Win A Free Trip to Spain

Contributing Editor Carl Unger believes that every trip is worth taking. He loves an extended trip to Europe as much as he enjoys exploring the towns and landscape near home. Basically, you'll find him wherever there is good food, fresh air, and plenty of stories to bring home.

Carl has been writing for SmarterTravel since 2005. His travel writing has also appeared on USA Today and the About.com Boston travel guide.

The Handy Item I Always Pack: "It's not revolutionary, but a small Moleskine notebook is my one travel must-have. It's great for noting things you want to remember and it takes up hardly any space in your bag."

Ultimate Bucket List Experience: "Japan. I'd love to take a month off and visit the cities, temples, and countryside. I'm fascinated by the country's juxtaposition of ancient traditions and modern ambitions."

Travel Motto: “Why do you go away? So that you can come back. So that you can see the place you came from with new eyes and extra colors. And the people there see you differently, too. Coming back to where you started is not the same as never leaving.” –Terry Pratchett

Aisle, Window, or Middle Seat: "Window."

See recent posts by Carl Unger

Heads up: Fans of Tapas, Flamenco, and all things Spain have a few days left to enter the Institute of Tourism of Spain‘s “Best Feeling Ever” contest. The winner will receive a free weeklong trip to Spain for each of the next three years.

The contest seems pretty straightforward—you write a short note saying why you want to go, and then people on Facebook vote for your reason—but there are quite a few marginal ways to increase your chances of winning. You will be given daily tasks and questions, to be completed via Facebook or Twitter, and these add points to your total.

The contest is quite clearly aimed at boosting Spain’s social media profile. Contestants can earn extra points for putting an “I [heart] Spain” logo in their Twitter profile picture, or adding Spain-centric tags to their posts.

But the prize is undeniably pretty cool. The winner will go on three pre-planned trips, staying exclusively at paradores, which are usually restored castles or monastaries. The routes focus on three aspects and/or regions of Spain: The Mediterranean Coast, wine and monastaries (odd combination), and its cultural and historical past.

To enter the contest, click here.

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