HomeAway® – the world’s leading online vacation rental marketplace – today invites people to join together to “save our summer vacation.” In fact, HomeAway is launching a national movement to help consumers relax and unwind during these troubled times.
As part of the movement to save summer vacations, HomeAway has created the website http://blog.homeaway.com and is asking consumers to sign a petition requesting Congress to proclaim a “National Vacation Day” on August 7, 2009.
“In stressful times, vacations help bring families together and let people recharge, getting them ready to return to work or school with a renewed attitude,” said Eileen Ogintz, family travel expert and author of the syndicated column “Taking the Kids.” “While several recent surveys have shown that families are putting off vacations in light of the economy and rising gas prices, there are actually many ways to cut costs – but not corners – and still stick to an affordable travel budget. For example, vacation rentals through sites like HomeAway.com allow you to rent a whole home for less than the cost of a hotel, and they come with added perks like full kitchens that allow you to dine in and save even more money.”
Searching for the Person Who’s Most in Need of a Summer Vacation
In addition to campaigning for a National Vacation Day, HomeAway is searching for the person in the United States and Canada who is most deserving of a week-long summer vacation.
Whether they’re stressed out, tired of hearing about the gloomy economy, or simply haven’t taken a vacation in years, HomeAway is giving them the opportunity to share their story for the chance to win
a $10,000 vacation getaway. Two runners-up each will receive a $5,000 trip.
“At HomeAway we believe now more than ever people deserve to take a break from work and stress and enjoy a relaxing vacation with their families and friends – without busting their budget,” said Brian
Sharples, chief executive officer of HomeAway.
As part of the contest, consumers can submit a short text, video or photo entry at http://blog.homeaway.com, explaining why they deserve to have their summer vacation saved by HomeAway. The entry period runs today through July 2, 2009, at which time the general public has the chance to vote for the person they believe is most in need of a vacation. The voting period ends July 16, 2009, when an expert panel of judges will select the winner from the top 15 vote-getters based on creativity, originality and effectiveness at expressing their need for a vacation. Judges include Stacy DeBroff, CEO of Mom Central, a one-stop web resource dedicated to providing busy moms with smart household and parenting solutions; Eileen Ogintz and Brian Sharples. Winners will be announced on or around July 28, 2009.
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