If I Won a Holiday for Two, Could I Go Twice Instead of Taking Someone Else?

Factual Questions
1

Lets assume I’m a Billy No-Mates loser (This may not tax your imagination all that much). Supposing I were to enter a competition and win an all-expenses paid holiday for two… what stipulations state that I can’t go twice? Other than the cost of a double hotel room as opposed to two single rooms (for two seperate trips) I can see no major problems. Two Air Tickets won, two Air Tickets used. Most competitions offer spending money for the trip too; you would split this money over the two trips. Anyone?

2

I’m going to go out on a limb here and suggest that the terms for a trip won as a prize will probably be established by those who offer that prize, and that in most cases a holiday for two will be specified in ways that aren’t equivalent to two holidays for one.

3

Ah, but this is the major deal. Vacation destinations typically book rooms assuming double occupancy. Try to book yourself a single at a hotel or bed and breakfast and you’ll usually end up paying if not twice the rate, at least a hefty premium. E.g., if the room rate is $200 per person, a single might end up paying $300.00.

(You can sort of see the hotel’s point – if they can get a certain price for a double occupancy, they have no incentive to rent the room out for less.)

4

If you look at trip prices, they are always advertised at double occupancy. If you want to travel alone, you have to pay a “single supplement”, which can be quite high.

5

However, you often can take the cash equivalent of the prize - which as said won’t be 2X the single rate.

6

My father wins an unlikely number of those trip contests (they were just here this weekend on a trip from a contest he didn’t enter!). You need to talk to whomever held the contest. Chances are that they will be very accomodating as long as that doesn’t mean extra expenses to them. They know the cash value of the prize they are offering and should give you any alternative you want under that value. As said, that might not amount to two separate trips. You might settle for a trip for one and extra cash or better accomodations, though.