Congratulations to Jose, Coral Gables, Fl.,  who is the lucky winner of our “Create a Trip on TravelMuse, Win your perfect moment in Hawaii” sweepstakes!  We had a great response to the contest with thousands of entries and know that Jose is excited to plan his luxury trip to the tropical island of Oahu.

Surfing in Wakiki. Photo: Hawaii Visitors and Convention Bureau

Thanks to our partners in Hawaii for providing this amazing trip to paradise!

- Roundtrip air travel and ground transportation, courtesy of the Hawaii Visitors and Convention Bureau.

- 5-night stay at the exquisite Hilton Hawaiian Village Beach resort & Spa, Waikiki, Complete with a Waikiki Starlight Luau.

- Dolphin Swim Adventure Program at Sea Life Park Hawaii,
Sea Life Park offers a variety of marine-life shows, exhibits and educational programs for all ages and is open daily from 10:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.  Among its most popular features are the swim-with-dolphin programs.  The Park is a member of the Alliance of Marine Mammal Parks and Aquariums.  Sea Life Park is owned and operated by Parques Reunidos Group.  For more information, visit the Park’s Web site at www.sealifeparkhawaii.com.

- Atlantis Submarines sub tour off Waikiki,
Atlantis Submarines has nine locations worldwide including Hawaii, the Caribbean, Mexico and Guam. In Hawaii, Atlantis operates five submarines in Kona, Lahaina, and Waikiki. The company also owns Honolulu-based Atlantis Navatek Cruises, offering sunset dinner cruises aboard the high-tech revolutionary Navatek I, along with seasonal luncheon whale watch cruises from December to April. For more information, visit www.atlantissubmarines.com.

- Premium Battle Station Tour at the Battleship Missouri Memorial, Pearl Harbor.
Located a mere ship’s length from the USS Arizona Memorial, the Battleship Missouri Memorial completes a historical visitor experience that begins with the “day of infamy” that saw the sinking of the USS Arizona in Pearl Harbor and ends with Imperial Japan’s unconditional surrender aboard the USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay. Walk the decks of America’s last battleship as knowledgeable guides share stories from the Mighty Mo’s astounding career spanning five decades and three wars — from World War II to the Korean conflict to the Liberation of Kuwait — and her transformation into a floating historic attraction and memorial, standing perpetual watch over Pearl Harbor. Call toll-free 1-877-MIGHTYMO (1-877-644-4896) or visit www.ussmissouri.org.

- Polynesian Cultural Center, “Ha:Breath of Life“ evening show and buffet dinner.
Immerse yourself in the diverse cultures and customs of Polynesia at the Polynesian Cultural Center. Join in an array of interactive activities and shows in eight island villages and exhibits. Watch the Rainbows of Paradise canoe pageant on the lush lagoon winding through the grounds. Enjoy Hawaii’s best Lu‘au experience at its award-winning Ali‘i Lu‘au dinner and show. Experience the spectacular “Ha: Breath of Life,” Hawaii’s newest Polynesian night show featuring a cast of more than 100 performers. Call toll-free 1-800-367-7060 or visit www.polynesia.com.

If you’d like to plan a similar trip you can check out this itinerary to Hawaii on TravelMuse.

Alfonso Torres from Logan, Utah, is our last, but certainly not least, winner of Trip of the Week and recipient of a Frommer’s day by day guide to Hawaii. Alfonso built this trip on TravelMuse so he could share his culture with his friends and explore a few places he has never been himself.

1. Why are you taking this Trip?

I am going to visit Peru with some friends. These guys haven’t been to Peru before, and since I am Peruvian, I wanted to show them a bit of the cultural diversity in the cities of Lima and Piura.

2. What are you most excited about seeing/doing?

As a Peruvian, I never had a chance to visit some of the places in my country. I want to see some archeological sites such as Huaca Pucllana in the very center of the capital city and the very famous Catacaos city, where the most beautiful silver jewels are made in Peru. My friends want to see everything over there; hopefully we will do it!

3. Any other interesting facts/ considerations about the trip?

The food. Peru is an extremely rich country in this matter. We have Peruvian food from the three main regions in our schedule: Sea/Criollian, Andean and Amazon jungle food. I hope my friends have a good appetite!!!

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A big thank you to all of our winners of Trip of the Week for sharing their incredible and adventurous trips with TravelMuse. Be sure to drop us a line and let us know how your trips went!

Motor Home Road Trip Summer 2010 is our newest winner of Trip of the Week and recipient of a Frommer’s day by day guide. Our winner built this road trip, which explores many of the great national parks, on TravelMuse for her family.

The Adorable Triplets!

1. Why are you taking this Trip?

It was truly my triplet’s idea to rent a “car house,” as they call it.  Every time they would see an RV or camper or land yacht drive by, they would get so excited. So, the seed was planted and we started talking to friends who had done similar trips—all with the same reply:”go for it!” So, we decided to take their advice and hit the road!  (The girls turned 8 in June.)

2. What are you most excited about seeing/doing?

We took the trip in July 2010 for 27 days and loved every moment.  From waking up and seeing buffalo in Hayden Valley (Yellowstone, WY) to the spectacular hoo doos of Bryce. The highlights of the trip included the “re-route” from Flagstaff to Sedona for some business I had (Sedona is breathtaking, enchanting and the back country Jeep Tour was beyond exciting for the kids), Bryce Canyon and the Grand Tetons.  The kids would tell you that their favorite part of the trip was living in the car house; going to Sedona; horseback riding in Zion, Utah; and, of course, driving through the herd of buffalo.

Sunrise at Bryce.

3. Any other interesting facts/ considerations about the trip?

RVs are great for family adventures. We’d recommended renting a privately-owned RV (several companies do this). Cost is very good and they are well maintained.  Also, kids love having sleeping options in the RV (over the cab, on the dinette fold out, the pull out couch, back bedroom). Make sure you book your national park reservations in advance, if traveling in the summer: use a GARMIN (life saver) and buy an annual park pass (it’s a huge cost saver!). We’re going to do this again in two years—and have already shared our TravelMuse trip plan (in hard copy print outs and online) with lots of friends and family who want to do the same.

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Tell us about your Trips and you could be featured in Trip of the Week–win one of the new Frommer’s Day by Day Guide Books.

Samantha P. from Florida is our newest winner of Trip of the Week and recipient of a Frommer’s day by day guide to Ireland.

Samantha, a recent college graduate, built this trip to Peru on TravelMuse for her family because it will be their last family vacation together before she enters the workforce. Congrats, Samantha and have an incredible time in Peru!

Machu Picchu. Photo: Alex E. Proimos

Why are you taking this Trip?

I recently graduated from college, and I’m helping my family plan a “last family vacation” before I start my full-time job in the fall and my vacation time becomes limited. My dad is a travelaholic (I caught the travel bug from him), so we have been looking to travel to a place he’s never been before, which is no small feat. And although he traveled to Peru 10 years ago, he was turned away from Machu Picchu due to bad weather and dangerous mudslides. He’s been looking for an opportunity to go back ever since.

What are you most excited about seeing/doing?

We are all beyond excited for Machu Picchu. My father is particularly excited to see the Nazca lines from the window of a plane, and I’m looking forward to shopping for Alpaca scarves and Peruvian handicrafts in the markets.  And since we’re all big foodies, we’re also looking forward to exploring Lima, the culinary capital of Peru (and some say of Latin America!).

Any other interesting facts/ considerations about the trip?

Researching and planning for trips is one of my most favorite parts of traveling. Planning this Peru trip on TravelMuse made it so easy to organize all my millions of bookmarks, as well as to share my trip ideas with my family. We are all interested in seeing and doing different things, so it has been a challenge to fit enough activities that appeal to everyone in the span of a nine-day trip. Since it’s such a short trip, we can’t possibly see everything and have to make some compromises, but we’ve jam-packed the schedule to get the most out of our family vacation. And if we really love Peru, we’ll come back!

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Tell us about your Trips and you could be featured in Trip of the Week–win one of the new Frommer’s Day by Day Guide Books.

Holli. from Calif., is our newest winner of Trip of the Week and recipient of a Frommer’s day by day guide to Hawaii.

Kara built this trip to Hawaii on TravelMuse to celebrate the newest addition to her family and relax with her husband for the last time as duo.

Holli and her husband kayaking.

Why are you taking this Trip?

About two years ago, my husband and I were flying back from our month long honeymoon in South East Asia and had a layover for a few hours in Honolulu. As we waited for our connecting flight home, we stepped outside to catch of glimpse of Waikiki and Diamond Head and the beautiful beaches from the airport. It was like a dream, the intoxicating smells, the sparkling blue water and warm air. Right then and there, I made my husband promise to bring me back. Well, once we got home and our life and marriage began, we never seemed to be able to get away. Now, with our first child on the way in January, we decided now was our last chance at getting that dreamy vacation and the last time as just the two of us.

What are you most excited about seeing/doing?

My husband and I love to explore while on vacation. We have a little hobby called Geocaching and it takes us on all kinds of adventures—cliffs of Thailand, bluffs overlooking the Pacific Ocean on quiet little trails, famous fountains of Europe and many more memorable places. So we are looking forward to Geocaching on Maui and seeing where we can find the local beauty and maybe some hidden places to explore. And of course the beautiful beaches!

Any other interesting facts/ considerations about the trip?

We asked a few friends which island would best suit us and it seemed almost unanimous that we would love Maui. So on the advice of others, we are looking forward to exploring the whole island. We are renting a jeep and plan to wander over all parts of the island and do some great hiking.

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Tell us about your Trips and you could be featured in Trip of the Week–win one of the new Frommer’s Day by Day Guide Books.