Free cruise contest roundup

by Chris Owen on

When it comes to travel values, cruise vacations rate high. Even with recent and predicted price increases as the economy improves, the semi all-inclusive nature of a cruise is pretty hard to beat. That’s good but free is better. Let’s take a look at what’s out there in the way of contests you can enter to win a fabulous cruise vacation.

Budget Travel is looking for the Worlds Best Cruiser and wants to send them on a free cruise. Have you taken more cruises than you can count? Do you live and breathe cruise vacations as a way of life? This one might be for you. Send your photos, videos and tips (the sort of thing a Worlds Best Cruiser would have) to starcruiser@budgettravel.com. The winner will be determined by an on line reader poll starting May 3, will win a free cruise and be featured on BudgetTravel.com and in the magazine’s December/January 2012 issue.

Carnival Cruise Lines is giving away a free cruise every month during their Didja Ever? promotion/way of life campaign that kicked off on New Years Eve when they dropped a ton of dream confetti on New York’s Times Square. As if a free cruise was not enough, they are also offering Facebook friends some other options like voting “I wanna do it” on Pick A Place On The Map And Go, Climb One Of The World’s Seven Summits or Go On Tour With A Band. The big question is “What have you always wanted to do?”Princess Cruises has The Travel Bucket List Contest that is looking for your most memorable travel experience. You can enter with a video or an essay with photos. Submit your story by February 7th for a chance to win a Princess Cruises dream vacation for you and one very lucky travel companion, including roundtrip airfare. Find out more when you visit and Like their Facebook page between now and February 7th (hurry up).

Holland America Line has a writing contest too. Sounds kind of stuffy but the end result is a free cruise so it makes the list. On their Transatlantic Writing Contest, they invite you to tell us about your own Holland America transatlantic crossing or that of a friend or relative who sailed an unforgettable Holland America transatlantic voyage. We are seeking compelling stories that are humorous, adventurous or heart-warming. The entrant whose story earns the most accolades from a panel of judges for its emotional impact, originality and creativity will win passage for two on a 9-day crossing from New York, NY to Rotterdam, The Netherlands, departing July 12, 2011, aboard the ms Rotterdam.

Flickr photo by pmarkham

Budget eats in Amsterdam

by Alex Robertson Textor on

Amsterdam isn’t known as a dirt cheap place to dine. There are plenty of places to find decent food at affordable prices, however, and not just at those stands churning out cones of frites doused in mayonnaise. (For the record frites topped with mayonnaise are delicious. Eat them at least once. You won’t regret it.)

For visitors renting a room through a booking service like airbnb or an entire apartment, stocking an Amsterdam refrigerator for a week’s stay can be a disarmingly inexpensive activity. Here are two suggestions for finding budget eats in Amsterdam.

1. Albert Cuyp Markt. This open-air market runs Monday through Saturday along several blocks of the Albertcuypstraat in the neighborhood of De Pijp. It is a crazy hub of activity, with vendors selling produce, fish, prepared food items, and all manner of other things–clothes, electronics, toys, beauty supplies, and so on.

De Pijp is a diverse neighborhood, and three of Amsterdam’s main immigrant groups (Turks, Surinamese, and Moroccans) are well represented at the market. This translates into the availability of all sorts of goods, including some edibles, that you probably won’t see at home. Two recommendations: herring, delicious and very very Dutch, and the no less Dutch stroopwafels, pressed on the spot. Unlike the packaged stroopwafels on sale at US supermarkets, these are thick and chewy enough to count as a real snack.

2. Albert Heijn supermarkets. This supermarket chain is surprisingly affordable. During my most Amsterdam visit, I stocked up on eggs, juice, lox, cold cuts, yogurt, tomatoes, milk, and crackers for just €28 ($39). That yield took care of the breakfast and lunch needs for four hungry people for five days.

It’s also worth noting that Albert Heijn is not a discount chain in the Netherlands. You’ll be able to find even better deals at chains like Aldi, Lidl, and Supercoop.

On a tight travel budget and suddenly in an Amsterdam mood? Check out Gadling’s bang-up 2009 budget Amsterdam overview.

[Image: Flickr|alui000]

Video of the Day – Tarp surfing

by Stephen Greenwood on


Some surfers travel to the ends of the Earth in search of the perfect barrel. When the swell isn’t picking up, others get creative and only have to go as far as their front yards. Today’s Video of the Day from Kordoruy.tv is a look at a few groms from San Juan Capistrano, California that started the unique sport of “tarp surfing”.

Avid surfers Dodge Wyrath and Wyatt Brady came up with the idea after a gust of wind blew a tarp off of the family boat, and they wondered what it would be like to surf through a “barrel” created by pulling the tarp over a skateboard. The result is visually captivating and makes for a great video segment.

Have you found any wild improvisations of extreme sports during your travels? Share them with us! Leave a comment below and it could be our next Video of the Day.

Travelocity video contest awards winners $5,000 voluntourism vacation grants

by Laurel Miller on

Travelocity knows you work hard. That’s why the online travel company would like to give you a $5,000 grant to go on vacation.

Calm down now. You have to work to win your just reward. And by work, I mean you or a team need to submit a winning video. Then you have to use your five thousand smackers to take a Signature Trip volunteer vacation offered by Travelocity’s voluntourism partners. Examples include doing trail work in Alaska with the American Hiking Society, developing community projects in Tanzania with Cross-Cultural Solutions, working side-by-side with scientists on an Amazonian riverboat with Earthwatch Institute, or living in a children’s home in Peru with Globe Aware. Oh, and there’s one more catch. The top 25 finalists will be determined based on the number of online votes they receive from social networking sites.

Since 2006, Travelocity’s Travel for Good® program has been annually awarding eight, $5,000 volunteer vacation grants to American applicants. Travel for Good’s main objectives are green hotels and voluntourism. As Gadling has previously reported, voluntourism is one of the fastest growing sectors of the travel industry.

If hands-on, experiential travel is up your alley, go to VolunteerJournals.com. The site will walk you through the easy process to upload your video. You can then promote your video on social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter, and send it to friends and family for voting.
Each video should explain why you deserve to win, and which Signature Trip from Travelocity’s voluntourism partners inspires you. Volunteers and grant winners also have use of the site’s free blogging platform to share their experiences.

The top 25 finalists will be determined by 50 percent audience support and 50 percent quality of their videos. There are two contest cycles per year, and Travelocity employees will select four winners from the top 25 finalists from each cycle. There are two deadlines for entries: March 31 (voting is April 1-May 31), and July 1-September 31 (voting October 1-November 30). Get filming!

GadlingTV’s Travel Talk – Thailand Part 3: Temples & Boats

by Stephen Greenwood on

Gadling TV’s Travel Talk, episode 33 – Click above to watch video after the jump

Travel Talk is back! After our fall hiatus we are excited to bring you our greatest adventure yet: Thailand.

From the vibrant heart of Bangkok to the remote countryside, we traveled by foot, car, boat, motorbike, ox cart and elephant to savor the the splendor of ancient temples, the energy of the muay thai ring, the serenity of rural life, and every single spicy bite of Thai cuisine. We’ll be bringing it all to you in the coming weeks as part of our special 12-part feature: Travel Talk Thailand.

Just minutes away from the “Gateway to Southeast Asia”, Khao San Road, are some of Bangkok’s most famous sites; Wat Arun, Wat Po, the Grand Palace, and the Temple of the Emerald Buddha. In episode three, we get an up close look at vibrant temples, hop on boats to see the canals of Bangkok, and even run into some adoring fans!

If you have any questions or comments about Travel Talk, you can email us at talk AT gadling DOT com.


Subscribe via iTunes:
[iTunes] Subscribe to the Show directly in iTunes (M4V).
[RSS M4V] Add the Travel Talk feed (M4V) to your RSS aggregator and have it delivered automatically.

Hosts: Stephen Greenwood & Aaron Murphy-Crews
Special guest: Joom!
Produced, Edited, and Directed by: Stephen Greenwood & Aaron Murphy-Crews
Special thanks: Tourism Authority of Thailand, Trikaya Tours

Travel Talk took Thailand by storm on invitation from the Tourism Authority of Thailand. No editorial content was guaranteed and Aaron & Stephen were free to openly share all adventures that they embarked upon.