Calling on all Australia's and New Zealand's Travel Heroes for the Chance to Win $5,500

The competition is open to all Travel Heroes aged over 18 resident in Australia and New Zealand, whether they are running marathons or climbing mountains to raise money, or volunteering at refugee camps, environmental reserves and aid projects abroad. Contestants can enter the competition on http://www.columbusdirect.com.au/travel-heroes by 10:59am7 November 2016 and will have the chance to be featured on the site to promote their causes. Columbus Direct will announce the 10 finalists on 15 November 2016 and the public can vote for their favourite until 10am AEDST 15 December 2016. The winner, to be announced at midday on 15 December 2016, will receive $500 travel money and Columbus Direct will make a donation of $5,000 to the winner's chosen cause or charity.  

Antje Lauterbach, Marketing Manager at Columbus Direct commented on the initiative: "As a travel insurance provider, we speak to thousands of travellers and we often get to hear about their once-in-a-life-time travel plans. Some of the stories we come across are truly inspiring. A few weeks ago we heard from a teacher who was travelling to Rwanda to develop a kindergarten curriculum, and right now one of our customers is making her way over to New York to run the upcoming marathon in support of a cancer charity. Being a confessed non-runner and having just recovered from both a knee and shoulder reconstruction, she decided to start an intensive training plan and to raise $10,000 in time for the New York Marathon! We wanted to find a way to share stories like this and recognise all the amazing travellers who use their holiday time to make a difference in the world. That's how our Travel Heroes initiative was born.  

"Some people tend to associate travel fundraising and travel volunteering with strenuous physical activities. This is not always true and there are diverse opportunities that cater to all fitness levels, ranging from volunteer teaching in South Africa to conservation work in Madagascar all the way to trekking the Great Wall of China in support of a cause."

There are many ways to embark on a travel adventure for a good cause. One of the first questions that travellers need to ask themselves is whether they would prefer to fundraise on behalf of a charity or volunteer for a charity directly. Fundraising requires significantly more preparation than volunteering because fundraisers need to convince friends, family and even strangers to donate. Once the fundraising is done, travellers can get to enjoy an adventure holiday experience.

Travel volunteering holidays are essentially working holidays which could be about environmental conservation, or specialist work like nursing, engineering, teaching or even administration. For those who are interested in authentic cultural experience rather than sightseeing, a volunteering holiday provides them with the perfect opportunity to live and work in a community.  

In the excitement of planning for an adventure fundraising or volunteer vacation programme, it is important that travellers arrange cover that accommodates the activities they undertake and the destinations they are visiting. Non-manual work, like teaching, and trekking at lower altitudes are often covered as standard, although not always, and there may be restrictions. For adventure sports, manual work and higher-risk activities travellers will likely need to shop around a bit harder to get appropriate cover. Whatever the range of activities planned, travellers are always advised to check with the insurance company and read the Product Disclosure Statement and policy wording to ensure that a particular policy meets their needs.

*Open to AU & NZ residents 18+. Ends: 10:59am AEDST on 7/11/16. Limit 1 entry per person & 1 entry per email address. Conditions apply, see our full terms and conditions here: http://www.columbusdirect.com.au/legal/travel-heroes-2016-tcs

For further information, please contact:
Antje Lauterbach, Columbus Direct Travel Insurance Services Pty Limited  
Tel: +61(0)2-9463-3399
Email: [email protected]