friday Sale every year, EF raises the prices of their trips!! You'll have a 60-day price match guarantee if you book before the sale and will get an extra $100 when you book your first trip using this link > www.efultimatebreak.com/?ba=UAKarina100 ALSO make sure you apply promo code *UAKarina100* to confirm!!
When you went to Iceland how did you do money exchange for their currency?
I typically never exchange currency beforehand because I find it much more efficient to go to the ATM once I arrive at the destination - and same is true for Iceland! Just look for ATMs attached to banks and you should be fine 😊
I went with EF Ultimate Break solo to London & Scotland in May! Im going on Hawaii solo with them in July! I also have Australia & New Zealand planned for December 2023!
Ok those are some awesome trips, I'm super jealous! Hope you have a great time!
Going to Italy and Switzerland in august I’m so excited
I’ve heard the best things about that trip 😄 you’ll love it!
Omg I’m planning to go on my own next year so nervous Bt excited. I want to go to Iceland 🇮🇸 in April
It’s perfectly normal to be nervous before a solo trip! But I guarantee you’ll fall in looove with Iceland and make some amazing friends along the way :)
BTW - EF is releasing TWO new Iceland trips for Black Friday! You can sign up for early access at the link on my profile 🎉
i loved my Belize trip. It was so much fun
Same here! I’m actually thinking about going on the new Mexico & Belize trip just to go back 😄
@@mapsandfootprints me too
Thanks for making this video. I love the way you explained everything in detail. And Im your 34th subscriber. 😍
Glad you liked it 😊 thanks!
Thanks for making this video. I am considering going on a trip. You mentioned packing light for the trips. Did you have access to washing machines at any place you stayed? Or did you pack multiple outfits per day for the whole duration of the trip?
So both of my trips with EF were fairly short (less than 10 days) and I didn’t really feel the need to do laundry; I mainly packed outfits in a “capsule wardrobe” style that I could mix and match! However most hostels and hotels today do offer laundry services if you’d prefer to set time aside for that on your trip! Hope that helps :) happy to answer any questions!
@@mapsandfootprints okay. Thank you so much! 😊
No problem! Thinking I’ll do a video soon about my hostel experiences and I’ll make sure to include the laundry system 😄
@@mapsandfootprints yes! That would be so helpful. I just subscribed!
Was there a lot of partying? I recently did a couple of Contikis and the tour manager definitely pushed partying, which wasn't what some of us were looking for. It was almost all about drinking.
Wow I didn’t realize that was the case 😳 I think it definitely depends on the destination, but I would say in general, most people with EF are really excited about the place they’re visiting and really enjoy the educational aspect. You can also find groups of people who want to go out in the evenings, and others who just like a chill night in :)
I'm doing the Japan one, usure if a carry on and backpack would be enough for 14 days
Ah so highlights of Japan right? Would love to do this trip! I think you could definitely get away with a bigger suitcase then, transportation seems to be much smoother there in general. What time of year are you going?
@@mapsandfootprintsSummer so simple clothing
Yea, I’d say you’d be able to do a carry on for sure, if that’s easier for you
How much partying/drinking was on these trips?
I would say it varies by destination. But on every trip, you'll find mainly two camps of people - some who love going out each night and experiencing the nightlife in a new destination and others who aren't big on drinking (like myself) who may opt for a different experience (we had a spa night on our Iceland trip!) or prefer to have an early night in. So each trip is what you make of it! I love diving into the local culture and history of each new country I visit so I'm usually up early ready to explore instead of recovering from a hangover haha
@@mapsandfootprints That's reasonable. I went to spain and portugal with contiki last month and i'd say at least 80% of the people went to bars to drink and maybe about 30%, including me, actually ended up going to clubs after and partied extremely hard. Even if i was tired i'd still like to at least go to the bars and get a few drinks since drinking is an important part of almost every culture. It's like going to restaurants. I also made very good memories *wink* *wink* with the people on the trips as well. You do learn about countries' cultures and lifestyles through their bars and drinking habits a lot. What about your ef group? did they party as hard? I think they have a lot of free days right? I feel like these days are usually for sleeping off hangovers lol.
@alextran2490 Europe trips, sure, you’ll find quite a few people who go out each night. But I think Contiki is better known for their “party vibes” so those might be more what you’re looking for!
what advice do you have for saving money so you can travel with ef? i'm super interested but i need to save up quite a bit! did you bring a lot of extra money with you past the initial price?
That’s a really good question, one that I definitely had before traveling with EF. I’d say it really depends on which country/countries you go to and for how long. For example, in Belize my money went a lot further for a lot less and our trip was less than 10 days. Iceland, on the other hand, is one of the most expensive places in the world to travel, but we only had 6 days and more meals were included on the Ultimate Plus itinerary. So typically Central/Latin America destinations will be cheaper than Europe/Africa destinations. Something else to consider that’s not included in the price is the tip for your Tour Director at the end which is about $4 - $6 per day. So I try to set aside that money beforehand.
As far as saving up, I try to reduce unnecessary costs in my daily life so I buy groceries and cook 95% of my meals at home, thrift or borrow clothes from family/friends to bring on trips with different climates, and book further in advance - the more time you have before the trip, the smaller the amount of each payment per month. Hope that helps! Happy to answer any additional questions you may have 😊
Something I just thought of that I forgot to mention - I usually try to book my own flights! If you have miles you can use to buy your flights that will save you a good chunk of the cost! I recommend checking your dates on Google Flights as well to see if there’s any deals on your travel days that can save you money
Thanks for the review I can’t wait to book my trip! ❤