Announcing Her Campus's Newest Partner: Contiki!

As the editors of Her Campus, it's our job to constantly be keeping a pulse on what collegiettes want, and most importantly, to scout out the newest, coolest, best and brightest, and of course deal-tastic companies and products around to share with you. That's why we couldn't be more excited to announce our newest partner: Contiki.

Contiki is the #1 travel company for young people, offering over 200 guided tours in 40+ countries, exclusively for 18-35-year-olds. Ever dreamed of living it up in Amsterdam? Contiki has it. Of traveling through London and Paris? Contiki has it. Of staring in awe at the pyramids of Egypt? Contiki has it. Of visiting Australia, Italy, Greece, Spain, Thailand, Argentina, climbing the Great Wall of China, partying in Brazil, exploring Machu Picchu in Peru, walking in the Amazon jungles...? You guessed it... Contiki has it!

And I don't know about you, but for us, planning a trip is daunting. You've decided where you want to go, but how do you figure out which are the best restaurants, which airline you should take, which hotels are legit, how you should get from one city to the next, which sights are actually worth seeing... (cue pulling hair out)? We love Contiki because they plan your trip for you so you don't have to stress, and as travel experts for over 50 years, they know what to pick, and what to skip in every locale (plus they build ample free time into the itinerary so you still have flexibility to add your own flavor). The trips are a combination of guided activities, optional activities, and completely free days for you to do your own exploring.

So you're thinking of going overseas? Obviously our parents are going to have one question: is it safe (and, ok, we care too)??? Rather than having to lie to your parents about staying in sketchy hostels and figuring out how to get from one city to the next mid-trip, Contiki sets you up with planned transportation and accommodations for the entire trip (and you'll get a full itinerary beforehand which you can send to your mom, BFF, boyfriend, or whoever so they know where you're going to be and when), plus the trips have super knowledgeable, helpful (and actually cool) tour guides who can help you with whatever you need. And needless to say, traveling with a group (Contiki tours have up to 50 people on them) is just a tad bit safer than a couple of girls running around in a foreign country on our own... You can go on a Contiki trip together with friends, as a couple, or fly solo and meet other travelers!

And now the make-or-break factor as a collegiette--will your bank account survive? Contiki trips manage to offer ridiculously low prices since they've organized everything for a large group. So for a totally reasonable total trip rate, you'll be set up with hotels, transportation, sights, some meals, outings, and more--basically a way better value than you ever would have been able to secure on your own, plus you didn't have to worry about planning it on your own! Woohoo.

So how can we be *so sure* that Contiki rocks THIS much? Because we've experienced it ourselves! HC Co-founder Windsor and HC employees Taylor and Brittany just returned from their 14-day Mediterranean Highlights tour with Contiki through Spain, Italy, and France, where they got their Gaudi on Barcelona, savored Michelangelo’s David in Florence, and made nice in Nice. And this past Friday, I headed out on a 10-day Contiki trip to London, Paris, and Amsterdam with my HC co-founder Annie and HC employee Chelsea. And trust us that we wouldn't pull ourselves away from our laptops for a week to subject ourselves to anything that was less than absolutely incredible ;)

You'll be hearing from Contiki all year with all sorts of cool contests, content, prizes, and promotions, and we're pretty sure Contiki will become your new travel BFF. Itching to get a taste of Contiki for yourself right away? In conjunction with our partnership, we're kicking off our "Have Contiki, Will Travel" contest to send one collegiette on a Contiki tour of her choice, for FREE! To enter, just answer a simple question each day, correctly here by the end of February and you could be well on your way to passport stamping. And trust us that this contest is just the first of the many incredible promotions you'll see from Contiki on HC all year. We couldn't be more excited about welcoming Contiki on board (or rather, about them welcoming us on board!).

Because world traveling is definitely HC-Approved.

HC Love,

Stephanie Kaplan, Editor-in-Chief

This is a partner post. All opinions are 100% ours.