HI Everyone - I must say these postings are so informative. I am doing a Connections 18-35's Island Suntanner tour Mar 22nd. I was wondering if anyone has been on a similar tour- running Sydney to Cairns. Any advice or opinions? Also - I am doing NZ for 7 days with Contiki....I am a solo female &amp; feel much safer in a group atmosphere. Any advice for me on either places?<BR><BR>Thanks

I did a similar tour with a different company years ago and had a ball. One tip would be to take a light smaller bag with you (packed flat inside your backpack/suitcase) big enough to pack stuff in to take out to an island for a day or two. We couldn't take our main luggage out to the islands with us but your tour may be different. Absolute must is sunscreen and a hat, also insect repellent, RID is a good one to use. Hope your trip is great, Kay

Aleisha-I have been on 2 Contiki trips, one to Greece and the Beaches and Reefs to Australia. I had a great time on both. They are heaps of fun, crowd will definitely range from 18-35. It's a great way to see lots of sights and just sit back without having to stress about the planning. You will meet lots of fun people and the best thing about that is then you have people to do things with, unlike traveling alone. My only complaint was that on my Australia trip I felt kind of old (I was 31) and on this particular trip the majority of the crowd was more mid-twenties. However, on the Greek trip the crowd was more late 20s/early 30s so it was fantastic. You might want to try and figure out what activities you'd like to do ahead of time (Contiki sends a brochure with this info) so you get everything in. You will have a great time. Let me know if you want more info.