I've been busy web surfing, researching material for this blog's new focus on travel -- after all, as a SAHM without a trust fund, it would bankrupt me to try to keep this thing populated just with accounts of my own journeys...
... which is why I've found myself attracted to the numerous contests and promotions that offer a dream vacation as a grand prize. Here are just a few of them:
Every time you purchase something with a Mastercard in July or August, you are entered in their big summer sweepstakes: Grand prize is 500 airline tickets - for use by you, your family, and/or friends. And if that card is branded with American Airlines, Continental, US Air, Frontier or Midwest Airlines, every charge enters you in the contest twice. You also get double entries for booking a flight on any of the above-mentioned airlines.
Hotels.com's Hotels For Life Sweepstakes
Grand prize is a six night stay in a three-star or more hotel every year for the next 25 years. You may enter once a day by playing a trivia contest (easy questions PLUS they give you hints). Also, a instant winner prize of a $25 pre-paid Visa card is awarded once every hour. This promotion ends on August 28, 2006.
By submitting your own travel story and photo, you're entered in a random drawing to win the following Grand Prize:
• 5 rooms for 5 nights in any Sheraton in the world!
• round-trip airfare for 5
• $5000 fun money for you to spend
• 5 digital cameras to capture the whole thing
You may enter up to five times, and you can earn more entries by passing the information on to up to four of your friends (who then will have to submit their own entries). The catch, of course, is that your friends' email addresses will be added to Sheraton's list -- so you may want to ask their permission before you do this. You will be granting Sheraton the right to use your story and likeness on their website. This contest ends August 31, 2006.
Marriott's Dream Destinations Contest
First prize: Three MILLION Marriott points or frequent flyer miles from your choice of participating airlines (American, United, Delta, Northwest and Hawaiian Air) -- which should buy you a LOT of travel. Approximate value: $45,000.
But don't hold your breath -- this contest has been running for a year and won't end until October 2007 (!) so it will be a while before you find out if you're the lucky random winner... and in the meantime, you can expect to be contacted a lot about Marriott Vacation Club timeshares.
Of course, none of these companies is offering these prizes out of the goodness of their hard little corporate hearts. Besides the promotional value of getting more visitors to their sites (where they will have the opportunity to sell you on something else), they are gathering your information to use for other marketing purposes. If you can live with that, go ahead and enter away!
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