Special: Free stuff from Lonely Planet, Joby and more!
Merhaba! or, Hi from Turkey.
Linda and I are here this week and just wanted to let you know what was going on with the Indie Travel Podcast this month.
Being in Turkey, we’re struggling to be able to upload audio files — this week we’ve got a great interview with Greg Rodgers from Startbackpacking.com and we’d love to share it with you! (The audio quality does get a bit scratchy at the end, but there are good packing tips.) Hopefully we’ll be able to get a steady enough connection to go live in the next 24 hours. Our fingers are crossed!
Did you notice our site re-design? It’s our birthday present for you. Yes, birthday! Linda and I have been podcasting for a year now and we have some great birthday presents: We have five Lonely Planet guidebooks, a Joby Gorillapod, a Flatworld dinner set, a bed-bug proof mattress cover and several ebooks to give you.
Please come by the site, enter the competitions and share the news by person, email and blog. It’d be a shame to let all of this go to waste!
All the competitions are easy to enter: in fact, you’ve already got a chance at an ebook just by being subscribed to this newsletter; the Bed Bug Travel Guide thanks to Bed Bug Central. Tell your friends they can subscribe with this link.
And join in the other contests: the details are below and at our competitions page.
Do enter, do enjoy, do help us promote these great giveaways!
Yours,
Craig and Linda
Details
At present we have SIX competitions running over the month of February. Here’s how it works…
1. Your story for five books from Lonely Planet
We have five books from Lonely Planet to give away just for writing about your travels or your travel plans online. You’re doing that anyway, right? There will be three winners and three prizes.
1st prize: A guidebook pack of your choice from Lonely Planet (three books).
2nd prize: Any guidebook of your choice from Lonely Planet (one book).
3rd prize: Any phrasebook of your choice from Lonely Planet (one book).
Would you like to add to the prize pool? Contact us.
How to enter:
Write a story about your past, current or future travels on any blog and finish by including the following text: “The Indie Travel Podcast might give me Lonely Planet books for writing this!“. We’ve set up a search scouring the web for this phrase so your entry should be automatic, but you can contact us with the link to be certain. It isn’t necessary to link to us or Lonely Planet in the phrase, but we won’t mind if you do 
If you don’t have a blog you can read Craig’s article on how to start one, or email us your stories. If any stories are submitted this way, we will set up a contest blog to showcase them.
We’re closing entries on the 25th of February and will announce a winner on on the 29th. Linda and Craig will make a short-list of ten favourite pieces and forward these to an independent committee (members of which are to be confirmed) to choose the final winners.
2. One-liner…
A one-liner to bed-bug proof your bed? Yeah, really!
We’d like you to finish the follow sentence: “The most interesting hotel/hostel I’ve ever stayed in was…” Use less than 75 words and don’t name names. Just tell us why it’s so interesting. Visit this page to enter.
The prize? For North Americans (USA and Canada) we have a free mattress and spring box enclosure from Bed Bug Central which features the special Buglock patented zipper end pull that keep mattress encasements bed bug escape-proof. You can find out more here.
If you’re outside of North America, we don’t have a prize for you yet, but we’re trying to find something! If you’d like to sponsor a prize for this competition, contact us ASAP.
This competition is running until February 27 2008 and a winner (or two?) will be chosen at random and announced on February 29 2008. Enter here.
3. Giveaway: Flatworld dishes from Orikaso
Orikaso have generously donated a Flatworld dinner set! Brilliant.
What could be better than a fold flat mug, bowl and plate? How about 2 of each? Now you and your lover can stay enamoured by not fighting over who’s turn it is.
Everything you need to eat off in less than 6mm of space, it’s insane.
We have been using these since 2005 and we LOVE them. Listen to our review here.
To enter this prize draw, simply listen to the Indie Travel Podcast during February and we’ll give you a simple task to fulfil. Subscribe now.
4. Giveaway: Gorillapod Original from Joby
Joby have generously donated a Gorillapod Original for us to give away this month.
We got one of these in late October 2007 and we’ve used it constantly since then. Listen to our review here.
To enter this prize draw, simply listen to the Indie Travel Podcast during February and we’ll give you a simple task to fulfil.
5. Give-away: Bed Bug Travel Guides from Bed Bug Central
Bed Bug Central has generously donated several copies of their newly revised e-book, the Bed Bug Travel Guide. No scratching for Indie Travel Podcast listeners! The e-books will also come with a 10% discount on purchase of one mattress enclosure from their online store.
Prize draw the first
Two copies of the e-book will be given away each week in February to subscribers of our bi-monthly newsletter. It’s just luck of the draw, but you have to be in to win.
Prize draw the second
We’ll also be giving copies away to the writers of any excellent comments during February. So, find a topic in the archives and get writing.
Thanks to our sponsors!
It’s our birthday; they’re helping us celebrate in style! Please show them your support by visiting their sites.
Do you have a prize to add to the party? See your product here by contacting us ASAP.
General Terms for all competitions
1. We (Craig and Linda of the Indie Travel Podcast) are running all of these competitions in good faith with the support of our sponsors. We offer them our sincere thanks.
2. We take no responsibility for any unplanned withdrawal of said sponsors. Prizes may change. On the other hand, new sponsors may make prize pools larger.
2. One person, one prize. By winning any “random draw” competition you are out of the running for any other “random draw” competition. Winning a “random draw” competition will not affect your entry to the writing competition.
3. Winners will be announced on-site, on podcast and on Facebook. We’ll mention your first name and city/country. You’ll be famous.
4. Winners will also be contacted by email — make sure the one you give us is valid!
5. Prizes are shown above and there’s no negotiation or cash equivalent. Please don’t frustrate our sponsors by trying to wrangle something different.
6. World-wide applications are welcomed, but must be in English where applicable.
7. Take part in good faith and have fun.
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