welcome dinner at Eat Sight Story
THE HAPPY TRIP MADE IT TO THE FIRST TAT NEWSROOM BLOGGER CAMPAIGN CONTEST
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As a Travel Blogger, I can say that 2016 worked well for me.
I won last February The Kerala Blog Express 3, a competition sponsored by the tourism board of Kerala, India. I was the only Filipino who made it in the competition and I was able to visit Kerala for 2 weeks – all expense paid. Kerala Blog Express was very memorable to me. Meeting other 29 bloggers from other 27 countries and forming new friendships are just a few of the reasons why I like the trip so much. Of course, how can I forget how I was pampered along with other bloggers by the organizers during the trip? Making me stay in 5-star hotels and resorts in several destinations around Kerala; tasting authentic Indian cuisines and meeting beautiful people along the way are just some of the perks that any travel blogger will surely love.
After my India trip, some sponsored I opted to postpone another Asian Trip because I was given more loads in the college where I am teaching. This is apart from the usual teaching load which I used to do at the graduate school of the same school. Instead, I made a couple of local tiresome sponsored local familiarization trips. Maybe one thing, which made me not missing traveling that much is due to the nature of my profession of being a consultant/trainer apart from being a blogger and an educator. As a trainer, I got some invitations in other provinces which made me travel for free.
my story for TAT Competition
But traveling without any business agenda is still quite different and more pleasurable of course. So a vacation or a leisure travel has never left my mind. Then a new opportunity came, the bloggers’ competition sponsored by the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT).
The TAT Competition was divided into two categories: Story Blog and Photo Blog. Three winners were chosen from each category. At the competition, a blogger must send a story of their Thailand experiences or photographs about Thailand Any contestant can have 5 entries for each category provided they are submitted within the given deadline and comply with all terms and conditions. I only submitted one story entry and fortunately, it passed their requirements standards. After the screening process, our entries were up for voting. I entered a bit late in the competition and found out that some contestant has already 1 to 2 thousand votes to their entries. So I decided to submit also 3 photographs for the photo blog category because I noticed that contestants were not as aggressive as compared to the story blog contenders. Unfortunately, all my entries were disapproved. So I have no choice, but to work my way to winning in the story blog category.
enjoying the reception dinner
The competition was tough, but the thanks to God I made it. I placed second to Pen Drageon of Malaysia who turned out to be a very good friend during the familiarization trip
I was really fascinated by the support I received from various places around the globe. The voting ended last August 10 and I was able to garner total votes of 16,504.
As promised to my dear supporters and readers, I will be writing my experiences in Thailand for TAT Newsroom Blogger Familiarization Trip. So please bookmark this page, as I unfold the beautiful spots and places we’ve visited in Bangkok, Chiang Rai, and Chiang Mai.
Meanwhile, let me share with you the itinerary and descriptions of our trip. – TAT Newsroom Blogger Campaign Familiarisation Trip
Why will you follow this trip?
The Photographs below are just a few samples of the stories which I will be sharing with you about Bangkok, Chiang Rai, and Chiang Mai.
Wat Arun, Bangkok
Mae Fah Luang Garden, Chiang Rai
Baan Dam Museum, Chiang Rai
scenic view around Singha Park
Wat Rong Khun, White Temple in Chiang Rai
enjoying the local go-karts at Doi Mon Chaem, Chiang Mai
Queen Sirikit Botanical Garden
we enjoyed the food, nice company of friends and the panoramic view at Phu Phirom Restaurant, Chiang Rai
lovely Thai dishes
Disclaimer: all photographs in this post were taken by TAT Newsroom
I want to visit Thailand. I’d love to go on a trip like this!!
Wow, you are so lucky to have this paid trip! Congrats and hope that your will influence will continue.
Wow, congratulations! You truly deserved it! You are so lucky to be part of this event.
What an amazing opportunity is this! I think it’s awesome that you were able to be a part of this!
Congrats on the wins on Kerala and TAT. You deserve it. Aside from the experience, you also get to expand your network.