Sweepstakes: Experience the Future of Travel with an All-Expenses Paid Trip to NYC

Curious about what the future of travel will be like?

Working in the industry already and looking for inspiration? Thinking of launching your own startup? Enter to win an all-expenses paid trip to New York City for an exclusive, behind-the-scenes look at some of the companies at the forefront of travel innovation today.

On day one of the tour, learn about the future of the hospitality experience firsthand by staying at the Gansevoort Park Avenue NYC, which has the first heated indoor/outdoor pool in NYC, a tri-level rooftop with striking views of the Empire State Building and Manhattan skyline, and a ground-floor trattoria, Asellina, offering Italian-inspired fare. Once your settled into your room, network with the Silicon-Alley based founders of HitList, …

Win A Trip To Dubai From Friendly Planet

Tour operator Friendly Planet Travel is giving one lucky person, along with a guest, a once in a lifetime opportunity to experience the legendary luxury and grandeur of Dubai. The company has launched its Be Dazzled by Dubai sweepstakes on its Facebook page, and entering couldn’t possibly be easier. All you have to do is “Like” the Friendly Planet page and fill out an online form with some basic contact information and you’ll be eligible to win. Additionally, when any of your Facebook friends register via your “like” you’ll receive an additional entry as well.

The winner of the six-day trip will be awarded quite the prize package. They’ll receive round-trip airfare for two aboard Emirates airline, four nights stay at the Fairmont Hotel, located in the city’s Financial District, daily breakfast buffets and guided tours of Dubai. Those tours will include a ride on a water taxi, a visit to the bustling souks, and excursions to the Burj Khalifa, the world’s tallest building, the Dubai Museum, which is the oldest existing building in the city, dating back to 1787. Visitors will also have plenty of free time to explore on their own, join an optional tour or simply relax in the luxury of their hotel. The tour is valued at nearly $5400 and promises to be an eye-opening experience to say the least.

The contest runs through November 18, so if you’ve ever dreamed of visiting Dubai, now is your chance.

[Photo credit: .EVO. from UAE via WikiMedia]

LAN Airlines surprises restaurant-goers with free tickets to South America

Last night, LAN Airlines surprised nearly 200 unsuspecting patrons at Nuela restaurant in New York with free round trip tickets to South America. The Oprah-style giveaway kicks off the company’s Only in South America campaign, a multi-year effort to promote travel to the region.

In the midst of busy dinner hours, guests at the South American restaurant in Manhattan’s Flatiron district were directed to look under their tables for a major surprise. Moments later, everyone in the restaurant was holding a voucher for a ticket to any LAN destination in South America, including destinations in Argentina, Chile, Ecuador and Peru.

“It was a genuine pleasure to see the restaurant full of dinner guests enjoying South American dishes all of a sudden receive the unexpected news that they were getting the chance to travel to where our cuisine originates, just because they were at the right place at the right time,” said Chef Adam Schop. Schop was recently awarded Star Chef’s 2011 Rising Star award, and New York Times touted his arroz con pato (duck paella) “best tasting dish of the year.”

Those who weren’t lucky enough to be gifted with tickets can still enter an online sweepstakes to win tickets to Quito, Guayaquil, Lima, Santiago or Buenos Aires by following @LANAirlinesUSA. The contest ends October 13th.

Are you America’s “most frustrated traveler”?

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]

Enter STA Travel contest to win trip for two

Would you turn down a trip that would take you and a friend anywhere in the world?

That’s what STA Travel is offering up, in a sweepstakes with Pier 1 Imports.

The grand prize winner gets the trip, plus two $1000 gift cards from Pier 1. Three runners-up get a $500 Pier 1 gift card and a $500 STA Travel gift card.

The great thing about this is it’s open to anyone 18 years and older. Usually STA contests are limited to 18-25 year-olds.

Enter online by midnight (CST) on Sunday, August 30th. Winners will be announced Tuesday, September 15th.