Win a Free Trip Around the World for Your Family – No Joke!

Grand Canal at Night – Hangzhou, China

Calling all travel junkies. How does a free 30-day trip around the world sound? This is not some sort of scam, trust me. It’s a legitimate (and exciting) opportunity being offered by the Hangzhou Tourist Commission called “Global Tour 2015,” a contest which involves sending one U.S. family and one Chinese family, along with a media “storyteller” on the trip from July 24^th through August 22^nd.

The campaign was created to promote U.S. travel to a destination that is seeking to make its presence known on the global stage:  Hangzhou, China – a location renowned not only for its beauty, but also its blend of traditional and modern Chinese experiences. (Hangzhou is also China’s top launch pad for tech start-ups, and is home to e-commerce giant, Alibaba.)

The trip is being offered as the China National Tourism Administration seeks to promote “Beautiful China 2015 – Year of Silk Road Tourism.”

The HTC’s Global Tour 2015 will allow contest winners to trace the ancient Silk Road beginning in Hangzhou and traveling through Dunhuang, China; Mykonos, Greece; Santorini, Greece; Dubrovnik, Croatia; Venice, Italy; Geneva, Switzerland; Paris, France; Boston, Massachusetts (Hangzhou’s U.S. “sister city”); and finally ending in New York City.

Before setting off on the tour, the winning families and the media storyteller will spend several days in Hangzhou learning about its rich culture, history and lifestyle. The group will then travel west following the Silk Road.

Hangzhou is famous for its tea culture

Families interested in entering the contest for a global tour must visit http://globaltour2015.com, complete a questionnaire and submit a short video audition.

Members of the media and social media influencers interested in winning the “storyteller” position need to complete a 200-word written submission.

Family submissions will be put to a public, social media vote and then the winners will be selected by a panel of judges. June 11^th is the deadline for entering the contest – so don’t waste any time getting your application in! The winners will be announced June 18.

Long Bridge – Hangzhou, China