Giveaway #1: Context Travel Gift Card (Open Worldwide)

Brand/Manufacturer: Context Travel
Prize: A gift card good that can be used for any Context Travel courses or seminars
Retail Value: USD $120
Giveaway Open to: Worldwide

Our first giveaway this month is for a virtual travel related seminar or workshop with one of our favourite small group walking tour companies, Context Travel.

We don’t know about you, but we’ve been missing travel quite a bit over the last few months! Laurence even wrote a whole guide to how to travel from home, which is filled with tips and ideas for sating your wanderlust without leaving the house.

One option we recommend is to take some sort of virtual tour, course, or seminar. Many of our favourite walking tour companies launched these in 2020, with Context Travel being one of them.

We’ve taken a number of real-world Context tours, and have always appreciated the very small groups and depth of expertise that the docents have.

Obviously, right now taking an in-person tour isn’t possible in most parts of the world due to the ongoing travel restrictions. However, the good news is that Context Travel are offering a series of seminars and courses as a virtual experience. And this month we wanted to give you the opportunity to take one or more of these experiences yourself!

The talks and courses range from 1 hour talks to longer series of 8 lectures lasting 12 hours or more. The subjects and topics vary depending on the date, with an ongoing calendar of fun and interesting options to choose from. They also include cooking and cocktail making focused seminars. New ones are added weekly.

Some examples of upcoming seminars and courses in the month of March include:

• A tour of some of the Outlander filming locations in Scotland
• A guide to Ca’Rezzonico, one of Venice’s most sumptuous palaces
• Hawaiian cooking class focused on making poke bowls
• A tour of Stockholm’s UNESCO world heritage listed sites
• A guide to the Alhambra and the Nasrids of Granada
• A congee cooking class focused on making this popular Asian comfort food
• A 3-part course on the opening of Japan to the Western world
• A 3-part course exploring the Dutch Golden Age, focusing on trade, slavery, & art
• A 3-part course on the history of ancient Roman technology and innovation

Naturally, there are many more options to choose from! You can see the full list of scheduled seminars here and the full list of scheduled courses here.

Also, for anyone booking their first course or seminar with Context Travel, you can use the discount code travelcats at checkout to get 15% off your first order! 

The winner of this giveaway will be able to spend the $120 on any of the available seminars and courses available on the Context Travel website. The gift card will be valid for 12 months upon receipt.

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!

This giveaway is now closed

Winners will be randomly drawn with the winner receiving the prize as described above.

The retail value of the giveaway is USD $120.

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. Prize items will be e-mailed directly to the winner from us.

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 February 27th, 2021 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: 1x Gift Card for use towards any course or seminar on the Context Travel website, with a total retail value of USD $120
11. Any tax liability, including import taxes and duties due to international shipping, is the responsibility of the prize winner
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 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.
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. The 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, mailing address, 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.
23. Void where Prohibited

Giveaway #2: Travel Books (UK & Ireland only)

Brand/Manufacturer: Various
Prize: A selection of travel-themed books
Retail Value: approximately GBP £50
Giveaway Open to: UK, Ireland, Channel Islands & Isle of Man

Continuing our theme of traveling from home—what better way to travel virtually than through the pages of a book? Over the last few months we’ve been devouring a lot of books, many of which have a travel theme. In this giveaway we wanted to give some of these books away so you can go on a journey too!

So we are giving away a pile of our used books we have been reading over the past year. Our bookshelf has more books than it can handle and we’d love to give these books a second home.

The topics and subject matter of the books are varied, and will transport you to a variety of destinations and time periods. Destinations include the Inca Trail, the American West, Britain, the Silk Roads, Iceland, Patagonia, and Africa. There are both nonfiction and fiction books, although most are nonfiction.

Note that these books are all used books that we have read. Some were purchased used, some were purchased new, and some were given to us. The conditions of the books range from “like new” to “good”.

We think there’s something in this list to cover most interests, from amusing travelogues to intriguing mysteries to travel classics. For those who enjoy Bill Bryson (an American travel writer living in the UK), we have several of his books in the list!

Here is the full list of book titles:

• Love, Life and Elephants: An African Love Story by Daphne Sheldrick
• Stamboul Train by Graham Greene
• The Silk Roads: A New History of the World by Peter Frankopan
• The Road to Little Dribbling: More Notes from a Small Island by Bill Bryson
• In Patagonia by Bruce Chatwin
• Along the Inca Road: A Woman’s Journey Into an Ancient Empire by Karin Muller
• A Lady’s Life in the Rocky Mountains by Isabella Bird
• One Summer: America 1927 by Bill Bryson
• Neither Here Nor There: Travels in Europe by Bill Bryson
• Who is Mr. Satoshi? by Jonathan Lee
• Nice Work (If you Can Get it) by Celia Imrie
• At Home: A Short History of Private Life by Bill Bryson
• Elves in Iceland (photo book) by Denni Karlsson
• The Great Railway Bazaar by Paul Theroux
• The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid by Bill Bryson
• Memphis: Birthplace of Rock and Roll by Robert Dye
• Ten Years A Nomad by Matthew Kepnes
• Castles and Kings: A Pictorial Tribute (trains)

The winner of this giveaway can choose any of the 18 books on this list and as many as they wish. To avoid sending unwanted books, we will just send those books of interest to the winner. If there are a lot of books leftover, we may offer those books to a second winner.

As you can see, there’s lots to choose from, and we hope you enjoy reading them as much as we did!

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!

This giveaway is now closed

Winners will be randomly drawn with the winner receiving the prize as described above.

The retail value of the giveaway is approximately GBP £50.

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. We will then ship the prizes directly to the winner’s 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 February 27th, 2021 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: A selection of pre-loved travel books from the list in this blog post. Approximate prize value is GBP £50.
11. Any tax liability, including import taxes and duties due to international shipping, is the responsibility of the prize winner
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 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.
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. The 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, mailing address, 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. 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:

January 2021:

• Kim C. of Ohio, USA was the winner of the Standard Luggage Travel Backpack giveaway, worth $228.
• Brooke P. of Spain was the winner of our tech travel bundle giveaway, worth approximately $117

December 2020:

• Michelle P. of Minnesota, USA was the winner of the Travel Gifts made in USA giveaway worth $262

November 2020:

• Louise H. of England, UK won a box full of travel-related gifts made in the UK worth $195
• Bianca P. of North Carolina, USA won $100 worth of PortaPocket travel gear
• Wendy S. of England, UK won £100 of ASDA Photos credit for photo printing and photo gifts

October 2020

• Stephan G. of California, USA won a copy of our travel photography course worth $129 USD

September 2020

• Charlotte T. of Alberta, Canada won a $125 USD voucher good towards any products on the Koy Gear online store
• Sarah D. of Belgium won a France mystery box filled with hand-selected French treats and gifts, worth over $150 USD.

August 2020

• Skye T of South Dakota, USA won an AKASO Brave 7 LE Action Camera, worth $142.99 USD
• Samantha W. of England, UK won a $150 Civitatis voucher to use on any ticket, tour, or activity of her choice

July 2020

• Julie D. of England won a 2-night stay in a 4-star hotel in Bali, Indonesia, plus 2 guided tours with ForeverVacation. The prize was worth around $500 USD

June 2020

• Will E. of Rhode Island, USA won a 3-year NordVPN VPN subscription with a total retail value of $125.00

May 2020

• Rae H. of England, UK won a watch, cuff links, leather cord organizer, a travel coffee mug, a travel photography course, & several other travel gifts with a total retail value of $534.85
• Pamela S. of New York, USA won her choice of travel inspired home decor items from Etsy, worth $125

April 2020

• Joyce W. of Wales, UK won a Kameleon Rose Ultimate Travel Dress and 5 Way Cardigan, worth GBP £146
• Nick B. of Italy, Wayne K. of South Africa, and Kandy K-L. of Michigan, USA won a copy of Skylum Luminar 4 photo editing software worth USD $89 each
• Susan C. of Ohio, USA who won a travel coffee maker of her choice, worth up to USD $100

March 2020

• Anthea H. of England, UK who won a cashmere scarf, jewelry, and travel gifts with a value of over $500
• Kate W. of Ontario, Canada who won a USD $200 voucher for any walking tour on the Take Walks website

February 2020

• Scott F. of England, UK won two 2-day Paris Passes, worth 260 euros
• Regina R. of Portugal, won a copy of our travel photography course worth 129 euros

January 2020

• Ricky J. of North Carolina, USA won two framed prints of our photos, worth $125
• Jodie R. of Australia won a Tropicfeel bundle including 1 pair of Canyon shoes, 1 pair of Havasu flip flops, 1 Cruiser backpack, and 1 reusable Shopper bag, with a value of $166

December 2019

• Janni N of Denmark won a pair of Vallerret Photography gloves and Beanie, with a retail value of $136
• Louis D. of Illinois, USA won a GetYourGuide gift card worth $250

November 2019

• Kiara G of England, UK won an Ovcio Featherlight cashmere scarf worth $125
• Barbara C of Idaho, USA won her choice of gifts worth up to $200 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 of choice.
• 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 $198. 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 $129
• 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