Survey prize winners

In mid-July we mailed a survey to 1,000 ITN subscribers. By mid-August we had just about 800 responses. To show our appreciation, we’re giving out $800 worth of prizes. The prizes are sixteen 50-dollar gift certificates for the travel-supply company Magellan’s.

We don’t know who returned the surveys, so, at random, selections were made from the list of those to whom the surveys were sent.

The winners were, from east to west: Mark Benvenuti, Holliston, MA; Madeline Selden, Westport, CT; Irene Cherevaty, Chester, NJ; Dr. & Mrs. J. Linhart, Purchase, NY; Singlea Hall, New Rochelle, NY ; Barbara McMahon, Bethesda, MD; Rebecca Fahrney, McLean, V A; Nancy Shambaugh, Savannah, GA; Carol Anderson, Delray Beach, FL; Ron Grothaus, Cincinnati, OH; Jan Haus, Scottsdale, AZ; Frank Zunk, Pacific Palisades, CA; Dell Fortune, Rolling Hills Estates, CA; Anne Rut- herdale, Menlo Park, CA; Connie & Ken Doty, Orinda, CA, and Nancy Bowen, Monte Sereno, CA.

When we saw the results, we didn’ t want people to think we were playing hometown favorites, even though 25% of our readers are in California, so we reached in once more and came up with Lenore Simmons of Long Grove, IL, making it 17 prizes.

W e’ ll be sending out another survey in January of 2010.

ITN’ s travel award certificates have proven to be very, very popu- lar. Maybe readers are using them to cover up cracks in the walls in their basement rec rooms. Among others, we have awards for travel- ing to 100 Nations, Seven Conti- nents, Six Continents, All Europe, All Africa, All South America, All Central America and the 24 Time Zones.

W e’ re adding a new one that should be fun: the Phileas Fogg A ward. Y ou must “follow the footsteps” to the major destinations of the character in the Jules Verne novel “Around the World in 80 Days.” Thus, you need to have vis- ited England, France, Italy, Egypt, India, Singapore, Hong Kong, Japan and the US. (No, not necessarily in that order or all in one trip, and there is no time limit.)

The certificate comes to you with your name printed on it, and it is sent it in an envelope with a card- board backing to protect it. To cover processing plus postage anywhere in the world, we ask $7 for an item that you’ll put in a frame and point out to your friends. They’ve already seen your Ph.D from Oxford. (How could they miss it with the light shining on it?) Now it’s time for something with real prestige!

Speaking of awards, a psycholo- gist in Seattle suggested we have an award for readers who have been to the least-traveled-to countries. In the 2010 subscriber survey we’ ll ask, among other things, which countries you’ve been to. That will give us a handle on the spots less visited, except by the truly intrepid. In this category, only NA TIONS will qualify, unlike the uninhabited rocks and reefs counted by some other organizations.

Another certificate possibility is the TINY TEN Award — for read- ers who have been to the 10 tiniest nations of the world.

There’ s a joke about Monaco’ s Prince Rainier visiting the Houston Astrodome (91⁄2 acres and 760 feet tall). He was asked if he wished they had something like that in Monaco. He replied that if they did, theirs would be the world’ s only totally indoor country.