2025 Tour Scrapbook Contest Terms & Conditions
Whose promotion is this?
Rick Steves' Europe, Inc. (RSE) — located at 130 Fourth Avenue North, Edmonds, WA USA — is running this contest. By entering, you acknowledge and agree that these terms and conditions (including prizes and procedures) apply to your entry and that RSE's decisions will be final and binding. If these terms and conditions undergo any revisions during the course of the contest's promotion, changes will be published within these terms and conditions on RSE's website at www.ricksteves.com.
When will the promotion take place?
This promotion will take place beginning on November 25, 2025 and ending at 11:59pm (Pacific Time) on Thursday, February 26, 2026.
What could I win?
First Place Prize: Free Rick Steves tour (one seat on an 8–21 day tour, or two seats on a 7-day tour)! The First Place 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 to 20 nights' accommodations (depending on selected tour) in a centrally located hotel, all breakfasts and half your dinners, and other free stuff including a guidebook, moneybelt, and earplugs. While on the tour, the 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 twelve (12) months of being notified that you've won, and tour booking and attendance are subject to the acceptance of the Rick Steves' Europe Tour Conditions and all other required policies. The tour you select must depart before December 31, 2027, and dates of travel are subject to availability. The booking is not eligible for any RSE discounts. The First Place Prize is valued at a maximum of $6,695.00 or minimum of $2,995.00 and this value is accurate at the start of this promotion but is subject to change dependent upon the date of booking.
You will be responsible for all taxes, insurance and any other expenses, transportation to and from the selected tour, 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.
Second Place Prize: $500 gift card, good toward a Rick Steves tour or purchases from our online Travel Store! Maximum value of $500.
Third Place Prize: $250 gift card, good toward a Rick Steves tour or purchases from our online Travel Store! Maximum value of $250.
Fourth Place Prize: $100 gift card, good toward a Rick Steves tour or purchases from our online Travel Store! Maximum value of $100.
Any and all taxes associated with the Second, Third, and Fourth Place Prizes will be the responsibility of the winners. RSE will not be responsible for any delays, damage in the delivery of any Prize, and/or loss of any Prize in connection with delivery of the prize via mail.
Can I enter?
The contest 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 RSE 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 US ZIP code of permanent residence. Also, you can't enter this contest if you (or your immediate families or housemates) are employed by RSE. NO PURCHASE OR PAYMENT OF ANY KIND IS NECESSARY TO ENTER OR WIN THIS CONTEST.
How do I enter?
Complete the online entry form with all requested information, including a link to your created Tour Scrapbook, by 11:59pm (Pacific Time) on Thursday, February 26, 2026. All fields in the entry form must be completed, and all information must be verifiable with official documentation. RSE has full discretion to determine the validity and qualification of submitted verification documentation. All entry registrations must be submitted with a valid email account, owned by the person submitting the entry.
If your entry gets lost in cyberspace or doesn't arrive for any other reason, that's not our fault. If there are compelling technical or administrative reasons which we cannot control, RSE can cancel or modify the contest. If a modification means that some entries become ineligible, RSE may proceed with all eligible entries received.
By entering the contest, you certify that you created the submitted Tour Scrapbook; took the photos in your Tour Scrapbook yourself, without the assistance of others; that you had the consent of the subjects of the photos to take the photos and to provide them to Rick Steves for the purposes described in this Release; that you own all rights to the photos; and that you have the legal right to enter into this Tour Scrapbook Agreement.
How are the winners selected?
The winners of the Prizes will be determined by a review and judging of all eligible entries received by members of the RSE staff. Winning scrapbooks have fun photos of people and places, appealing graphics, and easy-to-follow navigation. They also have pages and images that load quickly. Write with enthusiasm! Include some humor. Be informative but not long-winded. Odds of winning depend on the number of eligible entries received. Estimated odds of winning are 1:16.
RSE'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 household address.
How will I find out whether I've won?
The winners will be notified in person, by email or phone.
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 RSE 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).
Before we can formally award the First Place 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 RSE won't be responsible. If applicable, you will also be required to agree to and comply with the same tour conditions and rules of conduct as paying tour members.
If applicable, within one week of notification that you are a First Place Prize winner, as a condition of collecting your winnings, the IRS requires that you provide a validly completed IRS Form W-9 to RSE. Only the First Place Prize winner 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 RSE receive an IRS Form 1099-MISC and that RSE 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.
If you win the First Place Prize, 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. You will also be responsible for researching and properly meeting any travel and entry requirements in place at the time of the tour's departure. Additionally, because the tour would be given to you as a Prize, you will not receive any financial compensation from RSE 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?
By entering the contest and/or accepting a 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.
Additionally, you grant RSE (along with its related entities, successors, and assigns) a free, worldwide right to use your Tour Scrapbook (including photos), in whole or in part, in any way we choose. This includes the right to share it on the RSE website, and use it for any other promotional purposes.
Whenever your Tour Scrapbook or a photo from your Tour Scrapbook is used by RSE, RSE will credit you as the creator/photographer. You retain rights to your photos. These Terms will be interpreted in accordance with the laws of the State of Washington, exclusive of its conflicts laws; and you agree that the sole jurisdiction for resolving any disputes relating to it lie in superior court in Snohomish County, Washington.
Except as described above, RSE will use the contact information contained in your entry form only to conduct the contest and award the Prizes. You can find out more about RSE's Privacy Policy.
Good luck and happy travels!