Canon offering free photography workshops in national parks this summer

by Kraig Becker on

Camera manufacturer Canon is preparing to hold a series of digital photography workshops in several national parks this summer beginning in Yosemite this June. Those workshops will run from the 7th through the 28th, before moving on to the Grand Canyon National Park in July, then on to Yellowstone and Acadia National Park in August. You can check the full schedule of locations, dates and times, by clicking here.

The workshops will be led by teams of professional photographers, who will share a host of tips to improve your photography skills, including how to get the best outdoor scenery shots possible. Best of all, the workshops are absolutely free, and you don’t even need to bring your own camera equipment if you don’t want to. Canon will have several of their own DSLR models, as well as a variety of lenses, on hand for you to test drive.

Each of the parks will offer their respective workshops on a variety of days and times, but generally there are options for morning, afternoon, and evening sessions. Check the schedule for the park you intend to visit to find the time that works best for you. It is also recommended that you get there 15-30 minutes early, as the photos courses are expected to fill up quickly.

And when you’re done with the workshop, and you’ve captured that perfect photo, you can enter it into the Canon Photography in the Parks contest. All landscape and wildlife photos are eligible, and the winner gets an all expense paid trip for two to a national or state park, and a Canon photography package that includes a Canon EOS 5D Mark II camera, an EF 24-105mm f/4L IS USM kit lens, and a Pixima Pro9500 Mark II photo printer.

[Photo Credit: Mila Zinkova]

Solmar Resorts: Tweet to win free travel

by Tom Johansmeyer on

Ready to try your luck with a little Twitter trivia? Solmar Hotels & Resorts is going to give you a shot at free travel starting on June 7, 2010. Follow Solmar (@SolmarResorts) to see the questions as they pop up in the Twitter stream – two will be tweeted every day. One will go up in the morning, and the other will be posted in the afternoon. The first three followers to answer each question correctly will be entered into a drawing for the grand prize.

Is it worth playing? Well, the winner will pick up three nights in a Junior Suite at Playa Grande Resort & Grand Spa in Cabo San Lucas, with breakfast for two every day, roundtrip airport transportation and 25 percent off on additional nights – not a bad deal for answering a few questions correctly and having your name picked.

You’ll need to get to know the ins and outs of the Solmar properties, of course, as that’s what the questions will cover. To be entered to win, you’ll need to follow @SolmarResorts and use the “@ reply” feature with the right answer. The contest will run for a month, with the winners announced on July 6, 2010.

While you’re on Twitter, why not follow @Gadling?

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Tripatini launches new “Ask a Travel Expert” features, contest

by Jeremy Kressmann on

Gadling first reported on Tripatini, a new social networking website for travelers back in January. The site has earned a devoted following thanks to its large and growing community of passionate travelers, journalists and industry professionals. Recently Tripatini unveiled a new feature to tap into the collective experience and expertise of its members called “Ask a Travel Expert.”

For all the information that’s floating on the Internet, one of the most frustrating aspects of travel is finding reliable, up-to-date information. Tripatini’s Ask a Travel Expert fills that gap, creating a dedicated Q&A forum where information seekers can ask the site’s savvy travelers and travel experts specific questions about their trips. Right now there’s ongoing discussions about New York food trucks, shark cage diving in South Africa and tips for the Hawaiian isle of Kauai. Tripatini has also built their Ask a Travel Expert function around an embeddable widget which can be added to websites anywhere on the web.

Best of all, to help promote their new Ask a Travel Expert feature, Tripatini is giving away a trip for two to London now through June 30th. All you have to do to participate is simply ask or answer a question during the contest period and you’re entered for a chance to win. A forum to get answers to your most pressing travel questions and a chance to win a free trip? Sounds like good deal to me. Head on over to Tripatini’s Ask a Travel Expert page and complete the easy sign up for an account if you’d like to give it a try.

Win a travel documentary scholarship to the Amazon

by Kraig Becker on

Gap Adventures and National Geographic are teaming up to give one aspiring filmmaker the chance of a lifetime. The two organizations are giving away a film scholarship that will allow the recipient to work with veteran film producer Trent O’Donnell, who will mentor the budding documentarian in the art of making a film, while exploring the depths of the Amazon Rainforest. And once the project is finished, the film may make its debut on the Nat. Geo Adventure Channel, an opportunity filmmakers often wait years to get.

This scholarship is open to anyone, whether you’re a film student or not, with the only requirements being that you must be at least 18 years of age, and hold a current passport. You should also have a healthy sense of adventure, a love of films, and be reasonably fit, as there will be some jungle trekking involved.

All applicants are required to make a 3-minute video, in English, based around the theme “Local Encounters”. The video should demonstrate your love of adventure, and show how your “encounter” changed your perspective on the world. A panel of judges will review the entries, looking for originality, the ability to tell an engaging story, and a passion for filmmaking. Once your film is complete, upload it to YouTube and head over to WorldNomads.com to fill out the scholarship application. From there, you’ll complete the process by embedding your film and telling the judges about it in 200 words or less. The deadline for entry is August 1st.

The winner won’t just get the opportunity to make a film with Trent O’Donnell. They’ll also receive a flight to Quito, Ecuador sometime in the last two weeks of September, where they’ll have the chance to explore the Amazon with O’Donnell and Bruce Poon Tip, the founder of Gap Adventures. They’ll actually stay in the rainforest with the local Quichua tribes, learning about their way of life, and creating a film on sustainable tourism.

To find out more about this great opportunity, click here. Then go blow the dust off your video camera and get filming. Who knows, you might be on your way to the Amazon in just a few short months.

Travel startup giving away three nights at the Wynn

by Tom Johansmeyer on

Want to score three nights at the Wynn Las Vegas? Travel startup company Off & Away wants to put you between those luxurious sheets.

Off & Away hasn’t even launched yet, but it’s willing to offer up a spectacular travel package to a lucky winner: three nights at the Wynn, tickets for two to La Reve, $200 a day in dining credits at the hotel, three days of spa access and a round of golf for two. You’ll also pick up access to the Penske Wynn Ferrari Museum, two 50-minute massages and entry to Blush Boutique Nightclub.

So, what is this company all about? It’s a new travel site (or, it will be) that will focus on “exceptional travel experiences.” Details are thin, but we’ll know more in a few weeks. So for now, take advantage of the contest.

“We are excited to offer this amazing experience with one of our key partners as a sneak preview into the types of experiences you can expect from Off & Away when we launch,” said Doug Aley, CEO and Co-Founder of Off & Away.

The contest is open through May 23, 2010 at Off & Away’s website. Spread the word via Facebook or Twitter, and you could score up to 10 extra chances to win. The winner will be announced on June 30, 2010.

UPDATE:

Having seen the comments left by our readers about the viruses, I contacted Off & Away to see what was happening. Following is the company’s reply:

For those who were affected by the virus earlier this morning, please be assured this is something we take very seriously and are taking all necessary precautions to ensure it does not happen again. Off & Away is founded and run by former Amazon.com, Expedia, Alaska Airlines, Orbitz, and Farecast.com employees. We always strive for excellence are committed to providing our customers with the best experiences possible. This was not one of them, and for that, we sincerely apologize.

The site promoting the sweepstakes was compromised. It appears to have started in our hosting environment. We’re still investigating with that firm. Malicious code was entered into our website causing a redirect to the suspicious page people encountered. Since discovering this, we’ve pulled down the sweepstakes on our site, and are rebuilding in a different environment and with a different, more secure host. The new host is the same one we will be using when we launch.

We expect the sweepstakes to be live again in the next few hours once this work is complete. Thanks to our customers for discovering this and for your patience.

Sincerely,

Doug Aley and Michael Walton