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: December 2019

This month we have two giveaways for you! Our first giveaway is a $250 gift card good for any activity, tour, or travel experience on GetYourGuide. Our second giveaway is for a pair of photography gloves, with a value up to $136.

Giveaway #1: GetYourGuide Gift Card

Brand/Manufacturer: GetYourGuide
Product Link: https://www.getyourguide.com/gifting/
Retail Value: USD $250.00
Giveaway Open to: Worldwide

They say an experience is the best gift of all. So this holiday season, we thought we would gift one of our wonderful readers just that – the opportunity to take an experience of your choosing with GetYourGuide!

GetYourGuide is an online marketplace that sells travel activities, experiences, and tours in destinations around the world.

We’ve used GetYourGuide to book experiences such as food tours, hot air balloon rides, city walking tours, and catamaran cruises. They also have city passes, attraction entry tickets, and even multi-day guided trips!

In fact, with over 35,000 products to choose from in destinations all around the world, if you win, the hardest part is likely going to be picking what you want to do. Here are some ideas just to get you excited:

• A helicopter ride over Manhattan Island, New York City, USa
• A fully guided tour of the Harry Potter Studio with transport from London
• This delicious looking four hour food tour of Rome at night
• A show at the legendary Moulin Rouge in Paris
• A day tour of Loch Ness, Glencoe & the Highlands from Edinburgh
• A hot air balloon ride over Cappadocia, Turkey
• An ice cave tour and glacier hike in Iceland
• A catamaran cruise to see the great barrier reef in Australia
• A walking tour of all the Harry Potter locations in Edinburgh
• A full day snorkelling in the Surin Islands from Khao Lak, Thailand

For this giveaway, we’re giving you a $250 gift card for you to use on GetYourGuide! This card will be valid for 18 months, so you have plenty of time to use it.

You can also use it for more than one experience if you like – so you can either find a number of lower priced activities, or take one big adventure. It’s up to you!

The winner of the giveaway will receive one (1) $250 GetYourGuide digital gift card for use against any experience or combination of experiences up to a value of $250.

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 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 for the giveaway!

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 giveaways 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 one (1) gift card worth $250.

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 we will directly send the prize to the winner.

Note that 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 giveaway 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.

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 form to be eligible. Incomplete entries will not be considered.
8. Closing date for entry is December 28, 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 the 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 prize is as follows: 1 gift card for use on GetYourGuide with a value of $250.
11. The prize:
    1. is subject to availability
    2. has no cash value
    3. can only be claimed by the winner
    4. cannot be transferred to another person
12. 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.
13. No cash alternative to the prize will be offered. The prize is 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.
14. 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 fulfillment 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.
15. 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.
16. 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.
17. 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.
18. The promoters’ decision in respect of all matters to do with the giveaway will be final.
19. By entering this giveaway, an entrant is indicating his/her agreement to be bound by these terms and conditions.
20. 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.
21. Images included in the giveaway post may not depict the exact prize, and are for illustrative purposes only.
22. Residents of Canada will be required to answer a skill-testing question to claim their prize according to law.
23. Void where Prohibited

 

Giveaway #2: Vallerret Photography Gloves & Beanie

Brand/Manufacturer: Vallerret
Prize: Winner’s choice of any Vallerret Photography Gloves (excl. Alta Overmitt) + Vallerret Beanie
Retail Value: up to $136 USD
Giveaway Open to: Worldwide

This month’s second giveaway is all about keeping your hands warm with an awesome pair of photography gloves from Vallerret. This is a fantastic prize, and don’t worry if you’re not a photographer – the gloves will keep your hands warm anyway!

Cold weather photography is definitely not for the faint of heart. One of the main challenges we’ve found when shooting in winter conditions is keeping our hands warm when operating our camera equipment.

Obviously, we wear gloves, but most gloves aren’t designed to let us operate our camera equipment. So we either fumble around trying to press the right button, or we give up and take our gloves off. The result? Freezing cold hands!

Thankfully, Vallerret have come up with a solution. Their range of gloves is specifically designed for photographers, and they have a number of clever design features to enable dexterity whilst keeping fingers warm. Their gloves are designed for both men and women.

We own a pair of Vallerret Photography gloves, the Markhof Pro 2.0. This is one of the most popular gloves that Vallerret sells, and it features a lovely warm merino liner, thinsulate insulation, goat leather outer and a non slip grip. The really neat feature though is that the thumb and forefinger caps flip back, and are held in place by magnets.

So when you want to operate your camera, smartphone, or other equipment, you can quickly get your fingers in and out of the gloves without exposing the rest of your hand.

If you want something a bit warmer, you might consider Vallerret’s Ipsoot Photography gloves, which are designed for more extreme cold temperatures. You can see all the options on their website here.

On top of the gloves, we’re also giving away a Vallerret beanie, to help keep your head warm when you’re out shooting!

The winner of the giveaway will receive one (1) pair of Vallerret photography gloves and (1) Vallerret beanie hat. Winner can choose the style and color of the gloves (excluding the Alta Overmitt) and beanie, subject to availability.

Our thanks to Vallerret for providing the prize for this month’s giveaway.

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

If you’re already signed up you don’t need to sign up again and you can skip to the newsletter entry form. When 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 to confirm and activate your subscription.

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 the winner receiving their choice of any gloves on the Vallerret store (excluding Alta Overmitt) and a Vallerret Beanie.

The retail value of the giveaway is up to USD $136, depending on the specific style of gloves chosen.

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 details will be passed on to Vallerret for fulfilment. The prizes will be sent directly by Vallerret to the winner’s mailing address.

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.

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 form to be eligible. Incomplete entries will not be considered.
8. Closing date for entry is December 28, 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 their choice of any gloves on the Vallerret store (excluding Alta Overmitt) and a Vallerret Beanie.
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 fulfillment 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, mailing address, 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

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 our past giveaway winners:

November 2019

• Kiara G. of England, UK won an Ovcio Featherlight cashmere scarf worth $125
• Barbara C. of Idaho, USA won her choice of $200 worth of holiday gifts from our gift guide for travelers and gift guide for photographers.

October 2019

• Ian F. of England, UK won an AKASO V50 Elite action camera worth $140.
• Stephanie L. of California, USA, Heather S. of Ontario, Canada and Christopher S. of New York, USA won a Wanderchain and set of 10 engraved tokens from The Wander Club. A $67 value each. Jill T. of Pennsylvania also won a Wanderchain.
• Jarna P. of Finland won a Tinggly holiday gift card, a $119 value.

September 2019

• Linda K. of Michigan, USA won a 3-piece Happyluxe travel set. A $88 value.
• Catherine R. of Ontario, Canada won a pair of travel shoes of her choice. She chose a pair of Sorel Joan Explorer winter boots, a $150 value.

August 2019

• Cynthia R. of Arizona, USA won a $150 gift credit to use to book camping and glamping sites on Hipcamp.
• Kelly J. of New Zealand won her choice of a set of Shacke Pack packing cubes, a Vera Bradley travel pill case, and a Zoppen travel wallet.

July 2019

• Julie W. of Michigan, USA won a Vanguard VEO 2 GO 235CB carbon fiber tripod and a VEO GO 34M bag with a total value of USD $339.98. Philip B. of England, UK won a VEO 2 GO 204AB aluminum tripod with a value of USD $149.99. Megan K. of England UK, William B. of North Carolina, USA, and Robin S. of Ontario Canada each won a VESTA Mini Tripod with a value of USD $43.99 each.
• Rachael B. of Ohio, USA, won a RavPower Filehub Plus travel router with a value of USD $42.99.

June 2019

• Ashley S. of Florida, USA won a USD $150 voucher for ScotteVest travel clothing.
• Iain M. of Scotland, UK won a My Webspot Individual Edition WiFi Hotspot and a 20 day usage pass with a retail value of USD $299.

May 2019

• Gerri T. of Wales, UK was the first prize winner for the online travel photography course and Skylum Lumniar photo editing software, worth USD $168. Abbas K. of Turkey and Patsy B. of Canada also each won a free copy of the Skylum Luminar editing software.
• William T. of Georgia, USA who won a Pad & Quill TechFolio Pro Cord Organizer worth USD $140

April 2019

• Rotem A. of Israel, Cassandra C. of Missouri, USA, and Carolina R. of Argentina, each of whom won a day tour of their choice for 2 persons from Iceland Travel worth up to USD $700
• Sheila H. of England, UK who won a Melifluos travel wrap worth USD $32
• Carolyn  E. of England, UK who won a Happyluxe travel wrap worth USD $56
• David S. of Wisconsin, USA who won 3 custom vintage travel posters from Just Go Travel Studios worth USD $135

March 2019

• Delyna B. of Australia, who won a Rabbie’s Tour in the UK or Ireland worth up to USD $500
• Goretti R. of Catalonia, Spain, who won a Sony compact camera valued at USD $200

February 2019

• Becky P. from London, England, UK who won a tour from Travel Talk worth up to USD $1,200.

January 2019

• Anissa E. from Washington D.C., USA, who won a USD $200 voucher for use to buy a backpack on the Arcido store
• Anke K. from South Africa, who won a USD $200 voucher for any walking tour on the Take Walks website

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 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