I did one years ago - 2000 i think. It was an Australian East Coast tour. I only booked my trip to OZ with 4 days notice. Hence i booked one of these as I didnt have time to plan my routes! I was dreading the fact that it could have been full of dull people with no spark. I loved it! Granted I was 26 at the time - and its a full on trip - we ended up doing so many add ons that i didnt think i wouuld ever do (Parachute jump etc).
I dont know if it would be for me now - but at the time it was the best option and I made loads of friends on the trip
Two of us (lads) are doing on in europe in the summer London to Rome over 8 days then taking off interrailing afterwards we're in our thirties, so we're assuming we'll be the older ones haha, apparently they're great craic and a lot of partying involved...so bring it on!
im thinking of doing one of the australian ones, the aussie explorer one looks good, its 25 days long but you get to see alot...has anyone been on this or have any other tips/comments etc...thanks!
eirefinq - I did the 19 day one from Sydney to Cairns and then Cape Trubulation, It is long - you will be wrecked after it - so plan a couple of days to chill after the end of it. And dont just budget for the trip and food and drink - make sure you have some extra cash for the add ons - cos some of this stuff you will only get to do once in your life - so make sure you enjoy it. It was great craic when i did it
To be honest it's a long time (2003) since I did Oz but I def found that the best way of doing these tours is off your own back.
The tour price for an activity like Fraser island or the Whitsundays can often be lower but the trade off is that they pack in as many people as possible. For example there were 27 on board our Whitsundays cruise and my friend and I had to sleep in the wheelhouse on a bunk which meant that we were woken at 6.30am both mornings which was a load of fun.
eirefinq - It is quiet a while since i did my one - 2000 I think. There actually wasnt any other Irish on the trip which suited me best - I was travelling on my own and with my limited planning time i wouldnt have done as much as I did on my own back as ondeball mentioned (which can be correct). The age profile was mostly mid to late 20's with some younger, and some into their mid 30s. You can be lucky on these trips and get a good group - or can get a quieter group - depends on the day I suppose.
thanks all. its something that i'd really like to do and have it off my list ya know? the reason im lookin at the 25 day aussie explorer one is coz if you are over der you might as well do it all in one go...the only thing is the cost lol..i have been doing my numbers and here's how dey look:
Flights: €2000
Tour: €2800
Extras on tour: €1400 (approx)
Spending money on tour: €2500 (approx)
Extra few days in Sydney after tour: €1000 (approx)
im gonna need €10k cash, is it worth all that cash??
It all depends on your circumstances - but somethings you just cant quantify in monetary terms. This is a once in a lifetime trip - and leaving it all till your older may block you from doing some of the adventure type things due to health/fitness. If the money is there - and you are not going into debt then go for it - If you are stretching yourself too much - then scale it back a bit.