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As sister companies within The Travel Corporation, Contiki and Trafalgar offer a variety of tours in multiple styles. Most travellers compare only the prices and itineraries to book their trips, although there are several other factors that put one company above the other for the best trip.
Read on to compare Contiki and Trafalgar in detail, and pick the one that best suits your travel style.
| Features | Contiki | Trafalgar | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|
| What tours are available? |
|
| Trafalgar offers tours in all major tourist regions of the world. Contiki excludes Central America, Africa and the Middle East. |
| Do tours include flights? | No | No | Neither includes international flights. |
| Can I price match? | No | No | Neither provides price matching. |
| Are there lay-by or payment plans? | A $255 per person deposit is required to confirm booking. The balance must be paid 45 days from the start of the tour. | A booking deposit of $255 per person is required to reserve your slot. The final payment is due 45 days prior to departure. | Both accept equal deposits and allow equal time to make the final payment. |
| Are there booking/charge fees? | No | No | Neither charges booking fees. |
| Is there online chat? | No | No | Neither offers live chat. |
| Is there a loyalty scheme? | 5% off for past passengers with 7+ days long previous trips. | 5% off you have travelled with Trafalgar or one of its sister groups within the last 5+ years. | 5% loyalty discount for both. Since Contiki and Trafalgar are sister brands, a tour with any one of them or other sister brands (Insight Vacations, Uniworld River Cruises, Trafalgar, Haggis Adventure, Shamrocker Adventures, Lion World Travel, African Travel, Brendan Vacations and AAT Kings) makes you eligible for a discount on another. |
| What ages are targeted? | Only for 18-35 year olds. | Most tours accept everyone above the age of five. | Trafalgar offers tours to a wider age group. |
| Is there a single supplement? | Optional, at an additional cost. | Optional, at an additional cost. | Both offer an optional single supplement. |
| What are my payment options? |
|
| Payment methods are the same for both companies. |
We found that the average cost of tours on Trafalgar is higher than on Contiki. At the time of writing a 12-day Vietnam tour costs $1,908 on Contiki while a comparable itinerary is priced at $3,646 on Trafalgar.
The verdict: Contiki offers cheaper tours than Trafalgar, however Trafalgar tours are priced higher as they are often more luxurious services and accommodation.
Currently, Contiki is offering 335 tours while Trafalgar has around 350 tours. Contiki has a higher number of tours in Australia and Latin America, while Trafalgar offers more tours in North America and Europe.
The verdict: Both Contiki and Trafalgar have the same range of tours.
Cancellation policy: Cancellation charges on both companies are the same when cancelled more than 22 days from the start of the trip. If you cancel within 22 days, Trafalgar deducts a lesser percentage of the trip cost.
| Days cancelled prior to departure | Cancellation fee based on your purchase price |
|---|---|
| 45+ days | Deposit only |
| 45-22 days | 25% |
| 21-8 days | 50% |
| 7-1 days | 75% |
| Days cancelled prior to departure | Cancellation fee based on your purchase price |
|---|---|
| 45+ days | Deposit only |
| 45-22 days | 25% |
| 21-8 days | 30% |
| 7-1 days | 50% |
Both Contiki and Trafalgar offer an early payment discounts, last-minute deals and past passenger price cuts, discounts with friends and group deals. Deals on Contiki tours start from 10% and some tours like London, Paris and Amsterdam can have as high as 30% off.
The majority of discounted tours on Trafalgar have 7.5% to 12% off. However, if you’re lucky you can get up to 15% off on trips.
The verdict: Both have a variety of deals but Contiki has higher discounts up for grabs.
Up to 20% off + $99 deposits on Australia adventures
Up to 15% off South Australia wine and wildlife adventure
Up to 14% off 16-day tropical adventure in Australia
Perth: Up to 15% off 8-day Rottnest Island and Margaret River tour
Up to 15% off New Zealand tours
Up to 10% off Great Barrier Reef adventure
Up to 15% off 4-day Uluru adventure
Up to 25% off Europe trips
Get $250 travel credits
Up to 10% off advance purchase
Up to 10% off young traveller discount
Up to 5% off family tours
Up to 5% off group tours
Up to 5% off repeat traveller
5% off your next trip
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