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Give The Gift Of Travel – The Perfect Graduation Gift

Give The Gift Of Travel - The Perfect Graduation GiftWhat is the perfect graduation gift? Cash and gift cards seem too impersonal. Sentimental gifts like photos and scrapbooks feel incomplete. Supplies for college and dorm rooms are routine and are not special enough. But, you don’t want to have to take out a second mortgage to congratulate your loved ones on their major milestone either.

The Perfect Graduation Gift

What if there was a way to give the millennials in your life the perfect graduation gift? The gift of a life-changing experience, freedom, a sense of responsibility, cultural immersion, new friends, possibly a new love, and memories that will last a lifetime. It sound’s impossible, but it’s not, and that’s why I have decided to give my nephew the gift of travel when he graduates this year.

Give The Gift Of Travel - The Perfect Graduation Gift

I am a firm believer in traveling when you are young and stepping out and exploring the world before you are tied down by life’s commitments and responsibilities, and families and serious relationships. If there is any hope I have for the members of Gen-Z in my family, it’s for them to step outside the box, and learn about other cultures and ways of life before they settle down. After all, they don’t want to be our age, and have any regrets, or feel like they missed out on everything the world has to offer.

Give The Gift Of Travel - The Perfect Graduation GiftPlanning a trip can be daunting, especially if the trip is not for you. The list of destinations, methods of travel, styles of trips, and so on and so forth is a bit overwhelming. But, the perfect graduation gift for my nephew all came together when I stumbled across Contiki’s official website.

Contiki Tours was established over 50 years ago, and they know their stuff. I actually have heard some friends raving about the travel company in the past, and always meant to check it out. I’m a seasoned traveler, and I know the benefits of booking a trip with a travel company, it’s much less stress of your back when you are trying to plan the traveling and hotel aspect of the trip.

Give The Gift Of Travel - The Perfect Graduation GiftContiki trips are geared towards 18-35-year-olds, and there entire company is focused on helping youngsters explore the world and expand their horizons! A recent study conducted by Contiki revealed that 96% of young adults believe that “experiences are the most important thing in life.” Translation? Young adults WANT to travel and have a thirst for knowledge and new things.

I knew my search for the perfect graduation gift was complete, and I had hit the jackpot, now I just had to decide on the perfect trip for my nephew this summer before he heads off to college.

The Contiki website was super user-friendly. I had no idea what kind of trip I wanted to book as a graduation gift, but luckily they had a slew of ideas and options for me to choose from. You can book trips to over 300 countries, spanning 6 continents. First, you choose the obvious – are you interested in traveling to North America, Asia, Europe, Latin America, etc. Then, once you choose your broad destination, you are given a list of trips, what they include, and their prices.

You also have the option of selecting what style trip you want to go on. You can choose anything from camping, easy-pace, discoverer, high-energy, sailing, and cruise, or winter and ski.

For example, I decided Europe would be the perfect post-graduation and pre-college getaway for my nephew. After selecting Europe, I was given the choice of nearly a dozen upcoming trips, all hitting several different countries. “European Horizon” specifically caught my eye, the trip included 8 different countries in 11 days, and could be booked for only $1545.00! That ridiculously low price also covered hotel stay and meals for the duration of the trip. Naturally, I booked the Euro trip for my nephew, and could barely sleep in the days leading up to his party, because I couldn’t wait to tell him that I was sending him to Switzerland, Italy, Netherlands, Austria, Germany, Belgium, France, and the United Kingdom!

You don’t have to book a group trip with Contiki, they also offer solo trips to basically the same destinations. However, after much consideration, I opted for a group trip for my nephew. I wanted him to be on his own, like a lone ranger experiencing new and exciting things, but I also wanted our family to have peace of mind and know that he was in safe hands while touring Europe.

Give The Gift Of Travel - The Perfect Graduation GiftEurope is just one of many destinations you can book with Contiki. There probably is not a place you can think of that they don’t have trips too! You can send your loved ones on a trip Greek Island hopping, or to Thailand, Cambodia, or Sydney, Australia, or anywhere in Latin America, the list goes on and on.

If you want to gift a youngster in your family with a trip, but are concerned about sending them abroad alone for the first time, unsupervised, then Contiki group trips are the way to go. Obviously, the travelers are adults and make their own decisions, Contiki doesn’t provide babysitters, but they do provide “Trip Managers” who make sure everyone is safe, taken care of, and not lost in a strange place.

After all the rave reviews I have heard about Contiki’s group trips, I know my nephew will make it home safe and sound. And, I also knew he would get the most bang for his buck and the trip manager will make sure that he found all the major attractions and even a few attractions off the beaten trail that most people don’t know exist.

Give The Gift Of Travel - The Perfect Graduation Gift

When we send our kids off to college, we expect them to hit the books, but we also expect them to learn an education that can’t be taught in the classroom or on a slideshow. We want them to experience life and learn about themselves via personal experiences, both struggles, and successes. Traveling the world with strangers from all walks of life and being immersed in new cultures and ways of living is almost a vital part of “growing up,” and in many ways a right of passage, just like heading off to college.

Special Booking Code

If you are struggling to find the perfect gift for a young adult in your life, whether it’s for graduation, Christmas, or even a birthday, then I highly recommend considering booking them a trip on Contiki. Help them make memories that will last a lifetime, and possibly even change the course of their lives. You can’t put a price tag on memories, but Contiki offers the option of paying your trip off in installments, and you can also use this promo code PPCANNEMARIE to save an addition $150.

The Details
  • $150 off per person on any Contiki trip 7 days or longer
  • The user can book their trip via www.contiki.com, choose the tour and departure date they’d like and in the first booking form enter your code in the ‘Add promo code’ box (PPCANNEMARIE) click ‘Add’
  • If they want, readers can also call in the reservations line at 1-800-268-1835 and quote the promo code over the phone
  • The code is not combinable with other offers or last minute deals in market but it is combinable with brochure discounts.

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Give The Gift Of Travel - The Perfect Graduation Gift

Have you taken a Contiki trip in the past? Do you plan on booking one this year for a lucky son, daughter, or niece or nephew? Where are you sending them? Share your experiences in the comments below!

Disclaimer: Although this post has been sponsored by Contiki Tours, the opinions and language are all my own.