Contiki launches a new range of 18 themed worldwide mini adventures

From a foodie weekend in a French château to a wildlife photography safari in Botswana, the new Detour range promises local immersive experiences for 18-35s

Contiki, the world leader in travel for 18 – 35 year-olds, has introduced Detour, a new series of 18 locally hosted, short break adventures to its range of 2021/22 worldwide trips. In a recent survey of its UK youth audience, over 90% of respondents cited unique experiences as something they wanted to do to make their 2021 holiday count, following a year of ongoing lockdown and travel restrictions. The same survey also showed over 40% saying the biggest lesson they have learnt from the pandemic is to appreciate travel more*.

Detour Mini Adventures by Contiki is a new travel style comprising small group, immersive breaks, often with an opportunity to learn something new. The trips will bring together an average of just eight people and have one of a range of themes, from active and adventure to foodie and wellness. Each one is hosted by a local who’ll invite travellers into their lives or homes and share their passions, allowing them to ‘detour’ beyond the ordinary.

There are 18 new worldwide Detour trips, bringing to life some of the unique experiences available in Austria, Botswana, Costa Rica, Croatia, France, Italy, Morocco, South Africa, Sri Lanka, and Uganda. The short breaks have been created to form easy add-ons to some of Contiki’s longer holidays, enabling travellers to combine the epic with the immersive, and extend their stay in destination, as well as being a great alternative to individual day tours. There are also a number of new short domestic breaks in the UK, aimed at Brits who want to explore on their own doorstep, in the hands of a local. 71% of its surveyed UK audience said they are making more plans to travel domestically in 2021 with 38% of these respondents naming Scotland as a destination they planned to visit, and almost 15% wanting to experience the English National Parks such as the Lake and Peak Districts.*

Donna Jeavons, Sales and Marketing Director for Contiki UK & Europe, said:

This new range of mini adventures is all about travel that connects you, teaches you and changes you, and it’s another example of Contiki innovating to anticipate and meet the needs of our diverse millennial and Gen Z audiences. Called Detour as it is designed to be a ‘detour’ from the ordinary, it’s immersive travel at its very best as each one is hosted by a local and has been carefully curated to showcase a different side to the destination, one that appeals to different passions or interests from food to photography, or wine to wellness.

In making them easily combinable with existing Contiki trips, it provides the perfect opportunity for agents to upsell to their clients, turning an already amazing trip into something truly unique and individual to the traveller’s interests. It’s also the perfect alternative to booking individual day trips for those who prefer a more tailormade holiday – a lot less hassle for agents and a much more immersive experience for the client. We have also created a full suite of trade marketing materials that agents can use to promote these new trips.

The full list of Contiki Detour trips is categorised as follows:

Active & Wellness Trips

Foodie Trips

Adventure Trips

Find out more about BETA member Contiki here

About Helen Leigh