Music has an inextricable hold on us. There’s something hidden, deep in our DNA, that makes the beat resonate. It informs our memories, soothes our present state, and inspires us to push forward. How many times have you heard a song and thought about going back to a place where you heard that song for the first time? According to new research by a travel company, nearly all of us can relate.
Contiki asked a brace of 18-35 year olds and a whopping 96 percent said music evoked “positive travel memories.” Moreover, music inspired a full 60 percent to book a trip in the first place. That’s over half of people taking trips because they love music.
Travel companies are taking note of this trend. Last year, Biz Bash reported on hotel brands that have started integrating unique music experiences into their hotel perks. Now, along with their wine bars and a rooftop poosl, hotels are offering once-in-a-lifetime musical experiences on their properties. Mark Weinstein, a senior VP over at Hilton said, “music and travel bring people together to help inspire new connections.” Weinstein then highlighted how Hilton will fold social media into their concert experience by offering a “Snapchat channel” to highlight musical experiences and talent at their properties. Hotel brands Marriott, W, and more obviously Hard Rock are getting into the game as well — with Marriott going so far as to become a co-sponsor of the raging music/tech festival SXSW in Austin.
As for Contiki, they’ve listened to their young travelers and have decided to lean into the music and travel game with a new trip and sweepstakes. They want to send you to Hungary’s raddest musical festival — Sziget. The festival is a week long bacchanal in the Hungarian forest with all the sex, drugs, and rock & roll you can take. This year Wiz Khalifa, The Kills, and Rita Ora are some of the headliners. It’s a wild, colorful time and you might be able to go for free.
Contiki’s Remixed Sweepstakes includes a full European tour that starts in Berlin then hits Prague and Vienna before ending up in Budapest. It covers meals, transport between those killer European cities, and your goddamn roundtrip airfare (restrictions obviously apply). You can enter here with the simplest of entry forms. Seriously, what are waiting for? You could spend a week this August hitting some of Europe’s best cities and end it all at a music fest in the Hungarian forest.
Some photos of Sziget Festival: Island of Freedom in case you’re still on the fence whether or not to enter…
