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Are you America's "most frustrated traveler"?
Does the saying, "if it weren't for bad luck, I'd have no luck at all," describe you perfectly?
Are you a traveler who can't get his or her preferred flights booked because of all your credit card's black-out dates?
Do you invariably wind up next to the guy on the airplane who talks non-stop and dribbles food on his shirt the entire flight?
Well, wipe that sad face off your sour mug, Faithful Traveler! Gadling and Capital One Venture are teaming up to make five lucky winners a lot less frustrated. If you're America's "most frustrated traveler," you could win one of these great prizes:
- One Grand Prize Winner will receive a free 3 day/2 night trip to the destination of their choosing for two, including roundtrip airfare (within the continental United States) and hotel* – valued at $3,000.
- One Second Prize Winner will receive a hassle-free travel essentials pack consisting of items such as a Garmin GPS and Bose noise canceling headphones – valued at $1,500.
- Three Runner-up Winners will each receive a Marriott TravelCard – valued at $100 each.
What's the catch? Well... you have to relive your experience one more time. To be eligible for the fantastic, frustration-reducing prizes in this contest, head to the comments and describe in 250 words or less your most frustrating travel moment, and why you deserve to win a free (and frustration- and hassle-free) trip courtesy of Gadling and Capital One Venture.
Before we get to the legal bits, let us remind you of some of the travel-friendly features of Capital One's Venture card:
- You can earn 2 miles per dollar on all purchases, every day;
- There are NO foreign transaction fees;
- You can receive 10,000 bonus miles when you spend $1,000 in the first three months;
- You can enjoy the freedom to redeem your miles on any airline, any time, with no blackout dates;
- Your rewards don't expire; plus there's no limit on how many miles you can accumulate, no special spending categories and no separate rewards enrollment requirements;
- You can have the flexibility to redeem for any travel purchase – air fare, hotel room, rental car, you name it!
- To enter, describe in 250 words or less your most frustrating travel moment, and why you deserve to win a free (and frustration- and hassle-free) trip. Leave your story in the comments section below. Be creative and descriptive!
- The comment must be left before Friday, November 5, 2010 at 5:00 PM Eastern Time.
- You may enter only once. Winners will be selected at random.
- One Grand Prize Winner will receive a free 3 day/2 night trip to the destination of their choosing for two, including roundtrip airfare (within the continental United States) and hotel* – valued at $3,000. One Second Prize Winner will receive a hassle-free travel essentials pack consisting of items such as a Garmin GPS and Bose noise canceling headphones – valued at $1,500. Three Runner-up Winners will each receive a Marriott TravelCard – valued at $100 each.
- Open to legal residents of the 50 United States, and the District of Columbia who are 18 and older.
- Click here for the complete official rules of this giveaway.
Happy travels and good luck!
The Gadling Team
* The total cost of airfare and hotel can not exceed $3,000, but you can stay at a more expensive hotel, if you choose cheaper flight options. Alternatively, you can choose a more expensive flight, if you stay at a cheaper hotel.
[Photo: Flickr | rudlavibizon]
Filed under: Stories, Hotels and Accommodations, Airlines, Transportation
Reader Comments (Page 18 of 18)
Merce Litfin-Zingmark Nov 5th 2010 5:27PM
Excuse me: I have reread my response to your kind travel opportunity in the contest "Most Frustrated Traveler" ~ due to realizing the deadline for entry was almost immediate, I did not have time to properly edit of unneeded words, spelling errors and essential brevity. If at all feasible, I'd be much obliged given chance to submit my entry which would include grammar correction.
Thanking you for consideration.
Merce Litfin-Zingmark
Missoula, MT
BARBARA Nov 5th 2010 5:14PM
the tripwasn't as frustrating as it was stressful. i was flying back to Florida from New York, it was an early morning flight, still the lady next to me was drinking, or I should say. having liquid breakfast. I fell asleep and woke up with a hangover from breathing it in for so kong. Fortunately it wasn't an intercontintal flight or I probably would have died from alcohol poisoning. They stopped the smokers, yet they even sell alcohol,go figure it. Anyway, I guess it was a bit frustrating, because I spent the money to be on the plane too so I should have been able to have air to breath without the alcohol smell, or at least she should have been polite enough to ask what alcohol I would like to smell. It seems thjatshe was the smart one. About 3 minutes before we were to land, a voice announced that we couldn't get our landing gear down. Instead of the oxygen and flotation devices fhere should be a button by each seat that opens a spot on the floor in front of our seats so we could all put our feet down and put the breaks on. Wher are Fred and Barney when you need them. Me thinks too much tv, and this was before we had 300+ channels to surf through. My youngest son just got his helicopter license. If they overbook do some people have to hang from the blades.or is that saved so we will pay money to see someone appear to be doing it in some vadventure movie. I realized something interesting last year. Our youngest son and his then fiancee bought us tickets to Washing State so we could meet his intented parents. I had just spent a year in medical acilities after an accident at work and brain surgery. Iguess the neuro surgeon was good because I still get to share my rambling with anyone who has an extra year to read what Iwrite. Anyway getting back to a paragraph or two ago. Because of my condition. my husband upgraded our tickets to first class. I found out the the #1 big difference between first class and tourist is the nuts. Both sections get nuts, only in first class they open them and put themin6to a smaLL bowl then they heat them up in the microwave,so you don't just get nuts for $1,500 more you get hot nuts. Enjoy your next flight. See'ya at the pretzel stand.
+
Pam Nov 5th 2010 6:51PM
Flying from Kona, Hawaii to Virginia Beach, Virginia is a long flight. I thought I had gotten a great deal on a ticket. My flight went from Kona directly to Chicago then from there to Virginia Beach. It feels like you are traveling for 2 days. On my way I got on the plane and located my seat. I was in a window seat towards the back. The person sitting next to me arrived shortly before take off. The plane got a little warm as we were taxiing out to the runway. The smell of a dirty locker room hit me. It was from the person sitting next to me. I opened the vent for air and that helped a little. A nine hour flight next to this person. I was so ready to be off the plane in Chicago. That was truely the longest flight I have ever taken.
monica alley Nov 5th 2010 5:31PM
We made our way to Logan Airport during the start of a freak early-December snowstorm, looking forward to our vacation in Sanibel Island. After multiple false starts and long delays, we were allowed to board with several other annoyed passengers who pushed past each other in a race to wait even longer on the runway. Repeated de-icings kept the plane clear, but the runways iced over and we were grounded. The airport was closed. A snow emergency with blizzard-strength winds prevented us from returning home, so we got a hotel room in East Boston. I had packed only summer-weight clothes; to keep warm I had to buy a Boston sweatshirt in the hotel lobby.
Since we knew we'd have to reschedule, we took the shuttle back to (a very quiet) airport that evening and were able to book a flight for the next afternoon. We boarded the next day, eager to land in a warm climate, where we'd walk on the beach and collect shells. Shortly after our landing in Florida that evening, the sky clouded over, and it began - and continued - raining most of the rest of the week. Undaunted, and despite the unseasonably cold weather, we put on our swimsuits first thing the next morning and stopped at the front desk before heading for the beach. The hotel clerk shook his head and said, "too bad about the timing. The red tide has washed in and people are advised not to swim in the ocean." As we were about to depart on our final day, the sun came out.
Lindsey Erwin Nov 5th 2010 7:27PM
The worst trip home I have ever experience began at Heathrow Airport. When we past through security there was no mention that Heathrow was closed down because of a bomb threat. We had just checked our luggage when we were told that our plane would not leave for several hours, but that no one would be allow to leave the airport. I am pretty easy going so it was not hard on me except for just feeling bad for all the women with crying children. We were there six hours in a very crowed area before our plane was released to fly.
Of course I missed my connecting flight in New York but was held on stand-by for the next six hours, being told all the while that there was a seat on the next flight to LAX. At 10 PM I heard from another passenger that the airline had offered her a hotel room if she would wait to fly the next day. So I went to the airline to obtain the same favor. They were truly gracious and made an announcement that those of us who were left could check in and stay at a hotel if they were willing to fly on the 8:00am flight in the morning. We were taken by shuttle to a very nice hotel on the other side of the airport. But there was a mix up at the Hotel and they were not going to allow is to check in. During the days events I had made friends with another lady, we were both so tired we decided to just split the cost of a room, it was quite expensive but neither of us could take any more. Finally at 12:30 we were taken up to our room, and probably asleep by 1:00am. At 4:00am we received a wake up call from the desk saying that the Airlines had called to request that we check in at the gate by 5:30am for an 7:30 flight. That they were sending a shuttle to pick us up at 5:00. You guest it we were dressed in the clothes we'd been in for 24 hrs and cleaned up as well as possible, in the lobby waiting for the suttle at 4:50am. But nobody came, so once again we arranged for our own transportation back to the airport. We arrived at the check in at 5:25am only to be told that our 7:30 flight had been canceled and that we were all booked on another flight that would have a short lay over in Chicago, and then to Ontario Airport. Greatfully we boarded our plane for Ontario on time, and were told upon boarding that we had all been upgraded to first class. Yeh!!! I said, I so need to sleep, but you guessed it that was not to be. I was waring a scoop necked blouse that was pretty limp but stood out just enough to catch a full glass of orange juice when the stuward accidentally knocked off his tray. My clothes were glued to my body in seconds.
Of course when we arrived at Ontario my lugage was no where to be found. My husband had never heard the last message I'd left and had gone to LAX to retreve his wife. When he finally arrived at Ontario to pick me up I got word from the airlines that my luggage could be claimed at LAX international as I had never gone through customs with my luggage regulations would not allow them to deliver it to my home.
That was the worst journey home I have ever experienced.