Win tickets to the Jingle Ball in Madison Square Garden

There is something incredibly romantic about being in NYC during winter. It might be the ice rink in central park, the lights adorning the city windows, or the carols ringing through the streets. Or it's simply the chilling weather requiring you to hold your love one tight.

Here's your chance to win a trip to NYC.

Access the competition here: http://www.iheartradio.net.au/ultimatecontests/win-tickets-to-the-jingle-ball-in-madison-square-garden/

entries close: Thursday 28th November, 2013

Win:
- 2 tickets to Jingle Ball at Madison Square Gardens, New York on 13th December.
- 2 return economy flights to NYC
- 4 nights accommodation in minimum 3 star hotel
- $1000 spending money
- hotel transfers

not affiliated.

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CX fanfares - 12 Nov 2013 - $50 airfares!

You've heard me right. All fanfares today are $50 + tax. WOW!

as some of you know, I'm currently abroad travelling. I'll post an update of this sale when I get back to the hotel.

Location	Price	Taxes	Total HK$	AUD$	Dates	Seats
Busan	$50	$762	$812	$116
Chiang Mai	$50	$729	$779	$111
Haikou	$50	$669	$719	$103
Johannesburg	$50	$2,435	$2,485	$355
Kuala Lumpur	$50	$738	$788	$113
Maldives (Male)	$50	$2,134	$2,184	$312
Milan	$50	$2,307	$2,357	$337
New York	$50	$2,450	$2,500	$357
Perth	$50	$2,660	$2,710	$387
Rome	$50	$2,307	$2,357	$337
Xian	$50	$669	$719	$103

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WIN a $25,000 trip to NYC

 I've just entered another travel competition. I know, a little bit of an addiction now.

WIN trip for 2 adults to New York, USA, valued at up to AU$25,000 (GST-free) including return airfares, accommodation for 5 nights, VIP hair transformations, $500 spa voucher (GST free), and AU$10,000 (GST-free) spending money.

I'm in a bit of a need to get my hair done. And the A$10,000 shopping spree will help me restart my wardrobe. If I won, won't it be a good present to celebrate the end of my PhD?

TO ENTER: http://pages.citrus.com.au/john-frieda-campaigns/new-york-trip-giveaway-campaign/

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Win a trip to PARIS

Here's another competition. I've entered, I can almost smell the fresh bread and musty streets of Paris.

Return Economy Class airfares to Paris for two people departing from Sydney.
3 nights in a Parisian hotel.
A shopping voucher at Galeries Lafayette worth 500 € including a VIP shopping experience

http://au.rendezvousenfrance.com/en/survey/shopping-paris#xtor

1. The total prize value is up to AU$6,000 (including GST). Prize value is recommended retail price and is subject to change. The Promoter accepts no responsibility for any variation in the prize value.
2. The total prize must be booked and ticketed, and travel must have commenced, by 23:59:59 (AEST) on 31 december 2013

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No such thing as a free lunch

Thinking they had won a trip of a lifetime, an Australian couple headed to Canada with free luggage cases in tow. On their return trip, the started to get an uneasy feeling about their luggage. Upon surrender to customs, they got a nasty shock as 3.5 kg of illicit drugs were found in their luggage.

Looks like I'm not the only one to get an interesting experience...

Original article from The Guardian: http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/oct/25/australian-holiday-winners-duped-smuggling-crystal-meth

Australian holiday winners duped into smuggling crystal meth

Elaborate scam rumbled when the couple became suspicious of their own luggage and volunteered themselves to customs

Australian customs officers discovered 3.5kg of crystal meth in each of the couple's cases, worth £4.1m. Photograph: Mikael Karlsson/Alamy

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Bit upset about deposit

I booked with Tiffany Chang, taxi guide. We had already paid 30% in deposit. But due to the dangers of the earthquakes and rainy weather near Hualien reported in my local TV news and fears from my travel companions, we decided to skip Taroko Gorge this time.
We contacted Tiffany via email to get a refund, and she refused to give a refund. Which she has a right to (she originally said no refund if cancel within 2 weeks of travel date, we cancelled 10 days from travel date), but I thought I would let you all know just in case it concerns your trip.

This is her response after I lodged a paypal refund request:
"PayPal 通知我, 你提出申訴欲取消此筆訂金付款. 你不覺得你很過份嗎？ 這是你沒有信用, 並不是我的問題, 以你此種小人的行為, 我會跟 PayPal 反應, 讓你以後無法在 PayPal 買賣交易. 請記住我在 PayPal 是很有信用的賣家, 以你片面的取消交易, PayPal 是不會採信的."

Now my chinese isn't very good, but this is shocking business communication.

I politely asked for a PARTIAL refund, and well, 10 days out from a trip, any business would provide a partial refund, I was expecting maybe A$10-$25 refund, from the original A$50. This is putting a large damper on my holidays, considering it was going to be a highlight for my trip. Given her response, it is very likely that she will take another customer anyway. It's not sure much the lack of refund, as opposed to the seemingly rude communication (again, my chinese isn't great).

If I was in her position, my response would be something like this,
"I am sorry that you feel that there is danger in the local area. I myself have felt no risk in taking passengers in the area following the earthquake and severe weather. In fact, they have enjoyed it. I hope I can be of service to your next planned trip to Hualien. Unfortunately, I cannot provide you with a refund since I have already scheduled a whole day for you and as you can appreciate, I have turned down other passenger bookings. I still hope you enjoy your trip to Taiwan."

Just a lesson in customer service. 

And a lesson learned from me. Do not send money to overseas people you have never met. Even paypal isn't a strong enough protection.

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WIN $25,000 worth of travel from Intrepid

Intrepid Travel are offering a US$25,000 travel prize.

Imagine the possibilities!! The website also came up with a few possibilities, see below. But here is my ultimate U$25,000 ideas.

1) Fly business to Africa, do a short tour, then join the Intrepid tours to Antarctica.
2) Fly business to UK via Dubai. Join a Rome to Paris tour and end with an indepth experience in Mount Blanc

1988, The epic African overland adventure

If you’ve got time to spare, why not follow in the footsteps of our founders, whose overland trip through Africa in 1988 marked the start of Intrepid. You could recreate this epic journey on an overland adventure from Cape Town to Nairobi on Africa Encompassed, discover the wild landscapes of the Ethiopian Highlands or any other African experience you can imagine!

1989, The sultry South-East Asian escape

We ventured into South-East Asia in 1989 when we ran our first trip in Thailand. Since then, Thailand has become a gateway into the east for many of us. So would your adventure be complete without a trek through the northern hilltribes, a Real Food Adventure through Thailand’s incredible cuisines or a sailing adventure over Thailand’s balmy seas.

1990-1992, A diverse delve into Asia

In the early 1990s, we wanted our travellers to experience the full diversity of Asia, so we started running trips in Malaysia, Vietnam and Indonesia. With $25,000 to spend, you could take the Vietnam Express from Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh City and discover beautiful Bali, or delve into the diversity of Malaysia.

2002, The philanthropic adventurer

After thirteen years of adventuring, we set up The Intrepid Foundation in 2002 to support projects in the communities we visit. Since then, we’ve raised over AUD 2.4 million, and have met some of the world’s most inspiring humanitarians. Our travellers can see some of the great work The Intrepid Foundation is supporting, as many of our trips visit one of the projects. So you could meet some of the world’s most diverse wildlife at the Charles Darwin Foundation in the Galapagos or learn about the work being done to help Russia’s homeless at the Nochlezhka Organisation on the Classic Russia and Ukraine trip. Now that's a feel-good adventure!

2004, A European odyssey

Wind back to our 15th birthday in 2004, and Intrepid was just venturing into Europe. Its rich culture and history blew our minds, and we swore we wouldn’t stop until we had adventures through every cobbled avenue of this ancient continent. And with $25,000, you could traverse cultural hotspots from Barcelona to Rome, explore Croatia’s gems and maybe even discover what’s so unique about Iceland.

2007, Lusting after Latin America?

Exploring Latin America can be daunting for any traveller, and we were no exception when we started running trips there in 2007. But those alluring Latino ways had us hooked from day one, and we have been enamoured with South America ever since. The adventure of your dreams in this part of the world might take in the majesty of Peru, the complete Columbian coffee experience and the tasty treats of Argentina on our new Real Food Adventure.

2008, Born to be wild - the big country adventure

Until 2008, we hadn’t run an adventure in North America. But we soon fell in love with the landscapes of northern America and the lure of the open road. And with $25,000, you could enjoy the tropical treats of Hawaii, discover the west coast on a Wine, Desert and Coast adventure or travel east and explore from New York City to Niagara Falls.

2010-2013, A polar expedition

By 2010, we realised there was still one final, elusive continent that we didn’t visit. So we set sail to Antarctica for the first time. Since then, we’ve become experts at leading adventures in both the Arctic and Antarctic. So why not spend your prize exploring the Antarctic via the Falklands and South Georgia or take an exclusive trip to the Spitsbergen led by one of the world’s most famous adventurers, Tim Jarvis.

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