Archive for the 'Contest & Sweepstakes' Category
Air France to auction off seats on its first A380 flights between Paris and New York
September 8, 2009 1:41pm
Air France plans to auction 380 seats on two inaugural flights of the Airbus A380 from Paris to New York on Nov. 20 and from New York to Paris on Nov. 21.
The auction will take place on the airline’s website in October, on a date yet to be announced. Winners will travel outbound on an A380 and return on another commercial flight. Proceeds from the auction will be donated to three Air France Foundation charities working on children’s issues in France, South Africa and India.
Air France A380s begin regular commercial operation on the Paris-New York route on Nov. 23. Routes to open later include Paris-Dubai and Paris-Tokyo.
Rainbow Bridge centennial contest invites artwork from youth
August 14, 2009 3:59pm
In 1910, President William Howard Taft designated Rainbow Bridge, on Lake Powell, to be a national monument. Adjacent to Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, which straddles Arizona and Utah, it is the world’s largest known natural bridge and is considered sacred to nearby Native Americans. For the many tourists who get a chance to visit, it is awe-inspiring.
In anticipation of the bridge’s centennial in 2010, Lake Powell Resorts & Marinas has announced a contest for the younger artists out there, who have a chance to win a vacation for themselves and their families (a real incentive for you parents out there to prod your little artists into action).
Contest: Youth in two separate categories — ages 5 to 11and 12 to 16 — are asked to submit a “creative expression” of the centennial’s theme, which is “Rainbow Bridge: Spanning Cultures in a Sacred Landscape.” Read the rest of this entry »
Win a trip to Hawaii or San Diego or wherever 25,000 miles gets you
August 2, 2009 12:28pm
What’s better than saving up and splashing out for a great vacation getaway? Having one given to you, perhaps. Following are a few travel-oriented sweepstakes out there right now.
> Win round-trip tickets to Hawaii
Hawaiian Airlines is running a “Travel Through Time” promotion in celebration of the airline’s 80th anniversary. To enter the giveaway, you must first complete an eight-question, multiple-choice quiz, which asks you to guess from what year certain Hawaiian Airlines uniforms hail (by the way, for those who pay attention to such things, the airline is coming out with new uniforms in October). After quiz completion, you’re eligible to enter the giveaway if you’re a Hawaiian Miles member — if you’re not, you must enroll in the program first.
Eight winners will be selected to win round-trip tickets for two to Hawaii from any U.S. West Coast city served by the airline. Read the rest of this entry »
Roundup: Challenge Google gamers for Virgin America prize pack; AAA says road travel down for July 4; Offbeat Traveler in Shark Bay, Australia
June 24, 2009 8:18am
Use Google Apps to win a Virgin America/Google prize package: Are you playing in Virgin America’s Day in the Cloud Challenge today? They’ve teamed up with Google Apps to host an “in the air” and on the ground online puzzle. If you’re flying on Virgin America today, you’ll get free in-flight Wi-Fi to play. Or just play on the ground. Take on the gamers and be one of the top five scorers to win the Year in the Cloud Prize Package (free flights and free in-flight Wi-Fi from Virgin America, a Netbook computer and 1 terabyte of online storage from Google for e-mail and photos). All you have to do to play is log on to your Google account, tell them if you’re on the ground or in the air and start playing. You have 60 minutes to complete the nine-level game. Some of the Google gamers playing on Virgin America flights today include Googler and world puzzle champion Wei-Hwa Huang, Thomas Snyder, aka Dr. Sudoku (who actually beat out Wei-Hwa in the recent world puzzle championship), Andrew Chaiken and Jane McGonigal. You can see who you are up against in the Lounge. If you want an edge, check out the tutorial before you start.
[Update: Thomas Snyder ended up not making the event]
Los Angeles: Westin Bonaventure giving away free room + dinner via Twitter
May 27, 2009 11:41am
How cool is it when a legendary Los Angeles hotel that’s been featured in dozens of movies and TV shows twitters that they are giving away a free room and dinner? The Westin Bonaventure Hotel & Suites has been doing it for several weeks now and today is one of those lucky days. Starting at noon, they will be giving away one free room and dinner via Twitter every hour until 5 p.m. But they won’t hand out the link before then so check on their Twitter page. What’s the catch? It’s for this weekend so don’t enter unless you can make your downtown escape in a few days.
Travel tips: Check out the reviews on Expedia. Previous guests recommend taking the shuttle ($16) versus taxi ($40) if you are coming from the airport. Plus, the DASH takes you around downtown for 25 cents.
Sing like Ringo? Jam like John? Enter world’s biggest Beatles song contest for Liverpool trip
April 22, 2009 3:11pm
Are you a die-hard Beatles fan? Then you won’t want to miss Abbey Road on the River, which is billing itself as “the world’s largest Beatles-inspired musical festival.” It hits Belvedere Festival Park in Louisville, Kentucky, May 21-25. The event, featuring 50 bands including Canadian musicians Hal Bruce and All You Need is Love and the Beatrips from Kyoto, Japan, is expected to draw 25,000 attendees from around the world.
Can you “yea, yea, yea” like no other? Then start practicing for the “world’s biggest Beatles song-singing competition” at the Abbey Road fest. The “They’re Gonna Make a Big Star Out of Me!” competition will be limited to 250 contestants, who pick a Beatles song from a tracks list to sing with a recorded track or with self-accompanied guitar or keyboard. Read the rest of this entry »
California dreamin’: win 70 free nights at Joie de Vivre hotels
April 17, 2009 2:24pm
Joie de Vivre routinely goes the extra mile to create hip packages and promos for its properties stretching from Sacramento to Orange County, but the boutique-hotel company has really caught my eye this time.
No, it’s not for the $25 credit being offered to online bookers for each night of their hotel stay (you can use it on room service, restaurant dining, spa services and parking) — though that’s a nice perk.
If you enjoy in-state weekenders, what’s worth dreaming about is Joie de Vivre’s current sweepstakes. By registering for the contest, you earn a chance to win an “Explore California Passport,” which will grant you a two-night stay at each and every one of Joie de Vivre’s 35 hotels. Yes, that’s 70 nights total, and you have two years to use ‘em up. Read the rest of this entry »
Roundup: Win a trip to the ‘American Idol’ finale; DIY travel guide websites NileGuide & TravelMuse show off their new looks
April 14, 2009 9:00am
Travel sweepstakes | JetBlue and Coca-Cola are giving away a trip to see the “American Idol” finale in L.A. Sure you might already live locally, but “Idol” maniacs might do anything to be in the same room as “American Idol” finalists and judges. The grand prize winner of the sweepstakes will get two tickets to the “American Idol” finale May 20, round-trip airfare for two on JetBlue, hotel accommodations and $250 spending money. The first prize winner will get two tickets to anywhere JetBlue flies, but die-hard “Idol” maniacs might prefer the second prize –- a prize pack that includes an “American Idol” directors chair autographed by Ryan Seacrest. TrueBlue members can login to enter, and for those that are not TrueBlue members, signing up for a JetBlue account is free.
Roundup: American Airlines joins wi-fi-able planes; STA giving away travel through April
April 1, 2009 10:20am
Airline news | American Airlines joins the Gogo revolution — bringing wi-fi to the sky, baby. Passengers on nonstop flights between New York’s JFK and Los Angeles, San Francisco and Miami have already enjoyed the mile-high Internet service, and American Airlines announced Tuesday that they will add inflight internet service to 300 domestic aircraft over the next two years starting with 150 MD-80 aircraft this year. The cost to use the in-flight wi-fi on your handheld PDAs, smartphones and laptops ranges from $7.95 (mobile device pricing for flights of any length), $9.95 (flights three hours or less) and $12.95 (flights longer than three hours). Virgin America and Delta also offer Gogo in-flight Internet on select planes.
Big Bear: At a fish-full lake, reel in a $50K trout
March 26, 2009 11:12am
Calling all anglers: Having collected about 120 inches of snowfall over the winter season, Big Bear Lake is ripe for some fishing. Shore fishing has been improving, according to a Big Bear Marina report, and on Wednesday, the two public boat-launch ramps on the 7-mile-long mountain lake will open up for the season.
The freshwater lake is brimming with rainbow trout and other fish varieties including bass, catfish and crappie. The Department of Fish and Game plants more than 150,000 pounds of rainbow trout in the lake every year.
Plus, Big Bear Lake at present boasts a depth of just over 67 feet at its lowest point (the average depth is 35 feet). By the end of April, the water level should have increased by an additional foot or two, according to Big Bear Municipal Water District (BBMWD) officials. Read the rest of this entry »
