Are you America’s “most frustrated traveler”?

by Willy Volk on

Does the saying, “if it weren’t for bad luck, I’d have no luck at all,” describe you perfectly?

Are you a traveler who can’t get his or her preferred flights booked because of all your credit card’s black-out dates?

Do you invariably wind up next to the guy on the airplane who talks non-stop and dribbles food on his shirt the entire flight?

Well, wipe that sad face off your sour mug, Faithful Traveler! Gadling and Capital One Venture are teaming up to make five lucky winners a lot less frustrated. If you’re America’s “most frustrated traveler,” you could win one of these great prizes:

  1. One Grand Prize Winner will receive a free 3 day/2 night trip to the destination of their choosing for two, including roundtrip airfare (within the continental United States) and hotel* – valued at $3,000.
  2. One Second Prize Winner will receive a hassle-free travel essentials pack consisting of items such as a Garmin GPS and Bose noise canceling headphones – valued at $1,500.
  3. Three Runner-up Winners will each receive a Marriott TravelCard – valued at $100 each.

Wow, that’s enough to make any frustrated traveler considerably more content.

What’s the catch? Well… you have to relive your experience one more time. To be eligible for the fantastic, frustration-reducing prizes in this contest, head to the comments and describe in 250 words or less your most frustrating travel moment, and why you deserve to win a free (and frustration- and hassle-free) trip courtesy of Gadling and Capital One Venture.Before we get to the legal bits, let us remind you of some of the travel-friendly features of Capital One’s Venture card:

  • You can earn 2 miles per dollar on all purchases, every day;
  • There are NO foreign transaction fees;
  • You can receive 10,000 bonus miles when you spend $1,000 in the first three months;
  • You can enjoy the freedom to redeem your miles on any airline, any time, with no blackout dates;
  • Your rewards don’t expire; plus there’s no limit on how many miles you can accumulate, no special spending categories and no separate rewards enrollment requirements;
  • You can have the flexibility to redeem for any travel purchase – air fare, hotel room, rental car, you name it!

And now, the legal bits…

  • To enter, describe in 250 words or less your most frustrating travel moment, and why you deserve to win a free (and frustration- and hassle-free) trip. Leave your story in the comments section below. Be creative and descriptive!
  • The comment must be left before Friday, November 5, 2010 at 5:00 PM Eastern Time.
  • You may enter only once. Winners will be selected at random.
  • One Grand Prize Winner will receive a free 3 day/2 night trip to the destination of their choosing for two, including roundtrip airfare (within the continental United States) and hotel* – valued at $3,000. One Second Prize Winner will receive a hassle-free travel essentials pack consisting of items such as a Garmin GPS and Bose noise canceling headphones – valued at $1,500. Three Runner-up Winners will each receive a Marriott TravelCard – valued at $100 each.
  • Open to legal residents of the 50 United States, and the District of Columbia who are 18 and older.
  • Click here for the complete official rules of this giveaway.

OK, O Frustrated Ones — get commenting! And start dreaming about what frustration-free location you’ll visit if you’re selected as the Grand Prize Winner.

Happy travels and good luck!
The Gadling Team

* The total cost of airfare and hotel can not exceed $3,000, but you can stay at a more expensive hotel, if you choose cheaper flight options. Alternatively, you can choose a more expensive flight, if you stay at a cheaper hotel.

[Photo: Flickr | rudlavibizon]

Five things to do when things go bad

by Brenda Yun on

I opened the front door to my apartment yesterday evening to find an early, unwelcome, and unpleasant Christmas present waiting for me inside: my power had been turned off. Apparently, the Hawaiian Electric Company finds it completely acceptable to turn off your service when you are a new tenant in the building — and gives you NO warning, by email or otherwise, as to when or why it is happening.

What made this matter worse is that my friend came over to cook steak on my electric stove. We were hoping to drink a bottle of Merlot, and watch “Superbad” on DVD. Instead, we both showered by candlelight, ate out at a mediocre Vietnamese pho restaurant, went to Walmart to stock up on more candles, and are calling it a night.

There are, however, some awfully good lessons to be learned from such an experience as this. If you’re one of the many travelers stuck at an airport in the northern U.S., an unhappy backpacker in the middle of nowhere, or a peeved resident living in a city serviced by an incompetent and unresponsive electricity company, then please resist the urge to cry about it. Here are a few things you could try to get your life back on track when things go bad.

  1. Be creative: If you’re not having fun in your current situation, find a way to make it fun. As long as there’s gas in it, your car can be one of the most enjoyable tools for happiness. Turn up the heat in your Chevy, take a road never traveled, and slowly find your way back home. If you don’t have a car, use your feet. You’ll be surprised how much you never noticed about even the most familiar of surroundings.
  2. Reach out to a loved one: So, you’re all alone in some backward country that you thought you’d love, but it turns out you hate it. Think positively: things will not be this bad forever. Take out a piece of paper and write a letter to a loved one, using your pen as an outlet for frustration, anger, sadness, and expression. Or, if you can get to a phone, give that person a call and tell him/her how much s/he’s missed.
  3. Strike up a conversation with a stranger: I love making new friends in the most random places. The conversation starter here would be your current, shared, miserable experience/existence. My best friend met her husband while waiting for flight in Albequerque. It’s amazing how much a light conversation can ease your inner tension. If nothing else, your little debate can pass the time.
  4. Indulge in your favorite food: Forget that Weight Watchers diet. Take out that stash of Baskin-Robinns Peanut Butter ‘n Chocolate ice cream (sorry for the food plug here, it’s my one weakness) and go to town. At least your belly will thank you.
  5. Get some zzz’s: Sleep is one of the best cures for whatever crisis you might be in. Shrug off your problem for a few hours with a little shuteye.

I hate the sight of frustrated tears, and I particularly detest angry protests by customers upon innocent flight attendants (though, I must confess, I too have instigated such arguments). The best thing you can do in rough times is grin in bear it. Things always get better in time.