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Jet-Set Dreams: A Guide to Travel Sweepstakes and Tips for Finding and Entering Them

Travel sweepstakes offer the opportunity to win dream vacations, luxury getaways, and once-in-a-lifetime experiences. Here are some valuable tips for finding and entering travel sweepstakes, increasing your chances of embarking on an unforgettable adventure.

1. Discover Reputable Sources: Start by exploring reputable sources to find travel sweepstakes. Websites dedicated to sweepstakes listings, such as Online-Sweepstakes.com or SweepstakesAdvantage, can be valuable resources. Also, follow travel bloggers, tourism boards, and travel-related brands on social media, as they often host or share giveaways.

2. Join Travel Newsletters and Loyalty Programs: Subscribe to newsletters from airlines, hotels, and travel agencies, as they often feature exclusive sweepstakes for subscribers. Joining loyalty programs can also provide access to members-only contests and additional sweepstakes entries.

WIN A $100 HOTELS.COM GIFT CARD!

3. Read the Rules and Fine Print: Before entering a sweepstakes, read the rules and fine print to ensure you’re eligible and aware of any restrictions or requirements. In addition, pay attention to entry deadlines, prize details, and potential costs, such as taxes or transportation expenses, which may not be included in the prize.

4. Organize Your Entries: Keep track of the sweepstakes you’ve entered, including entry deadlines, submission dates, and prize details. Create a spreadsheet or use a sweepstakes tracking tool to stay organized and monitor your progress.

5. Optimize Your Entries: Maximize your chances of winning by entering sweepstakes with fewer entrants, multiple entry options, or daily entry allowances. Be consistent in your efforts, and enter as many travel sweepstakes as possible within the given rules.

6. Be Cautious of Scams: Unfortunately, scams can be prevalent in the world of sweepstakes. Protect yourself by never providing sensitive personal information, such as Social Security numbers, or paying upfront fees to claim a prize. Be skeptical of unsolicited emails or messages claiming you’ve won a contest you don’t recall entering.

Travel sweepstakes offer the chance to explore new destinations and create unforgettable memories. By discovering reputable sources, joining newsletters and loyalty programs, and following the tips outlined above, you can increase your chances of winning a dream vacation. Remember to stay organized, optimize your entries, and be cautious of potential scams. Happy sweeping, and may your travel dreams come true!

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32 Smart Travel Tips & Tricks From 20 Years Of Travel

I’ve learned a few tricks from travelling and living overseas since I took my first solo travel trip in 1995. I don’t really like to call these tips “hacks” as we’re not reprogramming a computer or breaking the law here. But they could be considered shortcuts, tips, or tricks for saving money, traveling in comfort, staying safe, and most of all, having a great travel experience . I acquired some of these travel tips from travel professionals and random people I’ve met. Others I might have invented or just absorbed by accident. Let me know if they work for you.

Carry a Hotel card

Make sure you always have a hotel card in your wallet or pocket before heading out. We’re all so used to using Google Maps and our phones that it’s easy to forget where our hotel is or even what it’s called. Your phone might run out of battery or you might lose it, leaving you stranded. If you can’t communicate with the locals, your situation could get worse. Hotel business cards never run out of battery and can save the day.

Reverse Image Search For Cheaper Accommodation

Try running a Google reverse image search (preferably the exterior) of a property you’d like to rent on Airbnb or VRBO. This might lead to you finding the owner’s website or some other online platform that advertises the rental for a cheaper price.

Get Universally Powered

Great for connecting your computer, phone, tablet, and whatever else you need to the local power without worrying about buying a converter in every country.

Although these universal power adaptors change to suit many countries, it’s worth having a single country (or group of countries) adaptor too, just in case. Universal adaptors have a habit of breaking (thanks to the moving parts) and single country adaptors are cheap and lightweight so why not carry an extra one or two?

Carry a pen

This is one of the simplest travel hacks, yet one I still forget about until it’s too late. Carry a pen in your carry-on luggage, or in a pocket when you board. Make sure you can reach it when seated, so don’t put it in the overhead luggage if you have a window seat.

When traveling to countries that require completed immigration cards, fill your card out while you fly. You can then take your time adding the flight number, hotel address, passport number, etc. You might find yourself stuck at the back of the immigration queue if you wait till you land to fill out the form.

Carry a sweater – wherever you’re going

Bring a jumper/sweater onto the plane even if it’s 35 degrees outside. Use the sweater if the air con is a bit aggressive in the waiting area or in the cabin. Sweaters also work as makeshift pillows and something to put between your ribs and the seat rest when you sleep. It can also act as a cushion for your arms when you read a book or tablet.

Carry Plastic

Carry an empty plastic water bottle. Make sure it’s empty before passing through security. Then fill it up on the other side. Almost all airports have free water somewhere. Saves paying extortionate airport water fees.

Water Bottle Upgrade

An upgrade from a plastic water bottle is an insulated metal bottle . Yes, you can carry a stainless steel water bottle on a plane.

I like to carry a thick metal water bottle or thermos to serve two purposes (or more). One, I can store water and hot beverages in it. And two, it makes a great stand-in as a foam roller for massaging away knots in your muscles after long-haul travel. I’ll admit that it’s a very solid foam roller . But I prefer that. If you’d like something that inflicts a little less pain, try wrapping a towel around the water bottle.

Copy & Scan

Carry photocopies of your passport and spare passport-sized photographs. The more you travel to more exotic locations the more likely you are to need this on-demand. Carry bank statements to produce in immigration if you’re entering a country multiple times. They might want to see how you’re supporting yourself.

Scan your passport and credit cards and upload them to Google Drive, Dropbox, or Notion . Make sure you password protect these services because you might lose your phone. This is another way to soften a potentially major headache while traveling – losing your valuables.

Make sure your passport photos are compliant for visa applications. Snap2Pass helps digital nomads and long-term travelers take passport and visa photos from anywhere, at any time. It guarantees regulations-compliant photos with just a smartphone. There’s a money-back guarantee if your photo is rejected by the passport or visa authorities.

Cover your Seat Bases

If you’re traveling as a couple, it’s worth picking a seat at the window and a seat at the aisle, leaving one space in between. When other passengers are picking their seats, they are unlikely to choose a middle seat. People traveling in groups won’t choose this seat either. If someone picks the middle seat, you can ask if they’d like to swap for an aisle or window seat. More often than not they will be happy to swap. This trick doesn’t work as well on budget airlines where most people just accept the seat they get.

Get a Temporary onward ticket

If you need an onward ticket when applying for a visa, but don’t want to spend money on an expensive flight you might not use, Onward Ticket can help by letting you ‘rent’ a ticket for a set time. Enough to get through the visa application process.

Better Audio

Bring a 2-pronged to single-pronged headphone adaptor for the plane. If you’re anything like me, you can’t stand the tinny, crappy headphones that every airline seems to supply. The problem is that most of the headphone socket use a two-pronged jack.

Double to single jack adaptors are cheap and available on Amazon and online audio stores. Stock up on a few and have a better audio experience. With your own headphones, you’ve got a better chance of drowning out the screaming kid in row 3.

Flaunt your money

Carry $10 in a side or back pocket. I was mugged once in Central America (that’s the southern part of the North American continent below Mexico, folks) and the honeypot ten-dollar note in my pocket probably saved me from some (serious) harm. I’ve traveled to some dodgy parts of the world and back in my twenties I ventured into some dangerous parts of dangerous towns. But I wasn’t completely stupid. I always carried at least one note in a conspicuous pocket. When I finally got what was coming, the muggers put a choke-hold on me till they found the dollar bill. They then left.

Learn the lingo

Always learn a few local words to make your travel experience much more rewarding and less stressful. The doors that have opened for me from learning a few words of the local language are huge and wide. I’ve managed to get myself out of tricky situations (many of which I’m too embarrassed to share), get directions, and obtain the correct bus ticket in some foreign land. Because I learned a few words and phrases, like “how much?”, “Where is…?”, “bakery”, “bus station”.

I can’t overstate how important this is. It could be one of the best travel hacks in your toolbox.

Zip Lock & Duct Tape

Carry zip-lock bags and duct tape .

With these two items, you’re pretty much set to tackle any logistical problem involving clothing, baggage, and even accommodation. Use duct tape to tape off annoying lights in your room or to close off drafts.

Offline Maps

Use the Offline maps feature of Google Maps to download a map you can use even when there’s no connection or wifi. Each map eats up a decent bit of space on the phone but as long as you keep one or two and delete the rest, there shouldn’t be any issues.

Leave the Phone Behind

This might seem like a counterintuitive hack but let me tell you, it’s one of the best things you can do to lose yourself (literally) in another city or culture.

I spent most of my life traveling without a map, guidebook, or camera. Maybe it was a mistake to not bring the camera along but from experience, it’s easier to feel a place without all the baggage. My point is: our phones, cameras, guidebooks, and other gadgets can take away from the experience.

When you’re not worried about the perfect shot, it’s easier to just enjoy the moment. I’m guilty, as most of us are I’d imagine, of always thinking ahead and not actually enjoying the experience. Take a break from documenting everything. Otherwise, you’ll have photos but no memories.

On the other hand, there are genuine benefits to traveling with two phones .

Remove the tags from flights from your bags as soon as you can. Bags get lost when handlers find an old tag and get confused. Make it easy for these guys and for yourself. Have only one tag on your bag and your chances of losing luggage are fewer.

Identify Your Bags

Attach a bright sticker or wrap something unique around the handle of your check-in luggage. Someone took my bag from an airport one time and I didn’t see it for 5 days. The other traveler had an identical bag, but she obviously didn’t need the contents for several days. She responded, days later, and said she’d just opened my bag and realised what had happened.

Make it easy for sleepy travellers to not take your luggage by mistake.

Baby wipes for subway rides

People go overboard with these wipes, scared that all germs are out to get them. But I’ve spent the last few years in South East Asia and never once got sick. My secret: eat well, drink lots of water, get plenty of sleep, and use hand wipes after taking the subway/metro/bus.

The handrails in public transport are a bacterial breeding ground. Every person that sneezed, put their hand to their nose and mouth, and then held the handrails has added to the slimy mess of bacteria. If you touch the rail and then touch your face, you’re setting yourself up for a cold, flu, or worse. Wipe your hands down after using public transport and stay fit and healthy.

Track Awards, Points, & Loyalty Programs

While it’s not the prettiest app you’ve ever seen, AwardWallet is one that I recommend all frequent travelers use. AwardWallet is a free tool that lets you track all your air miles points, hotel rewards, and loyalty programs.

Save Money On Hotels

Rate Punk is a travel-hacking Chrome web browser extension that shows you the wholesale prices on hotels that only the corporate travel websites have access to. I also recommend joining hotel loyalty programs like Hilton Honors for the special offers and deals that other services can’t match. It’s free, so why not?

Keep in mind that if you’re booking your hotels through a portal like Turkish Airlines or British Airways (Avios), these Chrome extensions may interfere with registering the points to your account. If in doubt, use a different browser to search with these plugins,

Beach Ball Plane Hack

This is weird but a good hack for resting the upper back and letting your body rest in a different position. Bring a beach ball (uninflated) in your carry on luggage and inflate it in the cabin. It can then act as a large comfy pillow (use the sweater to cover it) for resting your head. This will get you some strange looks, but only for a second. Then you’ll only be regarded with envy.

Swap your food on the plane

If you prefer the main meal to desserts on a flight, offer your dessert to your neighbour. Do this as soon as the food tray comes out. The person beside you or even another seat across might offer you their main meal in return.

I’ve found that many people don’t want to eat rice and chicken or beef and potatoes served on most flights. But hardly anyone refuses the brownie and ice-cream or flan. If you prefer the sweet stuff, offer your main course up and see what happens.

Roll your clothes

This saves huge amounts of space. If you don’t believe me try packing the traditional way and then rolling everything. You’ll see.

Use Rideshare Apps

Skip expensive & potentially unsafe taxis. Use Bolt (my recommended app),  Uber , and Grab .

When arriving in a new country and you don’t know what the taxi rate from the airport to your hotel should be, use a rideshare app (via the airport wifi) to get a baseline. It’s often much cheaper to order a ride with Bolt .

Sleep, nap, or Work In peace

Use a white noise app like Noisli or Coffivity to drown out hotel noises or noises from the street. You can even use these apps to help you nap on planes. I’ve been using Noisli for years for when I want to do deep work. Brain.fm is another great option for concentration but the app also has soundtracks specifically designed to help you nap and sleep. I use the mobile phone app on planes and in hotel rooms to help me get to sleep. It really works. Just try it.

Double your carry-on bags

Travel with a laptop bag, but not a slimline one. This one from Victorinox (available on Amazon) is ideal. Sneak 5-10 kilos into this bag (just don’t tell the airline) and place it on top of your carry on. Having a bag that makes security inspections for laptops and power packs easier has the added benefit of not getting counted as extra baggage. This has worked 100% of the time. But don’t count on it working with Ryanair every time.

Bag Those Cables and Adaptors

Bring a small pull tie bag for all your cables, adaptors, lithium batteries, and chargers. You then have to check one place to find them. Make sure to put the bag in your carry-on luggage (important for traveling with Lithium batteries).

Ultra Minimal Camera

If you want better quality from your photos than a smartphone offers, travel with a Sony Ultra Compact in your pocket. Superb quality photos, no setup, no adjusting, and a tiny footprint.

Make Your Own Baggage Tags

Laminate a business card (with your name, address, phone number, email) and punch a hole in the corner of the laminate. Tie the card to your baggage using the hole. You now have a waterproof baggage tag with all your details.

Split Your Clothes

Pack at least one set of clothes into your carry on bag. If the airline loses your bags you can sometimes expect a few days to get them back. The last thing you want on the first days of your trip is to go shopping for clothes. Or maybe you enjoy that kind of thing. In that case, ignore this advice.

Secure the Perimeter

Get a travel door wedge to prevent people from entering your room. Get simple, lightweight, and cheap door wedges on Amazon and sleep better at night.

And finally, remember:

• Be flexible ! not everything will go according to plan
• Don’t act lost ! Even if you have no idea where you are, don’t whip out a map or phone and look around wildly like you want to be mugged or taken advantage of. Keep walking with confidence until you figure it out.
• Forget about Instagram ! Too many people live their lives according to their Instagram feeds. Don’t worry about getting the right shot. Enjoy yourself. Travel for you, not for others.

Happy Travel Hacking!

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8 thoughts on “32 Smart Travel Tips & Tricks From 20 Years Of Travel”

I recommend you https://onewayfly.com/en/ , their onward tickets last for 2 weeks which is much better to apply for visa ^^

Thanks for the tip, Ryan. I’ll be sure to check it out next time I have the opportunity.

I always Carry photocopies of my passport and spare passport-sized photographs.

I used AironwardTicket Excellent service! Already used twice, very quick service and responsive. You can definitely trust this company!! Highly recommended!

Really smart ideas and tips. I always use offline maps. Thanks

Great tips consolidated in one spot. I especially like the laminated business card.

These are indeed great tips! I’ve been travelling around the world for 3 years and one of the thing I’ve learned the most is number 9 ‘Keep tabs on departure’ one time I arrive at the airport ages in advance and they changed the gate number last minute, I had to run all the way to the other departure hall and almost miss the flight 🤣

Thank you for all the great travel tips!

Comments are closed.

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Sponsor reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to: (i) verify any element of any entry, related materials or entrant's eligibility; (ii) to request additional information; and (iii) to disqualify any entrant whose participation may subject the Sweepstakes, Sponsor or Sponsor's advertisers, clients, or customers to controversy, negative publicity, scorn, or ridicule. By entering this Sweepstakes, you agree to provide any documentation or information deemed necessary by, and in a form acceptable to, Sponsor to satisfy the above requirement if asked by Sponsor to do so.

LIMIT: There is no limit to the number of entries each individual can receive throughout the Sweepstakes Period, however you may only use one (1) email address to enter this Sweepstakes. Each online entry form submitted will result in one (1) entry.

ELIGIBILITY: This Sweepstakes is open to legal residents of the 50 United States and the District of Columbia, 21 years of age or older. Employees of Sponsor and any other organizations affiliated with the sponsorship, fulfillment, administration, prize support, advertisement or promotion of the Sweepstakes and each of their respective parents, agents, affiliates, subsidiaries, and advertising and promotion agencies, and their immediate family members (regardless of where they reside) or household members, whether or not related, are not eligible to enter or win. "Immediate family members" shall mean spouses, parents, step-parents, children, step-children, siblings, step-siblings, and their respective spouses. "Household members" shall mean people who share the same residence at least three months a year.

WINNER SELECTION/DRAWING: On or about 1/8/24, Sponsor will conduct a random drawing from among all eligible entries received and combined from all Websites throughout the Sweepstakes Period to select one (1) potential winner. Odds of winning depend upon the number of eligible entries received.

WINNER NOTIFICATION: Potential winner will be notified via email, DocuSign and/or mail and will be required to complete and return an Affidavit of Eligibility, IRS W9 form, and Release of Liability/Publicity within ten (10) days of date of notification or an alternate winner may be selected in a random drawing from among all remaining eligible entries. If such documents are not returned within the specified time period, prize or prize notification is returned as undeliverable, Sponsor is unable to contact potential winner or potential winner is not in compliance with these Official Rules, prize will be forfeited and, at Sponsor's discretion, an alternate winner may be selected.

PRIZE (1): A $10,000 check made out to the winner; Approximate Retail Value ("ARV"): $10,000. Winner may not substitute, assign or transfer prize, but Sponsor reserves the right, at its sole discretion, to substitute prize (or portion thereof) with one of comparable or greater value. Winner is responsible for all applicable federal, state and local taxes, if any, as well as any other costs and expenses associated with prize acceptance and use not specified herein as being provided.  All prize details are at Sponsor's sole discretion.

Odds of winning will depend upon the total number of eligible entries received throughout the Sweepstakes Period, but is estimated at 1:10,000,000.

PRIVACY:   Registration at www.instyle.com , www.realsimple.com , www.ew.com , www.foodandwine.com , www.people.com , www.southernliving.com & www.travelandleisure.com   is required to enter the Sweepstakes. When you register, we collect personally identifying information about you, including your name, complete mailing address, and email address.  The information that you provide will be added to a centralized Sponsor database and you will simultaneously be registered for Sponsor's other websites as well.  Your email address will not be sold or rented to third parties. For more information about how Sponsor uses the information you provide, see Sponsor's privacy policy at https://www.dotdashmeredith.com/privacy-policy.  

ARBITRATION: Except where prohibited by law, as a condition of participating in this Sweepstakes, entrant agrees that:  (1) any and all disputes, claims, and causes of action arising out of or connected with this Sweepstakes, or the prize awarded, shall be resolved individually, without resort to any form of class action; and exclusively by final and binding arbitration under the rules of the American Arbitration Association and held at a AAA regional office in New York, NY; (2) the Federal Arbitration Act shall govern the interpretation, enforcement and all proceedings at such arbitration; and (3) judgment upon such arbitration award may be entered in any court having jurisdiction. Under no circumstances will entrant be permitted to obtain awards for, and entrant hereby waives all rights to claim punitive, incidental or consequential damages including attorney's fees or any other damages, other than for entrant's actual out-of-pocket expenses (i.e., costs associated with participating in this Sweepstakes), and entrant further waives all rights to have damages multiplied or increased.

RELEASES:   By participating in this Sweepstakes, entrants agree to release Sponsor and any other organizations affiliated with the sponsorship, fulfillment, administration, prize support, advertisement or promotion of the Sweepstakes and each of their respective parents, agents, affiliates, subsidiaries, advertising and promotion agencies, and prize suppliers, and each of their respective officers, directors, agents, representatives and employees, as well as each of their respective successors, representatives and assigns (collectively, the "Released Parties") from any and all actions, claims, injury, loss or damage arising in any manner, in whole or in part, directly or indirectly, from participation in this Sweepstakes and/or acceptance, use or misuse of the prize. 

OTHER: Released Parties are not responsible for lost, late, incomplete, damaged, inaccurate, undelivered, garbled or misdirected entries or registrations; or for lost, interrupted or unavailable network, server, Internet Service Provider (ISP), website, or other connections, availability or accessibility or miscommunications or failed computer, satellite, telephone or cable transmissions, lines, or technical failure or jumbled, scrambled, delayed or misdirected transmissions or computer hardware or software malfunctions, failures or difficulties, or other errors or difficulties of any kind whether human, mechanical, electronic, computer, network, typographical, printing or otherwise relating to or in connection with the Sweepstakes, including, without limitation, errors or difficulties which may occur in connection with the administration of the Sweepstakes, the processing of entries, the announcement of the prize, or in any Sweepstakes-related materials. Released Parties are also not responsible for any incorrect or inaccurate information, whether caused by site users, tampering, hacking or by any equipment or programming associated with or utilized in the Sweepstakes. Released Parties are not responsible for injury or damage to entrants' or to any other person's computer related to or resulting from participating in this Sweepstakes or downloading materials from or use of any Website.  Sponsor reserves the right, in its sole discretion to disqualify any person tampering with the entry process, the operation of the web site or otherwise in violation of these Official Rules. Sponsor further reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to cancel, terminate or modify this Sweepstakes if the Sweepstakes is compromised by virus, technical corruption, non-authorized human intervention, epidemic, pandemic, or any other causes which, in the sole discretion of the Sponsor, corrupt or affect the administration, security, fairness, proper play or integrity of the Sweepstakes. In the event of cancellation or termination, Sponsor reserves the right to select the potential winner in a random drawing from among all eligible, non-suspect entries received and combined prior to date of cancellation or termination. In the event of a dispute regarding online entry, entry will be deemed made by the authorized account holder of the e-mail account associated with the entry and he/she must comply with these Official Rules.  The authorized account holder is the natural person who is assigned the e-mail address by the Internet Service Provider (ISP), on-line service provider, or other organization responsible for assigning email addresses. CAUTION: ANY ATTEMPT TO DELIBERATELY DAMAGE THE WEBSITE OR UNDERMINE THE  LEGITIMATE OPERATION OF THIS SWEEPSTAKES IS A VIOLATION OF CRIMINAL AND CIVIL LAWS, AND SHOULD SUCH AN ATTEMPT BE MADE, SPONSOR WILL DISQUALIFY ANY SUCH INDIVIDUAL AND RESERVES THE RIGHT TO SEEK DAMAGES (INCLUDING ATTORNEYS' FEES) AND OTHER REMEDIES FROM ANY SUCH INDIVIDUAL TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW. 

Except where prohibited by law, entry constitutes permission to use each entrant's name, hometown (city and state), voice, biographical information, likeness, photograph and any statements regarding this Sweepstakes in all media now known or hereafter discovered, for any purpose, including without limitation, in connection with, and to promote, market or advertise, the Sweepstakes, in whole or in part, without review, approval, credit or attribution, notification or payment from or to entrant or any person or entity, worldwide, in perpetuity, or on a winner's list, if applicable. Sweepstakes is subject to all applicable U. S. federal, state and local laws and regulations. Winner will be issued an IRS 1099 tax form in the amount of the prize retail value as stated herein.

WINNER'S NAME: For the name of the winner, available after 1/31/24, email request to: [email protected] .

Sweepstakes Facts

You Have Not Yet Won. All entries have the same chance of winning. No one will know who the winner is until after the Sweepstakes ends.

Entry Is Free. You don't have to buy anything to enter. Just fill out the fields in the online entry form and submit.

Enter As Often As You Like. 

Enter Online During the Sweepstakes Period, visit www.instyle.com/10kfall , www.realsimple.com/10kfall , www.ew.com/10kfall , www.foodandwine.com/10kfall , www.people.com/10kfall , www.southernliving.com/10kfall  & www.travelandleisure.com/10kfall (a "Website") and follow the instructions provided to submit a completed online entry form to receive one (1) entry. All entries must be submitted by 11:59 p.m. ET on 12/31/23 to be eligible.

Buying Won't Help You Win. Chances of winning without making a purchase are the same as the chances of someone who buys something.

Entry Deadline/Sweepstakes Closing Date. To be eligible to win the prize offered in this Sweepstakes, your entry must be received by the applicable entry dates stated in this communication. If there is no Entry Deadline stated, your entry must be received by the Final Sweepstakes Closing Date of 12/31/23.

Void outside the US, in Puerto Rico, and wherever else prohibited.

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Win an All-Inclusive Trip to St. Lucia

Caroline Morse Teel

Caroline Morse Teel is the Managing Editor for SmarterTravel Media. Follow her on Instagram @TravelWithCaroline .

Caroline joined Boston-based SmarterTravel in 2011 after living in Ireland, London, and Manhattan. She's traveled to all seven continents, jumped out of planes, and bungeed off bridges in the pursuit of a good story. She loves exploring off-the-beaten path destinations, anything outdoorsy, and all things adventure.

Her stories have also appeared online at USA Today, Business Insider, Huffington Post, Yahoo, Boston.com, TripAdvisor, Buzzfeed, Jetsetter, Oyster, Airfarewatchdog, and others.

The Handy Item I Always Pack : "Earplugs. A good pair has saved my sleep and sanity many times!"

Ultimate Bucket List Experience : Hiking Mount Kilimanjaro.

Travel Motto : "Don't be boring."

Aisle, Window, or Middle Seat : "Aisle (when the first class private suite isn't available)."

E-mail her at [email protected] .

Travel Smarter! Sign up for our free newsletter.

The average temperature in St. Lucia from January through March hovers around 84 degrees. Wouldn’t you rather be surrounded by sunshine and white sand rather than snow this winter? If the Caribbean is calling, read on to find out how to win a free vacation to paradise.

We’ve partnered with Coconut Bay Beach Resort & Spa and St. Lucia Tourism Authority to give away a 4-day/3-night all-inclusive stay for two adults. The lucky winner will receive a free vacation that includes:

• Roundtrip airfare to/from the United States
• Three nights’ accommodation at Coconut Bay Beach Resort & Spa
• All daily meals and beverages
• Daily activities and entertainment
• Airport transfers from Hewanorra International Airport

Headed to the Airport? Use this Preflight Checklist

Coconut Bay Beach Resort & Spa

Coconut Bay Beach Resort & Spa occupies a prime 85-acre stretch on St. Lucia’s south coast, backed by lush green forest and overlooking a pristine white sand beach. The all-inclusive resort features eight restaurants, seven bars, five pools, tennis and basketball courts, an oceanfront spa, and the island’s largest waterpark.

The premium all-inclusive experience covers unlimited meals, beverages (including alcohol), and snacks throughout the day. Plenty of activities are included with your stay, including fitness classes, hikes, beach parties, dance lessons, kayaking, and more. 

The Essential Beach Packing List

How to Enter

Visit our sweepstakes page here to enter before the giveaway ends on January 22, 2024. 

Entering is easy—all you have to do is sign up for SmarterTravel and Oyster’s newsletters. (If you’re already a subscriber, you just need to enter your email address to verify your account—you won’t be signed up twice.)

You can gain bonus entries by completing one or more of the following tasks to increase your chances of winning. You’ll receive one additional entry per task. 

• Follow us on Twitter (X) .
• Retweet a Tweet from SmarterTravel
• Share the sweepstakes with a friend.

For full sweepstakes rules, review the Terms and Conditions here .

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We hand-pick everything we recommend and select items through testing and reviews. Some products are sent to us free of charge with no incentive to offer a favorable review. We offer our unbiased opinions and do not accept compensation to review products. All items are in stock and prices are accurate at the time of publication. If you buy something through our links, we may earn a commission.

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