Cupid is real and he works for Contiki

Many of us dream of that holiday romance you see in the movies (you know the ones: where the pair meet in Italy and fall head-over-spaghetti for each other?). Well..spoiler alert: it actually happens. When Texas native Ashley set out on Contiki’s European Quest she never expected to meet the love of her life. She locked eyes with Brenton, a New Zealander with a strong Kiwi accent standing in line for a sandwich. How’s that for a meat cute. “I kind of avoided him at first because I was embarrassed… I couldn’t understand what he was saying.” 

Brenton, meanwhile, spotted Ashley her first day on the coach, “I was on my own personal journey. One of the cool things about travelling is that you don’t know anyone: you can just chill out and be yourself. There’s no sense of pressure or expectation. When Ashley came on the bus I was just like, ‘why do I all of a sudden care more about what people think of me?” What seemed like a rough start (because of Ashley’s inability to understand his thick accent and Brenton catching a cold) the French riviera passed by in a blur. 

But while France is romantic in its own chic way, Florence, in its ancient, architectural glamour, is where flames ignite. The young travellers’ night started with Trip Manager, Mike, leading the crew to a night of karaoke at the Red Garter. Maybe it was the fun vibes of belting out tunes with fellow Contiki travellers, or maybe it was Italy’s faded elegance, but something sparked that night. Brenton and Ashley started chatting and walked back to the hotel through the city streets, “We never stopped talking after that… the next day in Capri, Brenton and I spent the whole day together, just us two.” 

Capri is an island off the Amalfi coast, known for mountainous views that meet the warm turquoise sea. With these impossibly romantic vistas, it’s understandable that the couple fell in love so quickly. “It was a really cool first date,” Ashley says about her island experience. They took chair lifts around the island to explore and sipped on fresh orange juice under the spotless skies.  “Contiki can be very fast-paced but if you’re spending time with someone, everything you’re doing is an incredible event.”  We’re inclined to agree. 

“We’ve travelled to a lot of other places but Italy’s been our favourite so far,” says Ashley, who even has a print out of a Florentine map that reads, ‘where it all began’…