Did you plan to run with the bulls but ended up running to the hospital instead? Did your hotel accommodations come with surprise roommates? Did your luggage decide it needed a better vacation and flew to another continent?
Travel insurance provider Travel Guard has heard almost every conceivable travel mishap – from ocean‑view rooms that actually face a dumpster to romantic gondola rides that end with a full‑body canal dip. This fall, they’re bringing back their annual contest to recognize the traveller with the absolute worst luck.
The World’s Unluckiest Traveler promotion is open for contest entries from until Oct. 5. Residents of the U.S. and Canada can submit either a video or photo, along with the accompanying story describing their epic travel nightmare. Next, judges from Travel Guard will select eight finalists, which will be announced on the contest website on Oct. 26. Those final entries will then go up for a public vote until Nov. 9, 2026. Finalists can share their submissions across social media to encourage votes.
Four winners from the eight selected finalists will be determined based on vote volume, with the grand prize of $10,000 going to the submission with the highest number of votes. The finalists that receive the second, third and fourth highest number of votes will also be awarded prizes. There’s even something in it for the voters, as a randomly selected voter will be chosen to receive a sweepstakes prize of a GoPro® action camera and kit2.
“Travel Guard knows that even the best-planned vacations can quickly unravel,” said Rhonda Sloan, CMO, North America at Zurich Cover-More. “We created the World’s Unluckiest Traveler contest to recognize those who have endured the worst in pursuit of their love of travel and to highlight the sort of misfortunes that show just how valuable a travel insurance plan can be.”
For contest rules, visit www.worldsunluckiesttraveler.com.
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