Journeys I've Made
My job at Contiki offered a great opportunity to travel around the world. As travel agents, we were entitled to a 75% discount on all airline tickets and a 90% discount on most hotel accommodations. While we weren't given extra time off to enjoy these benefits, we made the most of them during our annual leave.
As I was still traveling on a Dutch passport, World Travel Headquarters had to go guarantor for me, ensuring that I would return to Australia after each trip. This also meant I couldn't fly directly to Amsterdam, so I flew to Brussels and took the train to The Hague to visit family.
My mother once remarked that she saw more of me after I moved to Australia than when I lived in Holland.
After three years, I became an Australian citizen, which made international travel significantly easier.
Below are maps and stopover places from my travels. Although I lost most of my photos during a cyclone in Innisfail, I have preserved many of my airline tickets, which are included in this story.
Unfortunately, business trip tickets were kept by Contiki for taxation purposes, so they are not part of my collection. Nonetheless, these remnants serve as a testament to the remarkable journey I had with Contiki and the experiences that shaped my career and life.
Holiday flights during my Contiki years
Sydney - Bangkok - Dubai - London - Brussels - (Train The Hague) - Brussels - London - New York - San Francisco - Honolulu - Sydney
1976 - 12 (Light Grey)
Sydney - Tokyo - Brussels - Mexico City - Los Angeles - Honolulu - Sydney
1977 - 08 (Brown)
Sydney - London - (overland Contiki to Rome) - (Rome - Brussels - Rome to visit family) - Rome - Sydney (First Agent Educational Tour plus personal holidays)
1978 - 03 (Dark Red)
Sydney - Honolulu - San Fransisco - New York - London - Bombay - Hong Kong - Sydney (Pan Am Open Ticket First Class)
1978 - 07 (Yellow)
Sydney - Amsterdam - London - Amsterdam - Sydney (KLM First Class)
1979 - 09 (Lime)
Sydney - Jakarta - Amsterdam - Jakarta - Sydney (Garuda Airlines - Upgraded to First Class)
1980 - 07 (Green)
Sydney - Bangkok - London - Amsterdam - Bangkok - Sydney (Thai Airlines Free Ticket)
1981 - 04 (Dark Blue)
Sydney - London - Sydney (Contiki paid for holiday ticket)
Sydney - London - (overland Contiki to Rome) - (Rome - Brussels) (Hoek of Holland to London by Boat) London - Sydney
1982 - 06 (Purple)
Sydney - Auckland - Los Angeles - London - Amsterdam - Sydney (Continental Air Lines First Class)
1984 - 05 (Gold)
Sydney - Amsterdam - London - Amsterdam - Sydney (KLM First Class)
Business flights during my Contiki years
1976 - 06 (Grey)
Sydney - London - Sydney (London Office Visit)
1977 - 02 (Brown)
Sydney - Auckland - Sydney (Meeting Founder Contiki)
1978 - 12 (Yellow)
Sydney - Kathmandu - Sydney (Meet & Greet London/Kathmandu Overland trip)
1979 - 04 (Red)
Sydney - Rome - (Rome/Athens overland Contiki) - Athens - Cairo - Sydney (Personal Educational Trip)
1980 - 05 (Dark Blue)
Sydney - Rome - (Rome overland to Amsterdam) - Amsterdam - Sydney (Agents Educational Trip)
1981 - 09 (Green)
Sydney - London - Sydney (Contiki Great Britain 9 day Educational)
1983 - 05 (Orange)
Sydney - Auckland - Honolulu - Los Angeles - Sydney (Visit Contiki Anaheim Office)
Overland Contiki trips and some special free travel agents Cruises:
August 1977 - London - Rome
April 1979 - Rome - Athens
followed by 3 day tour of Cairo
followed by 3 day tour of Cairo
May 1980 - Rome - Amsterdam
September 1981
Contiki Great Britain 9 day Educational
Contiki Great Britain 9 day Educational
November 1974 - Unexpected 5-day Cruise Sydney/Perth on Fedor Shalyapin
February 1977 - 2-night cruise Sydney/Melbourne on P&O Arcadia
Thank you for joining me on my journey