free air travel

Tidbits for travelers: Please visit Washington State

 

I live in Washington, a budget-weary state that’s home to old growth forests, the Space Needle, Mount St. Helens and Mt. Rainier.

 

It’s also home to a bridge built just for squirrels, the World’s Largest Egg and a few hundred other roadside oddities.

So please plan a visit.

 

You might be getting a lot of these invitations before June 15th.  And it’s not just because Washingtonians are so proud of their state.

 

The Washington State tourism office – set to close at the end of June due to budget cuts – is entering the names of all “inviters” into a sweepstakes for some juicy prizes, including a year’s worth of in-state, unlimited travel for two, courtesy of Alaska/Horizon Airlines AND two tickets anywhere Alaska Airlines flies, which includes Canada, Mexico and Hawaii.

 

I took a look at the rules and it turns out you don’t even have to live in Washington State to enter. All you have to do is visit www.ShareYourWashington.com and send an electronic postcard to someone you think might like visiting Washington State.

And, really, who wouldn’t want to high-tail it over a state where folks turn their hedges into this:

 

Airports want you to go away

File this under: you can’t win if you don’t play.

Several airports around the country are holding contests and drawings that include free airplane tickets as the prizes.

Indianapolis airport art

The deadline is Wednesday, Dec 1, 2010 to enter Indianapolis International Airport’s “Show us your favorite things @ IND” You Tube contest.

To enter: make a short video (three minutes or less) showing what you like best about that airport.

The airport will choose five finalists and post those videos on the airport’s YouTube channel for public voting.

The grand prize is a free trip to Orlando or Tampa. Two runners-up will receive flip camcorders.  Entries must be uploaded by midnight on December 1.  Official contest rules are posted at www.indcontest.com.

Las Vegas International Airport’s Korean Air ticket giveaway ends Dec. 8th, 2010 around noon Pacific time, so you still have about a week to enter your name for a chance to win one of two pair of round-trip tickets between Las Vegas and Seoul.

Portland International Airport is giving away a pair of tickets from Portland to Toronto as part of its Holidays Take Flight celebration.  Deadline entry is January 2, 2011.

Airplane with christmas bow

And Kansas City International Airport is giving away a pair of tickets Kanasas City to one of 44 nonstop destinations.

(See list – and rules here). Deadline to enter is January 10, 2011.

Good luck – and don’t forget to bring home some souvenirs for StuckatTheAirport.com.