Voyage.tv’s Tweet Your Trip contest

by Brenda Yun on

Hooray for vacation giveaways! Voyage.tv is sponsoring six weekly “Tweet Your Trip” contests through the end of October, and it’s such a simple contest that, if you tweet, you really should enter! All you have to do is describe your perfect getaway in 140 characters or less.

There are two ways to enter:

  • Via Twitter: To enter via Twitter, you must be a registered user of Twitter and a follower of @voyagetv. Once you have completed registration and elected to follow voyage.tv, send a Tweet to @voyagetv describing your dream trip.
  • Via Website: To enter online, visit the web site tweetyourtrip.com, complete the entry form with the information requested, follow the instructions to enter your Submission and click “Submit Entry”.

Entries will be judged based on creativity, originality, feasibility, and adherence to the week’s theme. You need to “Tweet Your Trip” by Thursday, and winners will be notified on Friday.

So get tweeting — and good luck!

In New England this summer: girls, girls girls!

by Tom Johansmeyer on

Looking for some all-girl entertainment this summer (not that kind)? New England has a lot for the ladies, so you can ditch the menfolk and go have a blast up north. New England Inns and Resorts has found a few deals below, and this is just the beginning of the girlfriend getaway packages available right now.

Girls Getaway Spa Package (John Carver Inn & Spa, Plymouth, MA): Pick up two nights and a $50 meal voucher to the Hearth n’ Kettle Restaurant & Tavern, two Spa Radiance Facials, two Beach Plum Foot Rituals and two massages (all at the luxurious Beach Plum Spa) – all in for $1,058.

The Art of Friendship Package (Inn at Harbor Hill Marina, Niantic, CT): For $605 to $870, you’ll get two nights, breakfast for two each morning, one private two-hour art class for two at the Art n’ Image Gallery & Studio (very cool, I think), two matted 11′ x 14′ scenic prints of Niantic Village and dinner for two at La Belle Aurore American Bistro. Sundays and Mondays aren’t available – as is the month of August. But, you can make arrangements for groups of up to 10.

Dharma Days (The Porches Inn, North Adams, MA): This package is for yoga-lovers who want to get away while getting “OM.” For $240, you’ll get a room for a night, breakfast the next morning and two yoga classes a day at Frog Lotus Yoga Studio (varying levels of yoga available). You can take advantage of this through November 12, 2009.

Good news and bad: Rabbit Hill Inn extends pink slip getaways

by Tom Johansmeyer on

I guess it’s a bad sign that this deal has been extended. Popular demand, however, has prompted the management of the Rabbit Hill Inn to stretch out its “Pink Slip Getaway Giveaway” program. Originally planned to run through the end of the year, it’s now going to last until April 2010. Every month – except September and October, the Rabbit Hill Inn will pony up at least one two-night getaway fro a couple that has been unemployed for at least six months. Hey, if it makes unemployment easier, why not?

“We initially planned to run the Pink Slip Getaway Giveaway program from April through December 2009, giving one getaway away per month,” co-owner Leslie Mulcahy said. “However, we received so many entries, we gave away additional getaways during the last few months, she continued, “Choosing the winners has been the toughest part.” So, the only solution was to give away more!

The conditions are pretty straightforward. You have to be at least 25 years old and been out of work for half a year or longer. Once you arrive, everything else is covered .. including a rabbit’s foot. To join, e-mail your story in a page or less to info [at] rabbithillinn.com.

Recession vacations: do more with less

by Tom Johansmeyer on

Vacation plans are changing. This isn’t exactly a surprise. With layoffs mounting and a careful eye trained on every expense, long vacations are becoming short, and short trips aren’t straying as far from home. For some destinations, this is actually paying off.

A handful of smaller cities are pulling in visitors that normally would set off for grander locales. Charleston, SC and Fort Meyers, FL, for example sustained double-digit growth rates in January 2009 (relative to January 2008), according to American Express Travel bookings. Tuscon, AZ, Palm Springs, CA, and Portland, OR have also seen surges – 12 percent, 13 percent and 38 percent respectively.

Even Philly is on the upswing, which makes sense when you think about all those New Yorkers who need a quick break from the city.

So, why do these numbers look so good? Well, it’s hard to say. Drops in airfare and room rates are obvious drivers. Or, it could be some sort of marketing savvy. When you look at the data, there’s no common thread.

What is universal, it seems, is that everything is getting smaller. Trips are shorter, people are spending less and the destinations aren’t as far from home as they used to be. With the many bargains that are available, we may be able to do more with less, but overall, we’re still doing a hell of a lot less.

Aside from places like Fort Meyers and Tuscon, there are a few silver linings. “Girlfriend getaways” are still going strong, but the ladies are stretching their dollars. Renting one car instead of several, chipping in for a vacation home and picking a day spa over a destination spa are popular cost-cutting measures.

Home port cruises are on the upswing, as well. Guests can drive to the port (instead of flying), cutting down on the total cost of the trip. Like everyone else, these folks are cutting some deals, too.

Pick your corner of the travel and hospitality business, and you’ll find more than a handful of bargains. The decisions we make come down to what travelers can afford – rather than what they want. But, we’re still getting out on the road.

[Via MSNBC]

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Heart-shaped Croatian island attracts curious, lovebirds

by Jeremy Kressmann on

Croatia’s geography lends itself to love. The country is blessed with a scenic coastline along the Adriatic Sea – a stretch of land that is dotted with picturesque rocky islands and scenic beach towns like Dubrovnik and Hvar. Not surprisingly, Croatia has long attracted tourists and couples – during the summer months, it’s the perfect spot for laying on the beach, island-hopping and plenty of outdoor fun.

According to the Daily Mail, Croatia’s coast is also home to another unintentionally romantic destination – a heart-shaped island recently highlighted on Google Maps. Though the island is uninhabited, tourists have recently caught on and have been clamoring for access. The island’s owners, overwhelmed by requests to visit, have renamed the small landmass as “Lover’s Island” to capitalize on the demand. I guess the original name, Galesnjak, didn’t exactly roll off the tongue…

As romantic as it may sound to head off to this remote heart-shaped landmass, take note – the island has no buildings and no access to fresh water. February temperatures are also hovering in the high 30’s. Still for some, access to one of the world’s more remote destinations (and with a theme to boot!) is powerful motivation. I guess when it comes to love, emotion sometimes trumps proper logic.

[Via Buzzfeed]