So you’ve done it. You’ve booked your Topdeck trip. Yaaaas. Come and check out our 9 ways to make the most of your Topdeck trip.
Ready to start counting down the days to your trip of a lifetime?
1. Don’t be worried if you’re a solo traveller
You won’t be the only one. In fact, a lot of the time, solo travellers make up the majority of the group.
Travelling by yourself forces you to meet your fellow travellers and you’ll be amazed at how quickly you’re able to make new friends. Just remember that everyone, even people who aren’t travelling solo, feel the same way as you and are eager to meet their new travel buddies.
By the end of the trip you will look back to that first day and laugh because you’re now so close with your trip family!
2. Get involved
Say yes to everything! There’ll be a number of times where you’ll have the chance to step outside of your comfort zone and do things you’ve never done before (or would never do back home).
Get involved in the coach games, jump out of a helicopter in the Swiss Alps, dance like no one is watching. Trust me, it’ll make you feel amazing and you’ll be filled with a new confidence.
You won’t be able to wipe the smile off your face 😉
3. Plan your spending
Before you embark on your new adventure, spend some time working out a rough budget. Look at what you know you have to pay for, take into account the optional extras that you definitely want to do and form a daily budget for your trip.
As much as you can try and roughly stick to your budget, there’ll inevitably be some days where you may spend more. But this should even out with the days where you don’t spend as much.
I budgeted for all the optional extras and a daily spending budget of 30 Euros ($50 AUD) per day. It worked well for me but everyone is different. So make sure you have a think before you set off so that you can make the most of your Topdeck trip.
4. Prepare for the drive days
Drive days are the days where the majority of the time is spent on the coach driving to the next city/country. Bring a pack of cards, pre-download movies onto your phone, etc. to help pass the time and to help make the most of your Topdeck trip.
The day is usually broken up into three parts. Take a look so that you know before you go:
- Morning: where you can catch up on sleep from the night before
- Midday: lunch, playing coach games (trust me you want to get involved in these) and taking in the amazing sights out of your window
- Afternoon: country and city introductions and planning the night’s/next day’s adventures
5. Go out as a group
Spending time with the group is one of the best ways to make friends and is where a lot of the memories are made. If the Trip Leader is going out as well then you definitely shouldn’t miss out!
They have magical powers to get you into places for free/cheap, they arrange free stuff and have an amazing ability to make everything super fun.
6. Learn a joke or two and don’t be afraid to laugh at yourself
This one’s pretty self explanatory. Relax, don’t take yourself too seriously and just enjoy it. Everything’s a lot smoother that way 😎
7. Pack light but don’t forget a few essentials
I’m talking about a simple recovery / SOS kit.
Trust me, you’ll probably catch a cold at some point on the trip. So it’s a good idea to have a pack of painkillers and some cold/flu medicine.
Band-aids, anti-bacterial gel and earplugs are also useful to have. You’re welcome.
8. Seize that post-trip motivation
When you come back home after your Topdeck trip you’ll be super motivated from all of the new experiences you’ve been through.
Capitalise on it: try more new things, join a gym, go be a tourist for a day in your own city.
You’ll feel good if you keep those adventure vibes flowing.
9. Don’t worry if you feel sad once you’re home
Feeling sad and missing the road after you’ve come home from travelling is a thing. I’ve suffered from it after every trip I’ve been on.
A good way to overcome it is by staying in touch and catching up with your Topdeck travel mates. Laugh about the memories, reminisce over the best times and, you know, start planning that next adventure together ✈️
Have our ways to make the most of your Topdeck trip got you keen to book on to a trip? From Europe to Asia, North America to New Zealand and more, come and take a look at what we’ve got on offer.
