Tag Archives: Travel Contests

Days Inn By Wyndham Contest Seeks Solar Sun-terns

Days Inn by Wyndham is holding a Solar Eclipse-related contest involving you and a friend! Photo courtesy of Days Inn by Wyndham

The 2024 Solar Eclipse has become not only an astronomical anticipation but also a cool tourism promotion. The eclipse is to happen on April 8, with its path to be visible within parts of Mexico and Canada and certain states across the continental U.S. They include Texas, Indiana, New York, Ohio and Maine.

My work inbox has been receiving a lot of Solar Eclipse related pitches and this one involves a cool contest for you and a buddy.

Days Inn by Wyndham is seeking two adventurous BFFs to embark on a once-in-a-lifetime trip to capture the 2024 total solar eclipse from a private helicopter—and receive $10,000 cash.

The hotel brand is said to have more than 260 Days Inn properties in the path of totality from Niagara Falls to San Antonio. A PR pitch on the contest said that the “chosen Sun & Moon duo will experience a best-seat-in-the-house, 360-degree view of the peak total solar eclipse from a helicopter and share their experience on social media.”

Days Inn by Wyndham has a number of properties along the path of the 2024 Solar Eclipse. Photo courtesy of Days Inn by Wyndham

In return, as fully described in this pitch, they’ll receive:

$10,000 cash payday ($5,000 per Sun-tern).
A once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to watch a total solar eclipse from a private helicopter.
Paid hotel room for two guests.
Photography course with an expert.
Travel stipend to cover airfare, ground transportation and meals.
Wyndham Rewards® Diamond level membership.
A suitcase full of Days Inn swag.
A glowing recommendation from a Days Inn by Wyndham executive upon successful completion of the internship.

Here’s how to enter. You have to be a duo to do so.

Applicant pairs can visit DaysInn.com/suntern by March 5, 2024; the portal closes on this date. Here, they have to submit the following criteria: a 200-word written entry, an original sun-filled photo, and photo of their duo. Submissions are open now through March 5, 2024. One entry per pair is permitted.

Are you going to be watching the Solar Eclipse? Making a trip out of it? Let me know in the comments below.

Norwegian Cruise Line Campaign to Reward Teachers with Free Cruise

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Credit: Norwegian Cruise Line

Hey teachers: this Norwegian Cruise Line campaign is all about you!

In advance of Teacher Appreciation Week (May 6-10, 2019), Norwegian Cruise Line recently unveiled the “Norwegian Cruise Line Giving Joy”campaign, developed to recognize and reward educators in the United States and Canada.

According to a media release from the cruise line, Norwegian Joy was created to acknowledge and celebrate the intersection of travel and education by honoring deserving teachers “that are doing the most to bring joy to their students.”

Running now through April 12, 2019, the campaign will award 15 teachers who inspire joy in the classroom with an all-expenses-paid seven-day cruise for two on Norwegian Joy and the chance to win $15,000 for their school.

The company is asking for nominations of certified or accredited teachers in the U.S. and Canada who are inspiring joy in the classroom.

The 15 teachers with the most votes will win a seven-day cruise for two. They will also be provided airfare and accommodations for an award ceremony taking place in Seattle on May 3, 2019, where they will have the chance to win $15,000 for their school.

To nominate a favorite teacher, to vote and for terms and conditions, visit nclgivingjoy.com. Tell me who you would nominate.

Take Time Off in Tahiti Travel Contest

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Credit: Tahiti Tourisme

From the e-mail bag: United Airlines is holding a “Time Off in Tahiti” contest to recognize “the hardest working person in the U.S. with the trip of their dreams.” And that trip will be to Tahiti.

Apparently, the contest is inspired by data released by Project: Time Off, which finds that American workers are more likely to “lose” their vacation days that to use them. (That’s not good, people.)

According to Project: Time Off, 700-plus million vacation days go unused annually in the United States, with 52 percent of employees reporting unused vacation time at year’s end. All told, nearly one-quarter of American workers say they used none of their time off to travel – and that’s a whole lot of happiness waiting in the wings.

So United’s “Time Off in Tahiti” contest probably is helping to fix that problem, at least for one lucky individual. The selected winner will be flown from San Francisco direct to Papeete, Tahiti (PPT), along United’s new route beginning October 30, 2018, to bask in the island’s timeless beauty.

However, he or she has to get someone’s nomination. In 300 words or less, a colleague, good friend or even maybe relative can put in a good word for any hard working, deserving person known personally or admired from afar at united.com/timeofftahiti.

Submissions are due by September 25, 2018; the winner will be notified on or around October 11, 2018. Project: Time Off will aid in the judging of submissions.

G Adventures Unfiltered Contest Giveaway

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In November 2015, I took a G Adventures escorted tour of Japan and enjoyed my experience (I booked and paid for my spot). So, when I received a notice about their latest contest giveaway, I wanted to share it with you. It’s also has a fun way to enter – by showing a side of traveling that might not be so picture perfect.

G Adventures is asking you to share your best #AdventureUnfiltered photo or video for your chance to win a G Adventures tour of your choice (valued at $12,000 USD) for you and a friend. As their employees have put it:

Here is more of a description:

“We’ve all seen those typical, beautiful travel photos all over social media. But now we’re looking for something different. We want to see the photos that are anything but perfect – the messy, ugly, honest moments you hardly see online.”

There are two ways to enter. Click on this link to learn more and directly submit. Also, be sure to follow contest rules; in particular, their do’s and dont’s. Entries must be received no later than 11:59PM EST (time) EST on July 26, 2017.

ROBOCOPP Sound Grenade Giveaway

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I’m happy to announce my first prize giveaway: the ROBOCOPP Sound Grenade! The ROBOCOPP Sound Grenade is a personal wearable siren from ROBOCOPP that is designed to give off an effective alarm when activated. The siren is said to be 120 db (as loud as an ambulance’s) that can startle an assailant or an animal. To turn on the alarm, simply pull out the pin found on the top of the device. And to turn it off, just place the top firmly back on.

The ROBOCOPP Sound Grenade’s small size (less than one ounce) makes it incredibly portable. I’ve been told by a ROBOCOPP rep that the ROBOCOPP Sound Grenade is TSA friendly, so you can bring it on board with you. Plus I applaud the design team for including a lanyard so you can slip the ROBOCOPP Sound Grenade through and attach it to perhaps a key chain or belt buckle. Even more ingenious, the lanyard is what seals up the packaging. Just remove it and you’re all set – no hunting for scissors required!

I did a test on this alarm so you can see it, and hear it, in action. Take a look (and please excuse my shabby appearance).

Enter by clicking on, and following the requirements for entering a Rafflecopter giveaway.

Participants must fully complete entries to be qualified. The contest begins Saturday, January 30, at 12 a.m. and ends Monday, February 15 at 12 a.m. Sorry but only U.S. residents can enter. Good luck.

Disclosure: I was invited by ROBOCOPP to review and hold a giveaway for the ROBOCOPP Sound Grenade. My description and accompanying video demo of this product is based entirely on my opinion.

Win Trip to The New York Times Travel Show from Allianz Global Assistance

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453847425 This week, I received some news about a contest held by Allianz Global Assistance, a travel insurance company, that is now under way until December 4, 2015. This contest will give consumers and bloggers an opportunity to win an all-expenses paid trip to NYC to attend The New York Times Travel Show (January 8 – 10, 2016 at the Jacob Javits Center) and meet some leading travel personalities.

Called the VIP Allianz Global Assistance “Concierge” experience, the featured offerings are some pretty nifty perks. They include:

A special guided tour of Lower Manhattan;
Lunch with renowned travel author Pauline Frommer of Frommer’s Travel;
Breakfast with travel personality Mark Murphy;
Dinner with the “Travel Trifecta” or also known as leading travel bloggers Johnny Jet, Gary Arndt, and Lee Abbamonte.

The three-night package also has airfare, accommodation at Ink 48 – a Kimpton Hotel, access to The New York Times Travel Show, a travel itinerary curated by Pauline Frommer, and a NYC City Pass for VIP admission to iconic NYC landmarks, including the Empire State Building, Statue of Liberty, and The Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Winners will also receive an Allianz Travel Insurance “Go Bag,” comprising of a GoPro, Portable Power Pack, Passport Holder with RFID Protection, and a personally-autographed edition of “Frommer’s EasyGuide to New York City.”

Consumer travelers can manually enter through a custom Facebook app on the Allianz Travel Insurance USA Facebook page. As for bloggers, they can enter by embedding the Allianz “Content Capsule” – an easily imbedded microsite with engaging videos, infographics and travel tips – onto their websites. The blogger who drives the most traffic from their readers to the contest entry through the Content Capsule will win the trip.

The official rules for this contest are listed here. It officially ends on December 4, 2015 at 11:59 p.m. ET.

Choice Hotels’ Ultimate People Person Contest

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Here’s another quirky travel contest. Choice Hotels is inviting people to apply for a newly created summer position – the Ultimate People Person.

Upon being hired, the Ultimate People Person will travel across the United States this summer, with the task of capturing and sharing the stories of thousands of people through Choice Hotels’ blog and social media channels. And, yes, the winner gets paid.

Job applications are being accepted now through May 29, 2015. More information is available through this link.

To apply, you start off by putting together a 30-second video “cover letter” and upload it on YouTube. Then do some self-promotion of your video on Facebook and Twitter, mentioning @ChoiceHotels and #choicepeopleperson.

And then, draw on your connections to help raise your profile level by endorsing your candidacy via commenting, RTing or sharing your video (It’s all about your marketing skills.) See the link for all the paperwork (screenshots, links, and three references) you have to email in.

If I didn’t already have summer plans, I would consider applying for the job. But hey Choice Hotels: need a fall/winter intern?