Okay. It must be travel contest season or something.
Or it could just be that I never noticed so many travel-related contests because I never entered one before. But now that I have, it's interesting to actually watch how different hospitality brands use social networking strategy (including using bloggers) to get their brand messages out to the public. #winwin
On February 14, 2011, I was lucky enough to win a spot as a travel blogger and a Sounding Board Member for Women on Their Way by Wyndham Worldwide's Local Nation (wahooo!) after doing some heavy-duty online campaigning during the month of January. Even though I was on vacation and got a late start, I owe the votes and positive online energy to all of the OBG® advocates out there along with my beloved Facebook tribe. Although the ultimate win was up to the judges, we had a good time online. My thank you is here. #grateful
On the flip side, after weeks and weeks (and weeks) of campaigning, Brown Girl travelista Lola Akinmade-Åkerström of Sweden just missed the final Top 5 (by only 3 votes!) in Quark Expedition's Blog Your Way to the North Pole Contest. Boy oh boy, was that close (and stressful)! Click here to read Lola's very gracious thank you note to her supporters. She's a class act. #stillcan'tbelieveit
Next thing you know, I'm watching The Digital Latina - Puerto Rican Brown Girl Raquel Negron - get enough votes to push her to the Top Ten of Marriott's Adventures in Paradise Contest. Marriott wanted seasoned bloggers to enter the contest, and the winning Beach Blogger gets to experience the ultimate in Paradise and share their adventures online. Raquel - who will be guest posting on OBG® real soon - tells me that second round of voting for her contest begins on March 10! She's definitely got my vote! #youcandoit
Now I've just learned (from my blogger buddy Jewel Figueras of Jewel's Fab Life) that today is the last day to vote for her friend Carolyn Zegeer (Zghayar) - a TV host, attorney and travelista - in Paradise Hunter TV's 52-Weeks of Paid Vacation Contest. Yep. She's vying for a year of travel and a year of travel hosting...all paid. She's got my vote too (oh, and 25,000+ others as well)! The winner will be announced tomorrow! I'm sure that after weeks and weeks (and weeks) of campaigning, that Carolyn is ready to learn her fate. I certainly know that feeling. Her contest entry goes a little something like this: "My name is Carolyn Z and I was born to be a paradise hunter. Growing up with Lebanese and Puerto Rican parents, I quickly developed an appreciation for other cultures and customs. I recall that when I was two years old, I was learning English at the same time as my mother. As I got older, I began to wonder what would inspire someone to permanently move to a new cultural environment, without knowing the language, as my mother had done. That inspiration compelled me to move abroad at a young age. Rome was the first stop on my hunt for paradise and my experience was transformational." Read more here. #wishingherwell
I really do love seeing my fellow travelistas and culturalistas put their hats in the ring for travel contests. You certainly can't win if you don't give it a try! Shoot, whoever thought Brown Girls don't travel simply isn't looking close enough. #watchoutnow
