Every hostel bed you reserve on the ISE Card website in the month of April automatically enters you in a drawing for a FREE Britrail pass, Magic Adventure ticket or a travel pass on Baz Bus…

Hostels are a great way to stretch your travel dollars. You can stay in inexpensive, clean accommodations in great locations where you’ll meet other world travelers. The ISE Card hostel network will automatically waive the booking fee (normally $2 each) for over 20,000 hostels worldwide and you’ll be automatically entered into the drawing for free travel passes. Click here to book rooms and enter the drawing. Chances of winning depend on the number of entries received. Increase your chances by making multiple reservations!

So go ahead and make your summer travel plans now, and every reservation made during April will be entered into our contest and one lucky ISE cardholder will win their choice of:

• Britrail First Class Flexipass valid for 4 days of travel throughout Britain. The retail value is $489. This allows travel on the rail system in England, Wales and Scotland. Service is in First Class which includes meals and refreshments, depending on time of travel.
• 16 day “Magic Adventure” Pass around the North and South Islands of New Zealand - valued at NZ $975 - about US $670. Service is provide by Magic Bus and this is the website: http://www.magicbus.co.nz/main/Magic/index.cfm/parameters
• 21 day Travel Pass in South Africa on Baz Bus. Value: R 3,100 - (about US $429). This is a hop-on-hop off service that connects major tourist destinations and cities with stops at hostels, making it very convenient for backpackers because the bus will always drop them off and pick them up at reasonably priced accommodations where they can meet fellow travelers and from where they can explore the surrounding areas. http://www.bazbus.com/

The winner will be notified on May 5, and announced in the June TravelwISE newsletter. Must be an ISE Card holder to participate.

Technorati Tags: contest, international student card, ise card, student travel

Based on the votes from our readers, the grand prize winner is #2, Ho Ying Mui, a student at EF International Language School. She has won a free round-trip airline ticket within any continent!

The other two winners, who will each receive a $100 Amazon or iTunes gift card, are…

#3, Murilo Teldeschi, a student at Universidade Gama Filho in Brazil:

AND #6, Nicole Foster, a student at Central Arizona College in the United States:

Congratulations winners! Please contact us at contest@isecard.com to claim your prizes!

*Visitors might want to subscribe to our RSS feed to be notified of future contests.

Technorati Tags: contest, ise card, model, winners

How to Vote:

To vote, leave a comment that includes the number of the photo you are voting for. The number is listed below each photo. One vote per person.

Voting begins immediately and ends at 11:59pm MST on February 1^st 2010.

The Grand Prize winner and two finalists* will be announced on February 2nd 2010.

*Two more winners will be chosen by the ISE Cards staff.

Just a reminder that the Grand Prize winner will receive a free round-trip airline ticket within any continent and two other winners will each receive their choice of a $100 gift card to iTunes or Amazon.com.

#1	#2
#3	#4
#5	#6
#7	#8

Technorati Tags: contest, ise card, model

The grand prize is one round trip airline ticket within any content and two runner up prizes each worth US$100.

For information on how to enter, go to http://www.isecard.com/corporate/contest/index.html.

Hurry - you must enter by January 18, 2010.

Technorati Tags: airline ticket, contest, ise card

You can now have your digital photo printed on your ISE Card free of charge, a $4.95 value.

The standard ISE Card ($25) is designed so that once it is issued and sent to you, you can attach the photo to it yourself. For an additional fee, you may have your photo printed on your card in full color. However, for a limited time, we are offering this photo upgrade for FREE.

Enter FREEPHOTO2009 after placing the “Add Your Photo” option in your cart. Then just provide us with a JPEG headshot*, and we’ll do the rest.

Having the photo preprinted on your ISE Card makes using your card one step easier. Rather than receiving your card in the mail and having to attach the photo to the card yourself, you can save yourself a little time and hassle and the card is immediately ready to use. The option to add a digital photo is a great benefit for every cardholder so hurry and take advantage of this offer while it lasts!

Don’t forget, there is always free shipping worldwide on ISE Card orders.

*Once you order your card, you will receive instructions to upload proof of student status, as well as your photo.

Technorati Tags: ise card, photo

Technorati Tags: contest

A few years ago, I fell in love with a little town in Italy called Empoli, and in particular, a charming Bed and Breakfast, I Melograni. Charming is such an understatement, but you get the idea. Having just spent a couple of days in the dirty hustle and bustle of Rome, the Tuscan countryside was refreshing. We made our way there from Rome by taking a train to Florence, then a 25 minute train ride to Empoli. The train station there is tiny. You literally get off the train and walk into the station, and a few feet in front of you are the exit doors. My travel partner and I grabbed some pizza and caught a taxi just outside the station doors. The taxi driver didn’t speak English, which for me was a good sign. He excitedly tried to converse with us, so he could practice the little English he knew. The Bed & Breakfast is just a few minutes from the station, and the scenery of the drive was even more than I had hoped for.

We were welcomed at I Melograni by our wonderful hosts: Sue and Riccardo Melani. They were hands-down the most genuine and helpful hosts there could ever be. We spent the rest of the afternoon and evening walking around the vineyards, taking pictures, and enjoying the scenery from the patio. The next morning, we joined everyone in the quaint dining room, and Sue and Riccardo helped everyone plan their days over a wonderful breakfast. The location is perfect for taking day trips. The first day, we took a bus to Vinci and the next day, a train to Pisa, and finally spent a day wandering around the tiny town of Empoli. Then, it was sadly time to move on to our next destination. Still, five years after this sixteen day trip through Europe, it is the little town of Empoli that tempts me to return.

I recently contacted the owners of I Melograni and asked if they would offer a discount for ISE Cardholders. They graciously agreed. For more information on the special rates offered, and to see their website, click here. Sue also shared that they have expanded their property, including a large terrace for breakfast and more guest rooms added. Sounds like a perfect excuse for me to go back! If you don’t take my word for it, you can read their Trip Advisor reviews here.

Oh, they will also give free lifts to the train station after breakfast if you are without a car. If you find nicer hosts, let me know. I don’t think you will.

Technorati Tags: Discounts

I’ve decided to take one dream off the shelf and dust it off. For as long as I can remember, I have dreamed of spending some time in an orphanage somewhere in South America. I want to hold those babies and play with young kids, pack my luggage with kid toys and medicine, whatever they need. And to be honest, because of the nature of my work, I’d love to go with a group of young people who have the same passion. I can’t imagine anything more rewarding than this trip I have in my mind: the challenge of pushing myself beyond what is comfortable in order to make a difference and have a new experience. When I check that off my list (not if, but when), I wonder if I will want to move on to Ireland and sky diving, or if my dreams will change. I can’t wait to find out.

And now for the contest: I want to hear what your travel dreams are. Where do you want to go? Why? What will you do? What is keeping you from your dream? Leave a comment (by May 15th, 2009) and let me know. One winner will be selected randomly to receive a $100 Amazon gift card. One comment per person please.

Oh, and it might be helpful to subscribe to the RSS. You can do that here.

Technorati Tags: travel dreams

For more information, or to order your ISE Card, click here.

As you may know, last month there was a fire in the Channel Tunnel (”Chunnel”) involving a train carrying vehicles and other goods. Thankfully, there were no passenger trains in the tunnel at that time.

What you need to know if you will be using the Eurostar in the near future:

• Eurostar is currently operating at 93% capacity, meaning that some schedules have changed.
• Tickets issued before October 1, 2008 have the incorrect train number and/or travel times and will need to be re-issued.
• A manual check-in process is being enforced, and it is recommended that passengers arrive one hour prior to their departure time.
• The changes have resulted in slightly longer travel times. (2 hours 43 minutes from London-Paris, 2 hours 21 minutes from London-Brussels.)

More information can be found on the Eurostar website.

For more information or to book Eurostar tickets, go here.

Technorati Tags: eurostar, tickets, train travel