The more I follow travel news the more I’m amazed by the too-good-to-be-true contests that abound in the industry lately. I don’t want to contradict the highly-respected opinion of my fellow travel blogger Camels & Chocolate (who gives a firsthand look at the actual WORK it takes to do this for a living) but there are some pretty serious chances at a travel enthusiast’s lottery out there. As they say, some lucky dog’s got to win it.
I was sucked into the Trazzler.com dream of a $10,000 prize and travel writing trip to NYC that had me spamming friends and begging for votes to make the finals. The idea of a quick route into something I desperately wanted to do seemed so simple, until I remembered that I hate mass self-promotion via social networking. I was momentarily disappointed by falling ten spots short of the finals where I would actually be judged on the merit of my work, but quickly decided to refocus my attitude on the amazing support I got from friends, fellow bloggers and complete strangers. If nothing else this provided a networking opportunity and growing blogroll of travel writers I discovered in the process.
In the meantime, there are other possibilities to be rewarded with a destination, while at the very least enjoying the journey. Wanderlust and Lipstick is offering a 12-day Health and Harmony spa vacation in Vietnam for the best travel story submitted, judged by five travel journalists. There are also five runner-up prizes for best in various categories.
Details here:
http://wanderlustandlipstick.com/about-us/contests/wanderwomen-write-contest/
The other best piece of advice I’ve received is to live an interesting life so that you have something to write about, so I’m preparing to skydive for my 30th birthday! Ridiculous photos, terrified faces, and video full of octave-breaking screams to come…
