Contiki is the word – Brave or Stupid?

I have booked FOUR Contiki tours for my trip next year. May – to end of June 2011.

When I tell people I am doing a Contiki tour – those who know my ‘actual’ age are the first ones to pipe up ‘Aren’t you too old for them now’!  But I think I am in that age group where I still consider myself to fit into the ‘younger’ ( albeit on the upper scale ) category but consider myself too young for the ‘older’ coach style tours.  I just cannot picture myself on and Insight tour with 40 of my closest blue rinses hooning around Europe at the pace of a snail ( sorry to all the oldies that don’t fall into the blue rinse category – I know how you feel !!)

I did have to get approval for my bookings ( due to my age ) and I am unable to share with a young whipper snapper also because of the age ‘thing’.  I am also forced to pay a single supplement – as who in their right mind would want to share with an OLDIE like me!!!!  Even after all this, I still think it is worth it and needless to say my application was approved – with no cajoling or bribes needed.  

The tours all run consecutively, so it will be a 55 day long party with Generation Y.  In my defence I am on the cusp of Gen Y and Gen X so I should be able to keep up with all of my 192 potential new friends that I will make, give or take a bad egg or 2, which just comes with any group touring, no matter what the age demographic.

In my research there is also a new Generation called the Z Generation – where to from here? What will the next Gen be called as there is not much room to move from Z.

So what is the difference between the generations?

Generation X is the generation generally defined as those born after the baby boom ended, and hence sometimes referred to as Baby Busters, with earliest birth dates seen used by researchers ranging from 1961 to the latest 1981 at its greatest extent.

Generation Y is also known as Millennial Generation, Generation Next, or Echo Boomers. The earliest suggested birth dates ranging from mid to late 1970s to the latest in the early 2000s.

Generation Z, also known as Generation I or Internet Generation, and dubbed the "Digital Natives," is the following generation. The earliest birth is generally dated in the early 1990s.

So based on the above – I could technically also be travelling with Gen Z aswell.

Okay so I could handle one generational gap, but 2 – maybe I’m biting off more than I can chew – YEAH RIGHT!!!!!  I’ll show those ankle bitters a thing or two.

How to consume $700.00 of alcohol in a week. 

How to back up after a BIG night of drinking.

How to NOT lose a camera while drunk ( okay so maybe I can’t help with that )

How to take great drunk photos and have them loaded and tagged the next day on Facebook

I think I would be an asset to the Gen Y coach tour and really am looking forward to meeting some new friends along the way.  I am a big Contiki fan and have travelled with the company twice.  Four weeks Europe and 3 weeks Scandinavia.

Needless to say that at the end of the day my new found ‘younger’ friends will not know the true age of the ‘travelling granny’ and am thinking I will aim for the grand ol’ age of 29!  I think I may pass – mention 30 to them and they’ll think I am a 100.  Oh to be in my 20’s again.

Wish me luck on my quest to keep up for 55 days on the party trail of Europe, Ireland, Spain ( with a stop in Ibiza ) and of course the beautiful Greek Islands of Mykonos, Ios and Santorini.

I have already apologised to my liver in advance for the hammering it will get.