Winning a Holiday - The Real Costs.

Most people would love to win a holiday. Especially when money is tight, it seems like a great option for taking that much wanted break without having to spend a fortune. Unfortunately, there are some considerations that people fail to think about before they jump in and enter holiday competitions.

is not always as carefree as it may seem. There are several costs involved that may not always be included in holiday wins. These could include, car hire, taxes, accomodation, spending money, flights, transfers, passports… and the list goes on.

So what steps should you take before entering a holiday competition?

SIMPLE ——-> Read the terms and conditions before you enter!!!! and ONLY enter if you can fulfill all requirements for entry, allowable holiday dates, and extra expenses!!

Here is a quick reference check list of most things you need to consider before submitting your holiday competition entry:

• Date of travel - Are you available to travel on the dates specified within the terms and conditions? These dates are often not flexible so if you can’t, you will need to forfeit the prize, so it’s best to leave this one to someone who can use the prize if they win.
• Flights - Another major consideration, and believe it or not, many holiday prizes don’t include flights to the destination. This is fine of course as long as you live close, but if the destination is some way away, make sure you can afford flights before you enter. Again, this will mostly be non negotiable and the prize will need to be forfeited if you can’t get there!
• Taxes - Even if flights are included in a prize, there are often other fees and taxes which will not be. This especially comes into play if the holiday you win includes an overseas destination. If an entire family is travelling, fees and taxes could be over a thousand dollars, so it pays to consider this and do a bit of research before you enter.
• Hotel transfers - Ok, so flights are included, so is accommodation but how do you get to your hotel once you land? Some competitions include transfers as part of the prize, in fact I’m sure most international ones do, but it always pays to read the terms and conditions.

I know in one prize I won to Melbourne, although transfers were included, it was such short notice they couldn’t get the tickets to us in time, so we had to pay to get to the hotel. That was a $50 taxi fare!! They did offer to reimburse us, but we never bothered as we had such an amazing time it was worth it!

• Passports - Simple - Some terms and conditions will state that you must have a passport to ENTER a competition. If you’re entering a competition that includes international destinations be sure you have your passport ready to go or can get one in time. Make a note regarding any terms stating you need one to enter, because even if you could get your passport before the flights, if the promotions company realises you entered without a passport when they state you need one, you could lose your prize!
• Car Hire - SO you’ve arrived at your amazing holiday destination, but how will you get around while you are there? If you’ve flown in, then chances are the prize may not include car hire. It pays to know this up front and organise transport options well in advance. If there isn’t much public transport available car hire may be the only way to go, so be sure you can afford it!
• Accomodation - So most holiday competitions will include accomodation, but it may be limited in some way. As we have a family of 5 this always has to be a consideration before entering holiday competitons. Also you need to consider the cost if accommodation isn’t included or the cost of upgrading for extra people. Make sure you can afford this BEFORE you enter.
• General Spending Money - This one is self explanatory, but you want to be sure you can cover the general costs of food, entertainment and anything else that isn’t covered in your holiday win.

So there you have it, there are probably many more considerations that need to be made before entering holiday competitions, but the truth is, as restrictive as it may sound to take all these things into account, it is worth taking the time to do this before you receive a call you’ve won a holiday that you can’t take. Or worse you attempt to take it and the financial strain ruins the entire experience.

Once you’ve entered a few holiday competitions, you tend to skim the terms and conditions and check these things by second nature anyway, so dream away, have fun and enjoy your holiday wins