I got some truly amazing responses to my contest in collaboration with National Car Rental. We asked for your Traveler Truth: the thing you consider most important to ensure a safe, fun, and productive trip. People were invited to enter through a comment on the blog or on Twitter, and I got a bunch of each. There were 33 Twitter entries and 157 comments, for a total of 190 entries. (Pro tip: This means a lot of you passed on getting a second entry chance through Twitter. Maybe you should follow @HackMyTrip? 
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In any case, the winner was #68.
Steve wrote in the comments section:
Research and planning pays off big time on a leisure trip – know which days to go where, what you want to see, and how you are going to get between locations. But, when you are there be flexible – don’t limit yourself to your predetermined schedule and be open to that one-off experience that really brings a place home for you.
I could not agree more. I always try to plan my trips in advance, but they’re not firm plans. I have two goals in mind. First, I want to know how to find my way around a foreign destination. That could mean some island paradise or a European city, but there are few things worse than getting off a long flight and not knowing where to go next. Second, I want to make sure my trip is fun and productive. You don’t have to be doing something every moment, but neither do you want to be sitting in the hotel room wondering, What next? Having a list at least means the brainstorming portion is already taken care of.
So congratulations, Steve! You’ve won a $400 luggage set and a $100 American Express gift card from National Car Rental. I’ll be forwarding your name and information to my contact there to make sure you get your prize.
For the rest of you, tune in later today for yet another contest opportunity… 
About Scott Mackenzie
