Thoughts On Topdeck
Before signing up with Topdeck, I had a load of unanswered questions which would have pushed me to forget the whole idea if I had not been doing the trip with my friend. During the planning stages of our trip we tossed around the idea of a tour: either Topdeck or Contiki. After a load of calculations we realized doing a Topdeck camping tour would better for our wallet as it was an extremely reasonable price (included food) and conveniently visited a number of places in a short period of time.
Format
We quickly fell into a routine after the tour began. Generally one day would be spent driving to the destination ranging from 5 hours to 10 hours. During these rides there would be at least 2 stops, and usually a lunch break which would be a roadside picnic lunch (we'd pull out a table from the bus and go buffet style). After arriving at the location, the follow day would be a free day which was guided by a handy map created by Topdeck pointing out some attractions and providing some handy phrases to use in case of a language barrier. Throughout the tour some activities were included (such as walking tours), and optional activities would be offered (such as Skydiving, a cabaret show, various tours etc.). If you chose not to do the optional activity, then you could do whatever you want for the day which was great. If you wanted, you could also stay at the campsite; and depending on which location (if there's a metro close by or not) you could come and go as you please. For the most part, the campsites were pretty far from the city, so a meeting time would be arranged so that everyone could get back home.
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Camping
I wasn't sure what to expect with a camping trip; definitely having camped before was helpful. We were provided with tents and air mattresses which (as promised) were very easy to put together. The tent fit the two mattresses and two bags comfortably; I would definitely suggest bringing a flashlight and a warm sleeping bag (some of the Australians who brought a fleece insert instead of the standard bag were freezing)!
The campsites varied from place to place. In Paris the campsite was very basic and the bathrooms were pretty far, whereas in Nice the facilities were much closer (although you had to pay for toilet paper) and patchy wifi was available. Most of us chose to upgrade to dorm rooms in Switzerland as it was extremely cold, and we were lucky, and got upgraded both in Florence & Rome.
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Luggage
The luggage situation for our trip turned out to be quite interesting. In the beginning, both my friend and I fully intended to backpack the entire way. Backpacks were suggested for the camping trip; as they were easier to fit into the bus, and in terms of going up and down stairs it definitely seemed beneficial. At the same time, the fact we were traveling longer made me less enthusiastic about carrying a backpack; especially with another carry on bag which I'd have to put on my front. In the end, with the sleeping bag taking up a lot of space, I chickened out and switched all my stuff into a mid sized suitcase last minute. My friend brought a huge backpack which worked out well for the tour, although it meant she had to repack everything over and over. Once we left the tour and headed out on our own, it meant we had to get from the train/bus/plane to our accommodation by public transit or by walking. This also meant a lot of pain and agony for my poor friend. While I suffered walking up the never ending stairs, I made sure my suitcase was no more than about 35 pounds until we reached the last two countries on our itinerary. My friend on the other hand had to carry a huge amount of weight walking from place to place. In the end she found a set of trolly wheels in Barcelona which we used and secured the bag to bungee cord making life a lot easier.
So suitcase or bag? I'd definitely go for suitcase. As long as you pack light in the beginning, suffering up the stairs is nothing compared to the amount of suffering endured when walking 20 - 40 minutes with a giant backpack (trust me, I carried my luggage up 6 flights and still didn't regret a thing)!
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Rants
Airbnb was a great way to save money, a lot of our accommodations were about $40 CAN a night, which means $20 CAN each (cheaper than the hostels). The review system and security measures used by Airbnb made me feel more comfortable using the service, especially after I was able to correspond with the host. The hosts were overall fantastic and the accommodations were exactly what we expected based on reviews and pictures provided on the site. Definitely a good experience; especially since everyone we stayed with was around our age!
So all in all, I'd say mission Europe was a success. My friend and I definitely learned a lot along the way, and discovered that we travel really well together. We managed to not hate each other after 35 days of eating, sleeping and living together which I have to say is surprising seeing as we had never tried living together before. I don't think I would have changed anything about the trip - sure we made some mistakes and had to get out of some sticky situations (which are too embarrassing to publish online) but in the end, it's all a part of the experience.
-M
hahaha love it
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