I’ll tell you about the trip logistics, so you can determine whether or not a European Contiki is the right travel style for you.

I don’t know if I’d ever tell anyone the entire story of what happened in Amsterdam. But I’ll give you the gist.

Arriving at Berlin, our second-to-last stop on the Europe trip felt extremely bittersweet.

Before even leaving for this Europe trip, a few friends of mine told me I would love Prague. They claimed it was very much my style – quirky, artsy, very bohemian. So as the bus pulled into Prague, I was already super excited.

Our group would only be spending one night in Salzburg, Austria.

On our way to Venice, we would be stopping for dinner in Verona.

Before heading to Rome where we’d be spending another two days, our group stopped for a walking tour of Pompeii.

I had no idea what to expect from our days spent in Sorrento and the Amalfi coast. That was what I enjoyed so much about this Contiki tour: you’d be in a place you never thought about visiting and have a great time that you never would have otherwise had.

Once we left Cinque Terre, our next stop would be a night in Florence, briefly stopping in Pisa to see the leaning tower and take The Photo.

Our first stop during Italy week was Cinque Terre – the five small towns of Monterosso, Vernazza, Corniglia, Manarola and Riomaggiore.

I was excited to knock another country off my list and have some fun with this awesome group. So we piled onto the bus in Nice and headed to Monaco for a night at the Monte Carlo.

I had no idea what to expect as our Contiki bus drove into Nice that evening, but it definitely was not beautiful beaches and palm trees.

Arriving in Barcelona and driving around the city, felt like a dream. This Spanish city was on my list for a few years now, and I was so stoked to finally be there.

We arrived in San Sebastián on January 20, which our Contiki trip manager told us was actually San Sebastián Day.

By the time we arrived at the hostel, the sun was already down. Thus began our one night in Bordeaux!

It hit me – the fact I had flown across the ocean, was travelling on a bus with complete strangers, and was now looking up at the Eiffel Tower. This month was going to be incredible, and it was only day one.

I quit a toxic workplace and almost immediately booked the European Quest Contiki trip for January.

Heading to Dublin was a huge step for me. It was my first solo trip overseas to a place I’d never been. The closer the trip got, the more anxious I became, but getting dropped off at the airport was one of the most empowering feelings in my life up until that point.