Contests | Hole In The Donut Cultural Travel

Donate $5 for Your Chance to Win the Trip of a Lifetime

Published June 8, 2011 | By Barbara Weibel

Fellow travel bloggers Sherry Ott from Ottsworld and Meet Plan Go fame; Rick Griffin of Midlife Road Trip TV; and Dave Bouskill and Deb Corbeil from The Planet D are embarking on a 10,000 mile journey this summer in the Mongol Rally, during which they will drive a car from from London, England to Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia.

Traditional ger on the Mongolian steppes

Although the foursome has secured a car, they are now looking to raise money for the $4,000 in fuel costs required to drive one third of the way around the world. To do so they have teamed with Intrepid Travel to raffle off a Trip of a Lifetime between now and midnight on June 12th, PST. Participants who donate $5 will be entered into a random draw that will be held the following week.

The Rules are Simple

Enter the Rally Raffle at The Social Media Syndicate
Donate $5 US to be automatically entered into the drawing. The more you give, the more chances you get.
For every $5 that you donate, your name will be entered. Increase your odds of winning by donating $25 and you have 5 chances to win!
The Rally Raffle runs until Midnight PST on June 12th.
The winner will be chosen in a random draw and announced the following week.

The Prize is Your Choice

The winner will choose from one of two incredible tours courtesy of Intrepid Travel.

Wild Mongolia – This 15 day trip will take in the sights of the country’s capital Ulaanbaatar before heading out for your great adventure. You will be staying in Ger Camps, hiking volcanoes and enjoying Mongolian barbecues. Follow the footsteps of Genghis Kahn and take a camel ride into the desert sand dunes of Khogno Khan.

Inca Trail – This 8 day trip takes the winner through Peru. Starting in Lima you will spend the day exploring the historic center of the city. Then it’s off to the charming city of Cuzco in the center of the country. Explore the Sacred Valley and the ancient city of Ollantaytambo before beginning your trek on the famous Inca Trail to Machu Picchu. Voted as one of the new Seven World Wonders, this is a trip you will never forget.

Continue reading →

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Posted in Contests |

Tagged charity, contest, london, Mongol Rally, Mongolia, race |

6 Comments

Travel Tidbits Worth Passing On

Published November 18, 2010 | By Barbara Weibel

Just a short break from my wanderings around Asia to let you know about a little travel news worth passing on.

The Vacation Gals recently asked my opinion for the best tropical winter vacation destination and of course I couldn’t resist blathering on about Mexico, specifically Merida in the northeast corner of the Yucatan. Also making the list were Crete, Sicily, Hawaii, the Caribbean and Peru, suggested by some of the top travel experts in the world. If you’re dreaming of warm climates as winter approaches, it’s worth a few minutes to check out this article , which was deemed worthy enough to be picked up by USA Today.

HostelBookers - my preferred hostel booking site

HostelBookers.com, my preferred booking site for hostels all over the world, is currently running an Australian Road Trip competition where someone can win an Oz Experience bus pass. As the folks at HostelBookers say, Australia is a vast country and you would be forgiven for hopping on a plane to reach your destination. But if, like me, you love a road trip, Australia won’t disappoint! This vast and exciting country has a fantastic coastline that offers unrivaled surfing and geological wonders such as the Great Barrier Reef, the 12 Apostles and the Whitsunday Islands. And along the way you’ll find no lack of reasonably priced accommodations such as Syndey backpackers and Melbourne backpackers. For your chance to win, tell HostelBookers about your favorite road trip in the comments section at the bottom of this page. Entries must be under 100 words and the deadline is 5 p.m. on Monday, December 20, 2010. Three runners-up will win a copy of Rough Guides Ultimate Adventures and the winner can choose one of the following bus passes: 1) Matey Pass, Sydney to Melbourne, worth €397 (approximately $632 USD*), 2) Surf Pass, Sydney to Brisbane or Byron Bay, worth €325 (approximately $518 USD*), or 3) Victa Pass, Melbourne to Adelaide, worth €385 (approximately $613 USD*).

*All U.S. currency conversions based on rates as of 11/18/10.

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Tagged contestss, destinations, HostelBookers.com, TheVacationGals.com, tips, Travel, tropical, vacation, winter |

5 Comments

HostelBookers.com Celebrates Their Low Price Guarantee with a Contest and Great Travel Prizes

Published May 22, 2010 | By Barbara Weibel

Because I often stay at hostels I was interested to learn some interesting facts about the differences in booking prices between the two largest hostel booking services on the Internet. A recent study by Reed Business Insight revealed that HostelBookers is, on average, over 8% cheaper than HostelWorld, and HostelBookers is now backing that claim up with a guarantee. If you find the same deal cheaper anywhere else, they will refund double the difference! (Details about their price guarantee here).

Travelex Cash Passport pre-loaded with £1,000

To celebrate this price promise they have launched a competition which will run over the next three weeks. Nine winners will take away some fantastic prizes, with three winners being announced every week between May 26th and June 9th. For the top prize HostelBookers has partnered with Travelex.co.uk to offer three lucky travelers the chance to win a Cash Passport pre-loaded with £1,000 (that’s British PoundsPanasonic camera, which equates to approximately $1434 U.S. dollars at today’s exchange rate).

Three entrants will win the second prize of a Panasonic Lumix TZ8 Camera, and three more will take away the third prize, a 32gb iPod touch. (Full details of the HostelBookers contest can be viewed here). Continue reading →

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Tagged Accommodations, budget, cash passport, competition, contest, economical, economy, guaranteee, HostelBookers.com, hostels, ipod touch, lowest price, Panasonic camera |

Win the Trip of your Dreams at Gap Adventures

Published February 20, 2010 | By Barbara Weibel

Celebrating 20 years

To celebrate their 20th anniversary, Gap Adventures is offering a chance to win $40,000 in travel and travel related gear. The contest invites participants to submit an itinerary for the trip of their dreams, anywhere in the world, for as long as 16 days.

To enter, just log on to www.createyourownadventure.com and click on the “Get Started” button. Choose up to three countries to include in your itinerary, name your tour, and select the duration, highlights and activities. Then tell the judges why your adventure is like no other and deserves to win (Tip: The website says: “We’re looking for trips focused on sustainable adventure travel that provide life-changing experiences”). Once you’ve entered, get all your friends and family to vote for you, since the winning entry will be determined by a combination of user voting and a panel of nine judges, comprised of some of the most influential leaders in the travel industry. Continue reading →

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Posted in Contests |

Tagged Contests, dream vacation, Gap Adventures, prizes, tours, Travel, trips, win |

4 Comments

Is Hole In The Donut Worthy of a Bloggie Award?

Published January 9, 2010 | By Barbara Weibel

Since starting Hole In The Donut in late 2006, I’ve received several awards and my site has risen significantly in the ranks of travel blogging. Well, now it’s time to take a crack at the grandaddy of them all, the 2010 Weblog Awards, more commonly known as the “Bloggies.” Each year, the Bloggies ask readers to nominate and then vote for their favorite blogs in categories ranging from best travel blog to best gossip blog.

Unlike other contests and award programs, readers don’t have to register or join ANYTHING to participate in the Bloggies. The only requirement is an email address and a willingness to nominate at least three of your favorite blogs. Upon receipt of your nominations, the Bloggies send a confirmation email; you need only click on the link in the email to complete the nomination submission. You will also have an opportunity to vote for the winners once the finalists are chosen.

If you would like to nominate me (and at least two other bloggers), please visit The Bloggies nomination site. Several categories could be appropriate for my blog, including best travel webblog, best writing for a weblog, best photography for a weblog, or best-kept secret weblog, but please feel free to nominate me in whatever category you deem appropriate. And thank you so much for your support.

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10 Comments

Win a Three-Night Stay at the San Juan Marriott Resort in Puerto Rico

Published December 20, 2009 | By Barbara Weibel

San Juan Marriott Resort in Puerto Rico is saying Merry Christmas with a Twitter scavenger hunt that will provide a free three-day stay at the resort for five lucky winners.

Condado Beach, home to the San Juan Marriott

Beginning tomorrow morning and continuing for each of the five days leading up to Christmas, the hotel will tweet a holiday item at 10:00 a.m. EST. The first Twitter follower who replies to @SanJuanMarriott each day with a picture of the item (via TwitPic, Tweetphoto or otherwise) will receive a complimentary three-day, two-night stay.

Additionally, anyone who tweets all five pictures of the requested scavenger hunt items (one per day) will Continue reading →