Terms and Conditions/Official Rules
Thanks for entering Rick Steves' Europe Through the Back Door European Cities Getaway drawing. Here are the important details.
Whose promotion is this?
Rick Steves' Europe Through the Back Door (ETBD) — located at 130 Fourth Avenue North, Edmonds, WA USA — is running this drawing. By entering, you acknowledge and agree that these terms and conditions (including prizes and procedures) apply to your entry and that ETBD's decisions will be final and binding. If these terms and conditions undergo any revisions during the course of the drawing's promotion, changes will be published within these terms and conditions on ETBD's website at http://www.ricksteves.com/.
What could I win?
Each monthly prize includes: One (1) seat of your choice on a Rick Steves city tour of London, Paris, or Rome. The prize includes full-time services of a professional Rick Steves guide, all tours and admissions covering group sightseeing events identified in the specific itinerary, all group transportation during the week of the tour, six nights accommodations in a centrally-located hotel, all breakfasts and half your dinners, and other free stuff including books, moneybelt and earplugs. While on the tour, winner will be responsible for the costs of drinks, any additional meals, additional free-time sightseeing, and incidentals not included in the tour.
The tour must be booked within nine (9) months of being notified that you've won. The tour you select must depart before December 31, 2011 and dates of travel are subject to availability. The prize is valued at $1,995.00 ($1,795.00 for off-season departures) and this value is accurate at the start of this promotion but is subject to change dependent upon the date of booking. By accepting the prize, you will give us permission to use your name, likeness, and/or prize information, without limitations, for promotional and advertising purposes without further permission or compensation. In case of a dispute Washington law applies.
You will be responsible for all taxes, insurance and any other expenses, round-trip transportation to and from the selected city, ground transportation to and from the airports and hotel, all applicable passport, visa, and entry/exit fees, cost of single supplement fee if requesting a guaranteed single room, and any other fees and costs connected with the prize that are not included in the prize description.
Can I enter?
This drawing for a Rick Steves European City Tour is open to legal residents of the United States of America (excluding residents of Florida, New York, Rhode Island and Puerto Rico) who are at least 21 years old upon the date of entry. The laws in some places don't allow ETBD to run this promotion, in which case the promotion and these conditions of entry are void in those places. If you have an APO or FPO mailing address, you must identify your ZIP code of permanent residence. Also, you can't enter this promotion if you (or your immediate families or housemates) are employed by ETBD. NO PURCHASE OR PAYMENT OF ANY KIND IS NECESSARY TO ENTER OR WIN THE ETBD EUROPEAN CITIES GETAWAY DRAWING.
How do I enter?
To enter, go to http://www.ricksteves.com/ and follow the directions to subscribe to Rick Steves' Travel News e-newsletter. By entering you are consenting to being placed on an e-mail list for Rick Steves' Travel News e-newsletter and other ETBD e-mail promotions. You don't have to buy anything to enter. You can enter between 2 pm PST on February 1 and 11:59 pm PST on December 31, 2010. You can only enter once and you will be included in each monthly drawing remaining from the date you enter until the contest ends on December 31, 2010. Multiple entries by the same person using one or more e-mail accounts will not be accepted. No mechanically or electronically reproduced entries will be accepted. All entries must be submitted from a valid e-mail account which may be identified by reverse domain name search. Please use your own e-mail account: in the event of any dispute, we will designate the winner based on who owns the e-mail address accompanying the entry.
If your entry gets lost in cyberspace or doesn't arrive for any other reason, that's not our fault. Also, if there are compelling technical or administrative reasons which we cannot control, ETBD can cancel or modify the promotion. If a modification means that some entries become ineligible, ETBD may conduct the drawing from all eligible entries received.
How is the winner selected?
Each winner will be determined by a random monthly drawing of all eligible entries. Odds of winning depend on the number of eligible entries for each monthly drawing, and how many of the monthly drawings remain after a person enters. There will be eleven (11) monthly drawings as entries come in between February 1, 2010 and December 31, 2010. Estimated odds of winning each month's drawing are as follows: February 1:5,000; March 1:10,000; April 1:15,000; May 1:20,000; June 1:25,000; July 1:30,000; August 1:35,000; September 1:40,000; October 1:45,000; November 1:50,000; December 1:55,000. Winners will be selected at ETBD, 130 Fourth Avenue North, Edmonds, WA 98020 on the first business day of each month, beginning March 1, 2010, with the final drawing to be held on January 3, 2011. ETBD's decision is final and no correspondence will be entered into, even if you have some objection. No more than one prize will be awarded per e-mail or household address.
How will I find out whether I've won?
The lucky winner will be notified by e-mail and the monthly winner's name will be published on the ETBD website within two days after he or she replies to us in a manner that confirms the legitimacy of the entry.
ETBD will do its best to find each winner. But if we can't, or if the winner hasn't accepted the prize within two weeks of notification, a drawing will be conducted again and a new winner selected.
To see a list of winners, you may send us a stamped, self-addressed envelope by March 1, 2011, or you can request a list by sending an e-mail to contest@ricksteves.com and in the body of the e-mail type: Please e-mail me the winners' list for the "European Cities Getaway."
What happens if I'm very, very lucky and win?
The prize is yours and only yours. You must use it or lose it. You cannot exchange the prize for cash, sell or give it to another party, or have us award it to someone else. If for some reason ETBD cannot award your prize as described, another prize of comparable value will be substituted (but we will decide, at our sole discretion, what that will be).
In order to take the tour, you will be responsible for getting a valid passport and any other necessary personal travel documentation, including visas if required.
Before we can formally award you your prize, you will be required to sign an affidavit of eligibility along with a "release," which says that if anything goes wrong with your prize once it's been awarded, you agree that ETBD won't be responsible. You will also be required to comply with the same tour conditions and rules of conduct as paying tour members.
Within two weeks of notification that you are a winner, as a condition of collecting your winnings, the IRS requires that you provide a validly completed IRS Form W-9 to ETBD. Only winners must provide this information as a condition of collecting their prize. The IRS requires that any person who wins prizes worth $600 or more from ETBD receive an IRS Form 1099-MISC and that ETBD file a copy of the Form with the IRS. All federal, state and local taxes, and any other costs not specifically provided for in these terms and conditions are solely your responsibility.
Because the tour would be given to you as a prize, you will not qualify for Rick Steves' Tour Cancellation/Interruption coverage. You will not receive any financial compensation from ETBD in the event you cannot, for any reason, take or complete the tour. (Independent travel insurance to cover the cost of flights, medical issues, etc. would be your responsibility to arrange at your own expense.)
What happens to my entry?
ETBD will use the information contained in your entry only to conduct the drawing, award the prize, and to manage your free Rick Steves e-mail subscription. If you fail to win one of the drawings, we will not share any of your personal information with others. If you win a prize, ETBD reserves the right to use your name for future marketing purposes. You can view ETBD's privacy policy at http://www.ricksteves.com/about/copyandprivacy.htm. If you desire to no longer receive the Rick Steves' Travel News e-newsletter you may unsubscribe by visiting our Subscription Center at http://www.ricksteves.com/emailsubs/.
Good luck and happy travels!
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