Travelocity’s “roaming gnome” hosts Earth Day scavenger hunt in NYC

by McLean Robbins on



Celebrate Earth Day with one of Gadling’s favorite trip booking sites, Travelocity. Their mascot, the Roaming Gnome, is hosting a virtual and real week-long scavenger hunt, where Facebook fans and Twitter followers have a chance to win prizes, while finding the “greenest” hotspots from uptown to downtown Manhattan.

Starting April 18, the mascot (@roaminggnome) will host four scavenger hunts in NYC, hiding out in eco-friendly hotels and attractions. He’ll Tweet clues about where he’s hiding via his Twitter feed using #greengnome.

Prizes will include: two-nights stays at green hotels, show tickets to popular Broadway shows – gift certificates toward a new, eco-friendly clothing line and sustainable treats from Sweetery gourmet food truck.

On the actual Earth Day, April 22, the Gnome will be in Times Square starting at 11 AM EST. Those who stop by his booth and take a picture with him can enter for a chance to win a sustainable vacation package. Those playing along at home via Twitter can also enter to win.

Sounds like a fun and creative way to explore the city’s finest green hotels and win prizes. Why didn’t we think of this first??

Psst- want to stay at a green hotel? Check out Hotels Editor Melanie Nayer’s post.

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!

Bali company offers ‘best dive job in the world’

by Kraig Becker on

Continuing the recent spate of “best job” offerings that began with Australia's tourism efforts, the Indonesian-based company Blue Season Bali is offering the Best Dive Job in the World which will give one lucky winner the chance to live in Bali for seven months while undergoing training to become a PADI dive instructor. That training alone is worth more than $15,000.

The contest, which began this past Saturday and runs through February 28, 2011, is a simple one to enter. Interested “applicants” can either submit a one minute video or a 500 word essay answering the question “Why I want to change my life and become a PADI Instructor.” Once the contest closes, Blue Season Bali will review all the submissions and select one winner to join them in paradise.

The contest is open to anyone who will be 18 years of age, or older, when the contest closes on February 28th. You don't even need to have any dive experience to win, just a love for water, an adventurous spirit, and a willingness to work and play hard, while learning new skills that could lead to a new job and a major change in your lifestyle.

The actual prize consists of the PADI instuction of course, but also seven months single accommodations in Bali, a full compliment of scuba gear, certification and exams that are fully paid, unlimited diving for seven months, and much much more. To review the entire package, click here and to learn more about the contest, watch the video below.

[Photo credit: Scott Sanchez via WikiMedia]


Free Montreal travel in three simple steps

by Tom Johansmeyer on

Do you like Montreal? I have to admit, I’ve been there three times in the past two years, and I just can’t get enough of it. The minute I hit the streets of Old Montreal, I find myself craving a hotdog at the St-Denis Pool Hall before dashing over to the art galleries on St-Paul Ouest. Even with winter approaching rapidly, I’m feeling the pull up north.

So, I was pretty excited by a cool contest that just hit the web from CheapOair, and the social media junkie in me was drawn in. The upside is pretty exciting: two roundtrip tickets to Montreal from Air Canada, two luxurious nights at the Montreal Marriott Chateau and tickets to a variety of local attractions around the city from Tourism Montreal.

If you win, I strongly suggest you go hang out with local foodie Katerine Rollet for a while. Ask her about the local hotdogs, and she’ll probably know I put you up to it.

So, how do score this getaway? Well, you have to click around to three sites … and maybe do a little typing. There are three simple steps:

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1. Head over to Facebook – assuming you’re already one of the 500 million users of the site. “Like” the Montreal Buzz page.

2. While you’re in Facebook, click over to CheapOair’s page and “like” that, too.

3. Finally, you’ll have to leave Facebook (don’t worry, you can – and probably will – wind up back there at some point during the day). Visit the Tourism Montreal blog and leave a comment telling everyone why you want to head up there. You won’t get extra points for mentioning the hotdogs in town, but I haven’t heard that doing so will hurt.

The contest kicks off November 1, 2010 and ends on November 5, 2010. The winner will be announced on November 8, 2010. Fortunately, you won’t have to wait long to see if you’ll get to hit the road.

Click here to see what else there is to do in Montreal!

Cathay Pacific wants your dessert

by Melanie Nayer on

Pastry chefs, caterers, home cooks and Mom’s packing lunches, listen up: Cathay Pacific wants your dessert to feature on their international flights.

The “Art of the Dessert” contest asks travelers to create their own Asian-inspired dessert, and submit a photo and recipe on Cathay Pacific’s Facebook page with a brief entry on why your dessert deserves to win.

Peter Ho, the Regional Catering Manager for Cathay Pacific North America for the last 43 years, will judge the entires. If your dessert passes the quality test of Mr. Ho, you could be in the running for a free business class flight to Hong Kong and your dessert will be featured on Cathay Pacific’s in-flight menu.

Need some help? Here is a list of some of the most popular Asian desserts. Add your own spin to this favorites and enter to win:

  • Steamed pears
  • Spicy coconut custard
  • Mango pudding
  • Lotus Leaf pancakes
  • Fried custard
  • Fortune cookies

Think you’ve got the sweets for this game? Enter the contest here and get baking!