Spending to claim your winning hols

AubreyMac

For those of you who have been lucky enough to have won a holiday or break (my dream win) did it require you to spend a lot of money?

In July I won a set of pans and a place at the river cottage cooking course. Fab win to date but to do the course I spent over £200 for a nights b&b, dinner, travel and taxi to/from the river cottage school.

In hindsight, I probably wouldn't have done the course as what I spent to claim it, I probably could have just brought the pan set myself.

I understand most holiday wins you are probably expected to pay for your own insurance and getting to/from airport and hotel along with spending money and eating.

Yes, it's still cheaper than paying for your own holiday but if you hadn't won it you wouldn't be spending the money anyway.

gholmes724

This is why I do not enter comps for holidays, travel, tickets etc unless they are a short bus ride from where I live.

sax11

i will only enter holiday comps that include flights & excursions, are all inclusive or include all travel

infact i dont enter many as i would need spending money and thats hard enough to come by anyway

AubreyMac

Lesson learnt.

I only enter hols that include travel and accomodation at least, and that fly from my city.

I'm also reluctant to enter hols where they provide you with a hire car, I can just about drive in the UK nevermind somewhere else.

gholmes724

Given my experience of what can go wrong when you win things I dislike the idea of being a considerable distance from home with something going very wrong.

AubreyMac

gholmes724 wrote: »

Given my experience of what can go wrong when you win things I dislike the idea of being a considerable distance from home with something going very wrong.

Oh dear, would you care to share?

I don't understand these hols where it's far away yet the prize is only for 2 nights! That just wouldn't be worth my time to be honest.

Maybe I should just concentrate on winning some cash or anything I could sell on then spend the money on a hol instead!

CheCazzo

I don't understand these hols where it's far away yet the prize is only for 2 nights! That just wouldn't be worth my time to be honest.

Exactly this! I'm forever seeing comps advertising (usually) a high end spa in a listed building with fabulous grounds and a Michelin chef etc etc - it's always at the other end of the country from where you are and it's always for ONE NIGHT!! Crazy - like I'm going to travel to Loch Lomond for a dunk in a cold pool, a coffee enema :rotfl::rotfl: and a rub down with some sandpaper for the pleasure of one miserable night in their lovely building! I think not. Not, of course, that I've ever had the opportunity to turn down such an offer :rotfl:

Blue66

I was very fortunate to win a 2 night trip to Barcelona for 4 people last Summer. It included flights, transfers, a meal, winery visit and spending money. I only enter if the flights, hotel and spending money is include otherwise I could not afford to go. We had a truly great time but due to my own personal criteria it limits the amount of competition for holidays/breaks that I actually enter.

surfboard2

Guess it depends on what one defines as a lot of money...

I wouldn't have spent any for such a win as you described (probably wouldn't have entered,) but that's only because it's not of my interests.

When we won a trip to Oz, which included far too many things to name, we still spent some of our own money which some may think is a lot, but for us it was the usual amount of spending money we take away when on holiday - we did bring quite a bit back though!

proudmomma

My hubby won a trip to NYC a couple of years ago. It was for 3 nights and we added 2 on as didn't want to feel rushed to see everything, so that cost us the hotel for 2 more nights but was totally worth every penny.

However, when we did get out there and checked in to the hotel, the company who he won the trip from had not paid for the hotel, they also had the money from us for the extension, so my hubby had to give his credit card which we knew would be charged at the end of our stay (and it was quite a sum of money). After a very stressful couple of hours phoning the company in the UK, they sorted payment out for us, so no harm done - but I did end up with a few more grey hairs after that!

We had an amazing time on a trip that we could never have afforded in full ourselves - so spending some of our own cash was worth it.

elsien

I won £300 of hotel vouchers. Which I could have spent in this country, but chose to use abroad. So it cost me flights, meals,hotel taxes and all spends while there. But it was somwhere I'd always wanted to go and the hotel being free made it more affordable. So worth it for me.
When I see one or two night breaks in this country I always google to see how feasible it is for me to get there before entering.