Welcome to this month’s giveaways!

Each month we offer at least one giveaway to our loyal readers as a way to say thank you. These may range from anything from luggage to travel clothing to travel vouchers to photography gear.

We strive for these giveaways to be open to as many of our readers and subscribers as possible. However, given rules, legislation, and shipping restrictions, this is not always possible and many of the giveaways do have geographical restrictions (as well as other restrictions) so please be sure to note these before entering a giveaway.

**If you are a brand or company that is interested in featuring a quality travel or photography product or gift voucher, please contact us directly.**

Our Giveaways are Exclusive to our Newsletter Subscribers

We run regular giveaways that are exclusive to our newsletter subscribers. You must be a newsletter subscriber to be eligible for our giveaways. Please enter the giveaways using the name and email you use to receive our emails.

If you sign up to the giveaways and are not a confirmed newsletter subscriber, your entry will be discarded.

If you are not a subscriber and want to sign up to our newsletter, you can sign up using this form:

If you have any questions about subscribing to our newsletter, or don’t receive the confirmation e-mail, please contact us.

Current Giveaway Details: January 2019

This month we are offering TWO fantastic travel giveaways – a $200 voucher to use for any walking tour offered by Take Walks and a $200 voucher for use to purchase any Arcido backpack.

Both giveaways are valued at $200 USD each and both giveaways are open to readers worldwide!

Giveaway #1: Take Walks $200 voucher (Worldwide)

Brand/Manufacturer: Take Walks
Product Link: Take Walks
Retail Value: $200 USD
Giveaway Open to: Worldwide

One of our favorite ways to experience a city, especially when visiting it for the first time, is to take a walking tour. We’ve taken a number of walking tours in cities around the world, and one of our favorite walking tour companies is Take Walks.

Take Walks is an American walking tour company that offers small group guided walking tours (and some day excursions) in 11 cities across Europe and the USA. They began in Italy and offer a lot of great tours there, but they also now offer tours in France, England, Spain, and the USA.

They regularly offer new walks and plan to continue to expand to new cities. For example, they plan to begin offering tours in Athens, Greece starting in March 2019.

We’re thrilled this month to be giving away a $200 voucher code to be used for any Take Walks tour. The voucher code is valid for 2 years and can be redeemed against the total cart value of any of the tours available on the TakeWalks.com website.

We’ve taken walks with Take Walks so far in New York City, Venice, Rome and Florence, and have always appreciated the small group sizes and knowledgeable guides that is a hallmark of their tours. And we’d love for you to be able to experience the same thing with this prize!

Here is a sample of just a handful of the available tours:

• Paris: Paris in a Day with Skip-the-Line Access to Busiest Attractions
• Rome: Pasta Making Class with a Local Chef
• New York City: Criminals, Gangs & Mafia Tour of NYC
• London: VIP Houses of Parliament Tour plus Afternoon Tea
• Barcelona: Montserrat & Gourmet Cava Day Trip

As you can see there is a wide range of cultural, historical, and food related tours in some of the world’s most visited and popular cities. You can check out the full list of cities and tours on their website.

Winner will receive one (1) $200 code voucher for use on the Take Walks website. The total retail value is $200.00 USD.

How to Enter the Giveaway

Please read the rules below to enter the giveaway:

1. You need to be signed up for our newsletter.

If you get our monthly newsletters, you are eligible! If you’re already signed up you don’t need to sign up again. Skip to #2.

If you are not a subscriber, you can sign up using the form at the top of the page, or on this page.

After you sign up for our newsletter, you’ll be sent an e-mail to asking you to confirm your sign-up. You’ll need to click the link in the email to confirm and activate your subscription before you are eligible to participate. Once you do that, come back here and sign up!

2. Check the rules of the giveaway

Before signing up, read over the rules (listed in detail below the entry form) to make sure you are eligible to apply. While we strive to have our giveaway open to all subscribers, some of the giveaways have geographical, residency, age, or other restrictions.

3 – Use the form below to enter the giveaway.

You must use the same e-mail address that you used to sign up to the newsletter with, as we’ll be checking e-mails this way to validate your entry. You must be an active subscriber when we make the draw to be eligible to win!

Enter the Giveaway!

Winners will be randomly drawn with 1 winner receiving a Take Walks voucher.

The retail value of the giveaway is USD $200.

Applicants must be 18 years or older, have a valid email address, and have a valid mailing address.

Winners will be contacted by the email provided (so please use an email to enter that you check regularly). If a winner does not respond to email within 72 hours, another winner will be chosen.

The winner will be contacted via email by us and then the voucher code will be sent via email.

Note you can unsubscribe from the newsletter at any time, but you must be an active subscriber when the draw takes place to be eligible to win. Draws take place within a week of the contest closing.

The data entered into the giveaway form will solely be used for the purposes of verifying your entry, checking you are an active newsletter subscriber and contacting you if you are a winner.

Winners (first name and last initial, and country of residence) will be announced on the bottom of this page and in our monthly newsletter.

We thank Take Walks for providing this awesome prize for this giveaway!

Full Giveaway Terms and Conditions

These are the full terms and conditions!

1. The promoter is: Finding the Universe & Independent Travel Cats
2. Finding the Universe & Independent Travel Cats contributors, and their family members or anyone else connected in any way with the giveaway including helping to set up the giveaway shall not be permitted to enter the giveaway.
3. The giveaway is only open to active newsletter subscribers of the Finding the Universe & Independent Travel Cats monthly newsletter.
4. There is no entry fee and no purchase necessary to enter this giveaway.
5. Route to entry for the giveaway and details of how to enter are via this blog post
6. You must be 18 years of age or older to participate in the giveaway.
7. You must fill out all the requested information in the entry from to be eligible. Incomplete entries will not be considered.
8. Closing date for entry is January 27, 2019 at midnight EST. After this date no further entries to the giveaway will be permitted. Only one entry may be submitted per participant. Multiple entries will not be considered, and will invalidate all entries by participant. Incomplete, incorrect or otherwise invalid entries will not be considered. The Promoter reserves the right to verify the eligibility of all participants.
9. No responsibility can be accepted for entries not received for whatever reason.
10. The prizes are as follows: 1 winner will receive a $200 voucher, redeemable against any product on the Take Walks website. If a more expensive product is chosen, the winner must pay the difference. The voucher must be used within two years of receipt.
11. The promoter reserves the right to cancel or amend the giveaway and these terms and conditions without notice and for any reason. Any changes to the giveaway will be notified to entrants as soon as possible by the promoter.
12. No cash alternative to the prizes will be offered. The prizes are not transferable. Prizes are subject to availability and the promoter reserves the right to substitute any prize with another of equivalent value without giving notice.
13. Winners will be drawn at random from all valid entries. The odds of winning will depend on the number of entries received. Promoters are not responsible for prize fulfilment nor for any technical failures. Winning entry will be verified. A list of winners will be displayed on this page and published in the monthly newsletter.
14. Promoter reserves the right to publish winner’s first name and last initial and country of residence. Any personal data relating to the winner or any other entrants will be used solely in accordance with current UK data protection legislation and will not be disclosed to a third party without the entrant’s prior consent.
15. The winner will be notified by email within 10 days of the closing date. If the winner cannot be contacted or does not claim the prize within 72 hours of notification, the promoter reserves the right to withdraw the prize from the winner and pick a replacement winner.
16. The winner consents to providing their name, email, and mobile contact number to the promoters for the sole purpose of enabling their prize to be delivered.
17. The promoters’ decision in respect of all matters to do with the giveaway will be final.
18. By entering this giveaway, an entrant is indicating his/her agreement to be bound by these terms and conditions.
19. The giveaway and these terms and conditions will be governed by UK law and any disputes will be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of the UK.
20. Images included in the giveaway post may not depict the exact prize, and are for illustrative purposes only.
21. Residents of Canada will be required to answer a skill-testing question to claim their prize.
22. Void where Prohibited

Giveaway #2: Arcido backpack $200 voucher (Worldwide)

Brand/Manufacturer: Arcido
Product Link: https://www.arcido.com
Retail Value: $200
Giveaway Open to: Worldwide

Our second giveaway this month is a $200 voucher for the Arcido store, thanks to the nice folks at Arcido!

Arcido make backpacks designed especially for travelers which aim to be streamlined, well-designed, lightweight, and functional. Their bags are designed to look great even in urban environments but to still be tough, with features like water resistance, handy pockets for quick access to travel documents, laptop sections, and more.

They currently have five backpacks available, which range from daypacks to carry-on sized backpacks. You can check out the full range of backpacks here.

Every bag is designed from the ground up to be perfect for travel. Arcido also offer a line of accessories like packing cubes and washbags, and some of their bags are designed to work together, to create a seamless packing experience for all your gear.

Our giveaway is for a $200 voucher, which is good towards the total cart value of any order in the Arcido store. Any cart value over $200 is the responsibility of the winner.

The gift voucher will be delivered to the winner electronically.

Even if you don’t win, we also have a 15% discount code for anything on the Arcido store. Just use the code “UNIVERSE15” on checkout. The code is valid until February 28th 2019.

How to Enter the Giveaway

Please read the rules below to enter the giveaway:

1. You need to be signed up for our newsletter.

If you get our monthly newsletters, you are eligible! If you’re already signed up you don’t need to sign up again. Skip to #2.

If you are not a subscriber, you can sign up using the form at the top of the page, or on this page.

After you sign up for our newsletter, you’ll be sent an e-mail to asking you to confirm your sign-up. You’ll need to click the link in the email to confirm and activate your subscription before you are eligible to participate. Once you do that, come back here and sign up!

2. Check the rules of the giveaway

Before signing up, read over the rules (listed in detail below the entry form) to make sure you are eligible to apply. While we strive to have our giveaway open to all subscribers, some of the giveaways have geographical, residency, age, or other restrictions.

3 – Use the form below to enter the giveaway.

You must use the same e-mail address that you used to sign up to the newsletter with, as we’ll be checking e-mails this way to validate your entry. You must be an active subscriber when we make the draw to be eligible to win!

Enter the Giveaway!

Winners will be randomly drawn with 1 winner receiving the $200 Arcido giveaway.

The value of the giveaway is USD $200

Applicants must be 18 years or older, have a valid email address, and have a valid mailing address.

Winners will be contacted by the email provided (so please use an email to enter that you check regularly). If a winner does not respond to email within 72 hours, another winner will be chosen.

The winner will be contacted via email by us and then the gift code voucher will be delivered electronically by email.

Note you can unsubscribe from the newsletter at any time, but you must be an active subscriber when the draw takes place to be eligible to win.

The data entered into the giveaway form will solely be used for the purposes of verifying your entry, checking you are an active newsletter subscriber and contacting you if you are a winner.

Winners (first name and last initial, and country of residence) will be announced on the bottom of this page and in our monthly newsletter.

Full Giveaway Terms and Conditions

These are the full terms and conditions!

1. The promoter is: Finding the Universe & Independent Travel Cats
2. Finding the Universe & Independent Travel Cats contributors, and their family members or anyone else connected in any way with the giveaway including helping to set up the giveaway shall not be permitted to enter the giveaway.
3. The giveaway is only open to active newsletter subscribers of the Finding the Universe & Independent Travel Cats monthly newsletter.
4. There is no entry fee and no purchase necessary to enter this giveaway.
5. Route to entry for the giveaway and details of how to enter are via this blog post
6. You must be 18 years of age or older to participate in the giveaway.
7. You must fill out all the requested information in the entry from to be eligible. Incomplete entries will not be considered.
8. Closing date for entry is January 27, 2018 at midnight EST. After this date no further entries to the giveaway will be permitted. Only one entry may be submitted per participant. Multiple entries will not be considered, and will invalidate all entries by participant. Incomplete, incorrect or otherwise invalid entries will not be considered. The Promoter reserves the right to verify the eligibility of all participants.
9. No responsibility can be accepted for entries not received for whatever reason.
10. The prizes are as follows: 1 winner will receive a $200 voucher for use on the Arcido store.
11. The promoter reserves the right to cancel or amend the giveaway and these terms and conditions without notice and for any reason. Any changes to the giveaway will be notified to entrants as soon as possible by the promoter.
12. No cash alternative to the prizes will be offered. The prizes are not transferable. Prizes are subject to availability and the promoter reserves the right to substitute any prize with another of equivalent value without giving notice.
13. Winners will be drawn at random from all valid entries. The odds of winning will depend on the number of entries received. Promoters are not responsible for prize fulfilment nor for any technical failures. Winning entry will be verified. A list of winners will be displayed on this page and published in the monthly newsletter.
14. Promoter reserves the right to publish winner’s first name and last initial and country of residence. Any personal data relating to the winner or any other entrants will be used solely in accordance with current UK data protection legislation and will not be disclosed to a third party without the entrant’s prior consent.
15. The winner will be notified by email within 10 days of the closing date. If the winner cannot be contacted or does not claim the prize within 72 hours of notification, the promoter reserves the right to withdraw the prize from the winner and pick a replacement winner.
16. The winner consents to their name, email, and mobile contact number to be passed on to promoters for the sole purpose of enabling their prize to be delivered.
17. The promoters’ decision in respect of all matters to do with the giveaway will be final.
18. By entering this giveaway, an entrant is indicating his/her agreement to be bound by these terms and conditions.
19. The giveaway and these terms and conditions will be governed by UK law and any disputes will be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of the UK.
20. Images included in the giveaway post may not depict the exact prize, and are for illustrative purposes only.
21. Residents of Canada will be required to answer a skill-testing question to claim their prize.
22. Shipping of the prize is free to Europe and the USA. Shipping costs to the rest of the world can be used as part of the voucher. Any cart value over $200 (or local currency equivalent) is the responsibility of the prize winner. Any import fees, duties, or taxes due in winner’s country must be covered by winner.
23. Void where Prohibited

We wish you the best of luck!

If you have any questions or concerns about the giveaways, please let us know in the Comments section below or email us directly.

Past Winners

Here is a list of some of our past giveaway winners:

December 2018

• Michelle B. from Germany, who won a Travelccessories Toiletry Bag & Travel Laundry Kit with a retail value of USD $100
• Russell C. from England, UK, who won a 5-piece Manta Sleep travel package with a retail value of USD $90

November 2018

• Toni K. from Kentucky, USA, who won OOO Traveling luggage with a retail value of USD $298
• Gary R. from Ontario, Canada, who won a Tinggly Best in the World travel gift card with a retail value of USD $119

October 2018

• Tracy C. from Australia, who won a who won a free lifetime subscription to our travel photography course with a retail value of USD $99
• Vicki L. from the USA, who won a custom Passport Map with a retail value of USD $129

September 2018

• Toni A. of Evansville, IN, USA won a Vanguard VEO 2 235CB Carbon Fiber tripod with a retail value of USD $199
• Kevin C. of Wales, UK won a Thule Subterra Carry-On 55cm with a retail value of GBP £215