After going through a breakup, Yvette Segan took to social media and proclaimed that she wanted to travel to Europe. Genius move – what better way to get over heartbreak than go travelling? 18% of Contiki travellers agree as well, according to our Voice of a Generation survey, so naturally we stepped in and sent Yvette and her best friend Hope Woodard to Europe!
The girls travelled from Amsterdam to Berlin with Contiki and got to enjoy their friendship, as well as the friendship of other travellers, in what was hopefully a healing experience. We interviewed Yvette to give us her honest Contiki Tour review, and we got all the details about relationships, female friendships, travel, and to of course find out whether her goal was achieved.
Hey Yvette! This saga all started with a TikTok you made saying you wanted to travel to get over your breakup – why did you think travel would help?
“Something I’ve learned in my adulthood is that I have a real big fight or flight response – and the response is always flight. Whenever I’ve been through a breakup in the past I’ve always booked a little trip for myself.”
“I feel like my relationships can become all-consuming, my partners become this major part of my life and it’s like I forget all the freedoms I usually have; one of those being doing whatever I want whenever I want. Sometimes I think ‘is it weird if I do this alone?’, ‘what if I miss them while I’m gone?’, so I’d stop myself doing things outside of my relationships.”
“Whenever I’ve gone on a trip after a breakup it’s been to meet new people and try new things – get out of my comfort zone, you know? And I come back looking at my life a little differently, with a broader lens. I think it’s really empowering and it’s a nice reminder that the world is a lot bigger than just this – breakups and stuff.”
@yevit Send me recs for portugal
♬ original sound – Yvette
Had you ever been to Europe before this?
“Yes, though Europe is so huge and there was lots on my bucket list. I had been to Berlin a little bit ago on a really last minute trip, just to treat myself. I loved it, so when Contiki reached out I was excited to go back again, and I’d be visiting Amsterdam as well, which I really wanted to see.”
“It was great to do both cities, especially with Hope. We both love to dance, and they were the perfect places for it in Europe: we just danced, and danced, and danced.”
Having been to Europe before, was it better going solo or with a group?
“Travelling solo in Berlin was definitely empowering for me and I pushed myself out of my comfort zone and got to meet some cool people, but I definitely think I would have preferred to go with a friend.”
“That’s what was so great about being on a Contiki – you’re just immediately wrapped up in a group and there’s no time for anything other than having fun, feeling loved, and meeting new people. It’s not that I’m uncomfortable travelling alone, I enjoy that, but being surrounded by people feels like a safety net and it’s nice to know that you have people to do things with and have fun with.”
Did you know about Contiki before your trip?
“I had never heard of it, but a friend of mine actually did. He speaks about group travel all the time and loves it, so I started getting curious about it too and was looking to find a trip of my own.”
“Because I didn’t really know much about Contiki, I wasn’t sure what to expect, but I had the best time. Our Trip Manager was really cool and relaxed, and the trip struck a great balance between included experiences and free time to do what you want.”
@yevit No phones in the club otherwise this would be 80% dancing @Contiki | Travel Together #contiki ♬ The Spins – Mac Miller & Empire of the Sun
You travelled with Hope, one of your best friends. Do you feel that travel brought you two closer?
“For sure. It was just amazing fun because we were such close friends before that, and travelling together was like a nice little victory lap for the both of us, just getting to spend time together and experience new things. There isn’t anything better than experiencing something new with someone that you really like!”
“We got to see our personalities contrast a little bit as well – I’m a big planner, I like to pick all the restaurants we go to beforehand, etc. whereas Hope is just great at bringing the vibes and going with the flow. There was a great balance between us which made travelling together such a good experience.”
And in general, would you recommend travelling with your friends?
“Absolutely. I think it’s great to go somewhere with your friends because you just really have time to get into it together and soul search and talk about things and just spend quality time in each other’s presence. I love people and I love learning about people, you know: what makes them tick, sharing life stories, etc. It’s really valuable, so when you’re travelling with someone and you’re on the road for a few hours you can just decompress and let go and be open.”
“But I will say, it has to be the right friend. You’ve got to trust that you guys can travel together, you know, and that you’ll want to do the same things, etc. Hope and I wanted to go dancing in Europe, we love to dance, so I knew that would be a great pairing.”
In your opinion, why are female friendships so important?
“My female friendships are unbelievably valuable. Romantic relationships come and go, but your friends are the ones that are always there and that you really know. They ground you and bring you back to earth, they’re there for you, they ‘vibe check’ you; my female friendships are everything to me.”
“I have friends that I’ve known since Kindergarten, some that I’ve known since pre-school, and they’re still in my life and I’m so lucky for that. Your friends are the people that you have the most fun with, the people you can confide in, and I think especially women, we have this ability to get so deep with each other. We can go dancing, we can cry together, we can have a heart to heart, we can go to dinner.”
“My most valuable resource in life has always been my close female friends. They’re so important to me, they’re everything, and I hope I am to them as well.”
@yevit Next stop Berlin 🙂 #contiki @Contiki | Travel Together ♬ Love Lost – Mac Miller & The Temper Trap
And finally, the big question: did travel with Contiki help you get over your breakup?
“Not 100%, but you know there’s a whole grieving process with these things – I’d never get over it in one week. But the trip definitely reminded me how beautiful friendship is, of how big the world is, and it was a reminder of all the love that I do have in my life outside of romantic relationships.”
“You know, I got back home and thought ‘I could run into him here,’ and things like that, but travelling was a helpful stepping stone in the process of moving on, and I’m so lucky I had Contiki to give me that opportunity.”
“If I learned anything on this trip it’s that you need to grieve and you need to process things, but you also need to have fun. Just have fun: book that trip, dance until 6 in the morning with your friends, meet new people, make them laugh, hug somebody.”
