GIVEAWAY! For the Traveling Wine Lover!

It’s my first blog giveaway! I know many of you love wine and like to travel the world and sample new varieties. I’m giving away a 2-pack of wine diapers and two rebate cards (one for you and one for a friend) for delicious Tapeña wine from Spain. (Unfortunately, I can’t just send you a bottle of wine or send you to Spain.) Tapeña wines are great with tapas, chicken, fish or beef. Really, anything you can think of, there is a wine that will pair well with it. Save your receipt and send it in with your rebate card for cheap wine! ($2 off one bottle, $8 off three or $18 off 6) 

On your next trip to Spain, or wherever you choose to go, bring your wine back safely with your wine diapers. The sealable (and reusable) bags protect your bottles from breakage, but if they do happen to suffer an unavoidable accident, the bags also keep the wine inside and spare the contents of your travel bag from an alcohol soaking and unwanted dye job. This giveaway will go through Saturday, April 30. Winner will be chosen randomly, via Random.org, and given 48 hours to respond to email sent on May 1.

Here are the rules:

Required: Follow Shereen Travels Cheap via Google Friend Connect or Networked Blogs and comment on this post where you had the best wine and how you follow me.

Optional – for extra entries (leave a separate post for each):

• Follow Shereen Travels Cheap on Facebook. (1 entry)
• Follow Shereen Travels Cheap on Twitter. (1 entry)
• Tweet about the giveaway and post your link in your comment. Include #shereentrvlschp. (1 entry)
• Share the giveaway on Facebook and post your link in your comment. (2 entries) 

Please leave your Facebook name or Twitter handle when you post that you’ve followed, so I can verify each entry. For those keeping track at home, that means you can get SIX whopping entries! Thank You and Good luck!

Go Outside! 4.23.11

Seriously, the weather is finally nice out, so why not go out and enjoy it? The best excuse for getting some fresh air and experiencing life and nature is to go on a trip! There’s still some time before Summer takes over and rates on airfare and hotels skyrocket. In fact, if you book and travel before the second week of June, you’re likely to pay half the price as those people traveling after that. I just saved you 50%! Okay, not really, but if you’ve been following my blog, you know that Summer is the most expensive time to travel. There are a few ways you can save, but not as much as the whole rest of the year. We’re going to stick with last-minute Spring travel today, since you still have about 6 weeks to book, plan it out, pack your bags and go. There are so many sales right now for short notice trips, it would be a shame if they were passed up by travelers thinking the only time they can vacation is in the Summer. Even if you have little ones, it’s way more economical to travel outside of the June to August peak season.

 

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Breckinridge, Colorado is one of those places high on the skier’s list of winter travel destinations. It’s also known for fantastic Summer traveling, but what about Spring? If you like outdoor activities, then Breckinridge is a great spot for you. They have hiking, biking, rafting and more – all of which can be affordable (or free) activities. Discovered by prospectors 150 years ago, the town has an old mining feel to it and is fun to just wander and take in the Victorian architecture. Not only that, but there is a delicious food scene, as well as fun shopping, art and history. During the Spring and Summer you can listen to live music at venues all over town.

The ultimate outdoor adventures can be found in Australia. Right now you can book roundtrip airfare on Qantas to Cairns and the Great Barrier Reef from just $539 each way. Explore the Daintree Rainforest, dive off the Great Barrier Reef and find many other outdoor activities, including snorkeling, cruising, hiking and just hanging out on the beach. If you’d rather book all your travel at once, opt for the 5-night package deal that includes RT airfare, accommodations, hotel/airfare transfers, scenic railway tour, full-day cruise and much more from $1599. With both deals, you can add a stopover in Melbourne, Sydney or Brisbane for no extra airfare fee. Qantas airlines provides luxury, even in economy class. Each passenger’s seat comes equipped with a personal video screen with over 400 entertainment options, a personal comfort kit and complimentary food and wine. (Book online and save. Reservations made by phone are charged $30 more per ticket.)

Vancouver, B.C. is celebrating 125 years in 2011. In honor of their birthday, they’d like to give YOU a gift to explore their beautiful city! Book any two nights at participating hotels (listed on site – all different price ranges available) and receive a $125 activities card for free! Use the card on anything the Visitor Centre has to offer. Choose from show tickets, sporting events, tours, attractions, sightseeing and more! While you’re on the site, enter to win a VIP trip for 2 to Vancouver from Fairmont Hotels.

With its cobblestone streets and rustic buildings, Tuscany is a favorite of those that like to get out and explore. Whether walking, biking or driving through the countryside, the Italian landscape, people and food will win you over every time! Book a 6-night vacation, including accommodations at a 1,000 year old Tuscan estate, roundtrip airfare, midsize car rental and bottle of wine upon arrive from $1099 per person. You must book by April 29 to get this fabulous deal where you’ll be staying at the Ferragamo family estate (yes, THAT Ferragamo). Don’t forget to enjoy the vino! Add a 3-course dinner with wine tasting to your package for just $75 per person. You can even take cooking classes or archery lessons on-site!

Who doesn’t love the beach? Book a minimum of 2 nights at the Myrtle Beach Crown Reef Resort and pay just $59/night. The resort is right on the beach and breakfast is included in the rate. Your room will face the ocean, have a balcony, mini-fridge and free WiFi as well! With so many outdoor activities to do in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina in and around your resort, this is a perfect way to get outside and save money! Book by April 27th for stays through June 9th.

Do you love food as much as I do? Win a trip from TravelSmith and Uniworld Cruises in the Taste for Travel Giveaway. The AMAZING Grand Prize includes an 8-day European cruise of your choice for two people from Uniworld (readers of Condé Nast voted these boutique-style cruise boats the World’s Best River Ships), gourmet meals prepared for you by master chefs, shore excursions in Europe’s beautiful ports of call, $2,000 air credit and a $500 TravelSmith shopping spree to get you ready for your trip.

 

With all the outdoor activities you’re going to be doing, even if it’s just reading a book while you drink a mai tai, it’s important to have the right accessories, like great walking shoes, UV blocking shades and some fantastic sunscreen. Shoes and shades are all a matter of preference (and what works for your feet and face). I suppose, so is sunscreen, but I discovered this great sun block at Sephora before my last trip where I was taking a cruise to Central America. I’m not a fan of sunscreen that smells like sunscreen or is oily or leaves a residue, so this one fit the bill. While it’s a bit more expensive than what you would find at the drug store Supergoop is worth what you pay for it. It’s lightweight, so you barely feel it, blocks rays to avoid burns and is mild enough to use on your face. Also, the slim container shape slides perfectly into the free space in your 3-1-1 bag.

There are a lot of things coming up for Shereen Travels Cheap! Our Facebook page and blog are going to be hosting many giveaways from awesome sponsors in the coming months. I want all our winners to be able to get their prizes before their big Fall vacations (although if you’re traveling in the Summer, you’ll probably have it by then). Here’s what’s happening now (if you don’t like FREE stuff, just stop reading):

BE A WINNER!!!

Join Shereen Travels Cheap on Facebook and enter to win a fun prize pack from Knock! Knock! They put the “fun” in functional and were kind enough to give us two prize packs to give away. The first was drawn by Fluff’s Enough Giveaway Shoutouts on Wednesday and we got many new followers. (She does flash giveaways every Wednesday evening, so go check her out.) The second one will be drawn on May 1st, so you have plenty of time left to still enter. Just quickly fill out the form on the giveaway page. If you want to double your chances, you can get a BONUS entry by subscribing to this blog via Google Friend Connect or Networked Blogs and leaving a comment here and telling me your Facebook name used to enter. We ask this so we can verify that it really IS you.

BE A WINNER!!!

On May 1st, we’ll be starting a totally new giveaway, sponsored by our good friends at Minimus.biz. You’ve heard me tell you to run over there and load up on all your travel-sized favorites. A purchase of just $25 gets you free shipping! We have a gift inside a gift with this giveaway and it’s very cool, a must for every traveler AND organic. It even helps you get through security faster! In fact, I like it so much, I’m ordering one for myself the next time I make a purchase. Get a jump on entering by joining my Facebook page and knowing the second the entry form can be filled out. You’re going to LOVE it!

BE A WINNER!!!

Once we reach 1,000 Facebook fans – which should be soon! – I’ll be announcing a very special giveaway for a HUGE prize. You’ll be able to open the box and dump all of it into your travel bag right away, because it’s THAT good! Help us reach 1,000 fans by joining the page and suggesting it to all your Facebook friends. In fact, suggest it to those not on Facebook, too, so they join and get a chance to be a winner, too! Oh, and get great BUDGET TRAVEL TIPS, too!

BE A WINNER!!!

Tomorrow I’ll be starting a promotion on THIS BLOG for a fun travel wine pack. It will require some audience participation from you to win, as in following my blog and then following Shereen Travels Cheap on Facebook and Twitter for extra entries. The wine pack will include wine diapers, so you can bring back your wine from your travels safely and conveniently. Easily pack your bottles in your luggage with these wonderful (and reusable!) padded bottle bags. You can even use them to ship your bottles home. If, heaven forbid, your bottle breaks, the bags prevent spillage and wine-soaked clothing/souvenirs. I will also include a rebate card for delicious Spanish Tapeña wine, so you can get excited for your travels and all the new and fancy wine you’ll be sampling on the way. If you’re a wine-lover, you’re in for a treat! Your only downside? Picking which one you want to try first.

FREE MONEY!

I don’t know about you, but I am a fan of free money. Actually, I’m generally a fan of free anything, because it means I can use the money in my pocket for something. If you like free money, too, then take a trip over to Ebates! Ebates offers a cash back program that has hundreds of participating online merchants – including a selection of travel sites. They pay you to shop! If you were going to buy it anyway, why not get a discount? They put $5 in your account just for signing up. I use my cash back as travel bonus money!

And if you’re REALLY into saving, come join me on the Frugal Living Community on The Blog Frog. Sponsored by Ebates, the community is a great place to meet other people with tips on living and shopping frugally. I’m the only travel community leader over there, but I’m very active and you can ask questions and join in discussions with me and the other frugal living members. If you want to learn more about how to save on your vacation after you’ve bought your plane tickets, come join me on Tuesday 4/26 at 5-6pm PST for a live chat directed towards saving ON your vacation. Learn new tips for finding discounted activities, great dining deals and more! The chats are always fun and include everyone participating. We’ll be giving away a prize at the end of the chat as well, so BONUS!

LEARN SOMETHING NEW

My last update isn’t another giveaway item, but an actual update for something cool and usable for all of my readers. The first week of May you’ll be seeing a special blog post (in addition to my twice weekly ones) about Microsoft OneNote. It’s a great feature of Office 2010 and fantastic for travel planning. You can pull stuff from anywhere on the Internet with just a click of your mouse and save it for later placement in your itinerary. It has many more cool features, which I will share with you. Thanks to Microsoft, I was able to test it out for myself, so I could tell you all how great it really is and how you can use it for all your vacation planning needs. You’ll get a link to the OneNote page that shows how I and 39 other bloggers also used the product to create TripBooks to different destinations (mine was Melbourne, Australia) in a project called “Around the World in 40 Days”. 

April Showers Bring May Flowers 4.20.11

If this saying is true, then we are going to be suffocated by flowers here in the Northwest in less than two weeks. I’m writing this during one of our sun-breaks, which I should run out and enjoy, except it is also still cold out, so it’s nicer to look at it through my window. I hear a lot of places around the U.S. and the globe are actually getting warm weather and are actually celebrating Spring, so I am jealous, but it also got me thinking about Mother’s Day, which is creeping up on us and will be here before you know it. May 8th is the magic date. What are you getting for your mom?

 

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Thinking up something new and original (and inexpensive) every year can be hard. Especially with Christmas and her birthday and any other day you buy her something for being a super duper mom. It’s even less easy to come up with something if you also buy for your mother-in-law, grandma, aunt, wife, sister, etc. So, here’s something I thought of that is affordable and can be good for a group or just the two of you and can also create lasting memories. Buying the mom(s) in your life flowers is the trusty stand-by when you’ve run out of ideas, money or time. Of course, most moms (and women in general) love flowers, so this is not a bad gift, but within a week they are usually dead and thrown in the trash. If you buy potted plants and flowers, this is more thoughtful, as she can have it for years to come. Flowers and plants can end up costing a fortune, depending on the kind you get, so instead of bringing the flowers to your mom, why not bring your mom to the flowers. No, don’t make her get in the car and cruise the local florist aisle at Safeway. I’m talking about taking her to the botanical gardens for the day.

Most botanical gardens range anywhere from FREE to $20 for admission, which is easier on the wallet than a decent-sized bouquet of anything. You and your mom can spend the day wandering among all the native flowers of the area, taking pictures, watching the pollinators do their job, have tea or lunch and maybe pick up a couple of seed packets to take home and try growing yourself. Botanical gardens often have an on-site café or restaurant, but if you’re feeling really frugal, you can pack a delicious lunch and have a picnic. Anywhere you can grow something, you can find a botanical garden, test garden or something similar.

Here in Portland, the City of Roses, we have both the Leach Botanical Gardens and the International Rose Test Garden. Both are free to the public and feature thousands of varieties of flowers and hundreds of different roses. They are volunteer run and operated on generous donations. You can enjoy a wonderful day out with your mom and might even get some sun next month and not have to wear a raincoat or carry an umbrella. Below are some other famous gardens around the world you might like to visit with the mom in your life:

Brooklyn Botanic Garden in New York – Set on 52 acres the Brooklyn Botanic Garden is host to hundreds of thousands of visitors every year. They feature many “gardens within a garden” displays and are home to 42 species of cherry tree. You can also find two gift shops, a visitor center, gardener’s resource center and an outdoor café (open in the summer).

Tohono Chul Park in Tucson, Arizona – Contrary to popular belief, more than just cacti grow in the Arizona desert and you can see for yourself for admission prices under $10 ($7/adult, less for children and seniors). Check out some of the desert’s most colorful blooms, then take in breakfast, lunch, brunch or afternoon tea on the outdoor patio of the Tohono Chul Tea Room. With their reasonable prices, you may have some cash left over to pick up something in the greenhouse or the museum shop.

Byodo-in Garden in Kyoto, Japan – Japan isn’t all city life and skyscrapers. A 15-20 minute train ride outside of the city can take you to the Byodo-in Garden outside of the Byodo-in Buddhist Temple. The Garden is nicknamed “The Land of Happiness” and was created for those that wished to go somewhere beautiful in the afterlife. Though it isn’t large, it certainly is peaceful and is a Pure Land garden. There is also a treasure pond. It is said that this original garden has been the inspiration for other like gardens all over Japan. Admission is minimal at 600 yen (around $7).

Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden in Claremont, South Africa – I think when people think of South Africa their minds automatically go to animal safaris and hot plains. This sort of environment lends itself to very unique plants and Kirstenbosch is just one of nine different botanical gardens in the country (but is among one of the best in the world). It covers almost 90 acres and represents over 7,000 species of plant and with admission rates of a little over $5 (37 Rand), you can afford to go multiple times to see it all and take home a few goodies from the Garden Shop. You can even buy tickets online. Pack yourself a lunch and watch the wildlife around you as you relax in the sunshine and also take in some of the art displayed around the gardens. You can also drop into the Tea Room.

Claude Monet Foundation at Giverny in France – If you’re a fan of Monet, you know that he had a thing for his flower garden and water garden. Take a tour through his house and garden in Giverny to see his paintings come to life. The gardens are open everyday from April 1st through November 1st and admission price for adults is 8 € (about $12). Purchase online in advance and skip the queues. Enjoy Monet’s home, gardens, picture gallery and book shop, then sit down at Les Nymphéas and relax with some traditional Norman cooking. The restaurant serves hot and cold options as well as a daily specials menu.

Butchart Gardens in Victoria, BC – As far as botanical gardens goes, this is one of the largest I’ve ever been to. While it’s a more expensive option to visit at a $34 admission price, there is enough to see and do here to stay all day. Because the gardens are so vast, they have a suggestion of 5 different “itineraries” on their website. While the gardens are actually 1 hour north of Victoria by car, the drive is beautiful and you will only be rewarded with more beauty when you arrive. Experience thousands of varieties of plants and flowers any time of year. With 50 on-staff gardeners, there is always something growing and blooming. If you still have some cash in your pocket after entry tickets, you can choose from 2 restaurants or a sit-down in their coffee shop. The Dining Room restaurant is more formal and upscale, while the Blue Poppy is more affordable and casual. You can also spend an hour or more (I did!) in their gigantic gift shop. During summertime visits, you may also be treated to outdoor entertainment and a fantastic fireworks display.

National Botanic Garden of Wales in Wales – This garden is unique, because it features the world’s largest single-span greenhouse and it allows the garden to house plants from all over the world, not just those from the UK. The admission rate is meager for such an amazing place, just £8.50 (about $14), where you will be able to see Mediterranean and other plants form around the world inside the Great Glass House, more exotic plants inside the Tropical House and native plants outside around the walks and lakes. You can pack a lunch to have out on one of the sprawling lawns or make a visit to the restaurant before you head onto the gallery and gift shop.

Royal Botanic Gardens in Sydney – Australia is known for a lot of different things – the Outback, aborigines, boomerangs, Crocodile Dundee – but flowers never seem to be part of that list. Bring your walking shoes, because the RBG sits on a whopping 75 acres and occupies what used to be the Governor’s privacy barrier between the penal colonies and his private residence. It now has 18 different gardens and includes a rainforest walk and herb garden in addition to the many plants and flowers native to the area. Take a guided or self-guided tour to get the most out of your visit. With free admission, you really can’t go wrong. Drop a few bucks in the donation bin on your way to one of the two cafes or two restaurants and then pick up some seeds and other goodies in the extensive Garden Shop. All profits go directly back into the gardens.

With all these options and countless other ones you'll find across the globe, it's almost impossible to not find yourself within driving distance to a brand new botanical world. I hope you will find something great for your mom this Mother's Day and you both have a great time!

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Do you want to give your mom a tangible gift (instead of or in addition to) for Mom's Day? If you mom likes to travel, here are some fun ideas:

Chance are, your mom likes to travel. Better chances are that she washes her hair. With all the travel restrictions, it's nice to be able to swap in some useful products that don't need to be stuffed in a 1-quart plastic bag prior to boarding a plane. If that's the case, pick up some shampoo bars for your mom on Amazon from LUSH Cosmetics. They work just like soap, but just as good as her favorite shampoo! They come in varieties for every hair type and you can even get solid conditioner for a matching set. Don't forget to pick up a shampoo bar tin for her to keep it in for safekeeping (and to keep it from gooing up her other toiletries).




Save your mom's back by getting her a stylish and functional Healthy Back Bag from Ameribag. I've talked about it before and have gotten positive feedback from other owners as well. They come in several different sizes, a million colors (including floral) and a variety of fabrics. The ergonomic design is perfect for carrying everything around all day, it has a wide padded shoulder strap, a bunch of functional pockets and the main compartment is only accessed by a zipper that is next to your body when you are carrying the bag, so thieves are instantly thwarted from stealing all your valuables! The medium and large sizes have a large enough outside rear pocket to fit a full-size water bottle, too. You're going to need it with all the walking around you'll be doing at the botanical gardens! 

Did you know you can subscribe to the Shereen Travels Cheap blog on your Kindle? No? Well, you can! Take Shereen Travels Cheap everywhere you go, get real-time updates when new posts are published, so you can read and enjoy STC at home, at work, on the train, in France! Don’t have a Kindle? You can still use that fancy Kindle reading app, which is FREE, by the way, to read on your other web-enabled devices (iPad, Blackberry, Android, etc.).

WIN! WIN! WIN! WIN! WIN! WIN! WIN! WIN! WIN! WIN! WIN! WIN! WIN!

Let’s make it to 50 readers on this blog!

Shereen Travels Cheap has several fantastic and fun prizes to give away, but I’d like to make them goal-oriented. I know there are a lot of readers that come by each week to read the new content here, which is great! What would be even better is if you guys would also subscribe to the blog – either on Google Friend Connect or Networked Blogs – so I know how many of you are repeat customers. Once the total between the two reaches 50 readers, I’ll be giving away some great wine-related travel products. Being able to ship back or bring back your favorite wines from your travels in your checked luggage make a nice souvenir for yourself and others that weren’t lucky enough to go on your trip with you. This giveaway will be a perfect solution to that! The faster we get to 50, the faster we can start giving away prizes! We will do another one at 100, 150 and so on.

Join me on Facebook! We just started a new giveaway for a prize pack with 2 Knock! Knock! travel products in it: A Bon Voyage packing list tablet and reusable airplane bingo to keep you busy on your flights. Enter by becoming a Fan on Facebook and filling out the form. Get an extra entry by following me on Google Friend Connect or Networked Blogs and leaving me a comment to that effect on this post.

WIN! WIN! WIN! WIN! WIN! WIN! WIN! WIN! WIN! WIN! WIN! WIN! WIN!