Comping Tips: How To Win A Holiday
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Are you dreaming of sun-drenched beaches and the sound of the ocean? Or maybe taking in the sights and sounds of a new city? If your budget is tight then you may be wondering if there are ways to get a holiday for free. If you’ve ever thought about attempting to win a holiday then this is the post for you!
The last year has been tough for everyone, especially those who love to travel. We can all agree that most of us are in need of a holiday. However, the last year has also been tough on a lot of peoples finances.
Entering lots of competitions in an attempt to win a holiday could be a brilliant idea. After all, someone has to win, right?
How To Win A Holiday: Getting Started
Before you get started trying to win a holiday, there are a few things you might want to do. Setting up a dedicated comping email address will help stop competitions emails get mixed up with your everyday emails (you’ll be signing up for a lot of newsletters!).
You may also want to set up a dedicated comping Twitter account. Some people seem to think this can stop you from winning prizes but the majority of my comping wins have been from Twitter comps.
While it might be tempting to set up separate Facebook accounts so you don’t annoy your mates with all your competition shares while trying to win a holiday, it’s actually against Facebook Terms and Conditions to have more than one personal profile (it’s also against their Ts&Cs for page likes or share to be a method of entry for competitions but that’s another story!)
When entering competitions to win a holiday you may also want to check the terms and conditions. It would be frustrating to win a holiday and then not be able to go due to, for example, only being able to take the holiday in term time or it only being for four people when you’re a family of five.
While some companies may be able to accommodate you, such as paying for an extra person to go, some may not so it’s always worth giving Ts&Cs a thorough read through before entering.
How To Find Holiday Competitions
Once you start comping, it’s likely you’ll see competitions everywhere, in part because social media algorithms tend to show us more of the stuff we are engaging with. But, social media isn’t the only place to find competitions. They can be anywhere, from on your local radio stations to online forums such as Money Saving Experts comping boards.
Here are few places I like to find holiday competitions:
Twitter – I love comping on Twitter because it’s so easy. Usually, a retweet, follow and comment takes seconds to do. I’ve had some of my best wins on Twitter (albeit no holidays yet!) but I have had a box of lush goodies, books, restaurant vouchers and a biscuit hamper. Search the hashtags #comp #competition #win #winitwednesday.
You’ll also find once you start comping on Twitter you’ll find other compers to follow and tag in competitions where needed.
Facebook Groups – Dedicated comping Facebook groups are great as everyone pitches in and post various competitions they’ve found around the web. I’m in one group specifically for those based in the Southwest and there are loads of holiday competitions in there, usually for two or three night stays in small, coastal hotels.
Forums – There are lots of online forums where competitions are posted, such as Loquax.
Social Media – You may find lots of competitions naturally pop up in your social media feeds, from brands you already follow to one being shared by friends and family.
O2 App – If your phone contract is with O2 they run lots of competitions in the Priority Moments app. I’ve been lucky enough to win an England Rugby Shirt and a £100 shopping voucher. Many of their competition of for holidays and mini-breaks.
How To Increase Your Chances of Winning A Holiday
Of course, many holiday competitions will have thousands, if not hundreds of thousands of entries. So how do you go about beating the odds to win a holiday?
First of all, keep an eye out for local competitions. When there’s a smaller radius people can enter from, there are likely to be fewer entrants. Some competitions I’ve seen recently ask for your postcode so the promoter knows you’re local to the area.
Competitions that require a bit of effort tend to have fewer entrants too. While most people are happy to like a Facebook page or retweet a tweet, fewer people will be willing to write a poem, send in a photograph or take a picture of themselves holding up a sign or slogan. This should give you a much higher chance of winning overall.
Different Types of Holiday Competitions
While we often think of a holiday as being a week away in the sunshine, it’s worth remembering there are loads of different types of holiday you could try to win.
- Weekends away in a caravan or private holiday rental.
- Trips to theme parks (often these include an overnight stay)
- Adventure holidays which include things like hiking and Kayaking.
- City breaks.
Avoid Scam Competitions
Scam competitions are most commonly seen on Facebook and more often than not involve winning a holiday, holiday home or camper van.
Most of these pages are usually set up with the sole intention of getting hundreds of likes in a short space of time so the page can then be sold on and rebranded to something new. While this is completely against Facebook’s terms and conditions it does happen a lot.
On other occasions, you’ll be told you need to sign up to enter the competition. This is simply a way of harvesting your details which are then sold on. Chances are you’ll be bombarded with spammy emails and calls too if you provided a phone number.
How To Spot A Fake Facebook Competition
- Often fake Facebook pages pretend to well-known brands such as Disney World or TUI. Look for the blue tick which proves the page to be authentic.
- The competition has no end date or terms and conditions.
- Sometimes the page name will be misspelt such as ‘Centre Parks’ instead of ‘Center Parcs’
- Have a scroll down the page – most fake pages have only posted or twice and have been recently set up.
- The competition says the previous winner didn’t claim their prize due to being underage.
- Information being used is incorrect – such as ‘Win a two-week stay at Center Parcs’ when this isn’t something they actually offer.
- If it sounds too good to be true then it probably is! These competitions often offer flights, spending money and other over the top extras that most normal holiday competitions don’t include.
While there is never any guarantee you’ll win a holiday, or anything else, comping can be a great hobby. You could also try to win other holiday-related items such as cash for spending, clothing or equipment. The most important thing when it comes to comping is to enjoy it and keep your fingers crossed you’ll have a big win!
