TripAlertz is Giving Away a Free Trip to Space

BOSTON, March 15, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- To celebrate its Grand Launch, TripAlertz, a private, members-only travel site that uses the power of collective buying to deliver guaranteed best prices, is offering the chance to win a "Free Epic Journey into Space!" You can lift-off with Colonel Rick Searfoss (retired), who is one of only seven astronauts with more than 50 flights in rocket-powered vehicles. Entry into this "out of this world" promotion is free. The winner can assign the trip, subject to certain restrictions, as a gift to family, friends or a charity.

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"Everyone kept telling us that we needed a launch strategy, so we took it literately," said Founder & Chief Inspiration Officer Brendan Murphy.

The Epic Journey into Space is offered via a partnership with XCOR Aerospace, builder of the Lynx Suborbital reusable space plane and provider of rocket technology to leading global companies. Lynx pilot, Colonel Searfoss, has flown the Space Shuttle three times, twice as pilot and once as Commander. His first space flight as pilot in 1993 set the record for the longest duration Space Shuttle mission to date. In 1996, he piloted Atlantis to the Russian space station Mir.

According to Andrew Nelson, XCOR's COO, "The flight profile of Lynx provides an exciting and enriching personal space experience which promises the ride of your life – a Pinnacle Life Event! The two-seat Lynx Mark I vehicle takes off horizontally from a runway with a powerful ascent reaching over twice the speed of sound (Mach 2+) on its way to the edge of space. The profound blackness of space, the spectacular view of Earth's curvature, and 1600 miles of viewing are unforgettable sights while experiencing weightlessness at apogee."

Colonel Searfoss adds "flight participants accompanying me will not only experience the exhilaration of the launch, but mankind's rarest view of all – Earth from space -- its beauty, its fragility and its lack of borders. The sheer magnificence of it will be potentially life altering."

In keeping with the TripAlertz commitment to offer "out of this world" value through its member's collective buying power, space trips can be purchased at a fraction of Richard Branson's Virgin Galactic price. The TripAlertz Epic Journey into Space Package customarily sells for $95,000, yet as more people purchase, the power of collective buying can drive the price lower for everyone. Since words alone cannot describe this journey to space, pioneering space tourists will be presented with a personalized high definition DVD recorded by onboard cameras along with other stellar mementos, beyond specialized pre-flight training at a luxury resort in Arizona.

The TripAlertz Epic Journey into Space includes a five-night stay at the Sanctuary Camelback Mountain Resort & Spa during training and preparation, medical evaluation and screening, a cancellation insurance policy, and of course the Lynx flight itself, which promises to be the greatest ride off Earth. A deposit of $20,000 begins the process of assigning each space tourist to the training and qualification program.

The winner of the Free Epic Journey into Space will be drawn live on broadband-streamed television at the "TripAlertz Summer Solstice Party" on June 21, 2011. The promotion is Free and simple to enter. Anyone over the age of 21 can enter and improve their odds of going orbital:

1. One entry for signing up - Take 10 seconds to join TripAlertz for free via http://TripAlertz.com/Space or http://Facebook.com/TripAlertz.
2. One entry for each friend you refer (no purchase necessary) - Invite 50 friends to join TripAlertz (for free), get 50 entries.
3. One entry for every dollar you spend on TripAlertz - Buy a $500 getaway package and get 500 more entries, plus, 1% of TripAlertz net revenues are donated to its featured charity Pachamama Alliance (www.pachamama.org) and their 4YEARS.GO (www.fouryearsgo.org) campaign to change the course of history.

The following celebrities will be tweeting about the promotion: Ryan Seacrest, Jeremy Piven, Gary Vaynerchuk, Eva Longoria, and more. TripAlertz donated more than $33,000 to aHomeinHaiti.org for the first ever TwitChange Celebrity Auction in 2010, which allowed TripAlertz to save the tweets of its favorite celebrities for this exciting promotion that supports Pachamama.org. Variations of the following tweet will be sent by the celebrities "Win #FreeSpaceTrip with XCOR! Become @TripAlertz member 4 free 2 win & support @fouryearsgo. Go2 tripalertz.com/space. Plz RT."

For those preferring a more grounded experience, TripAlertz (dubbed by Arthur Frommer's Budget Travel magazine as the "Groupon for Travel") has added tourism experiences to Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex along with epic prices on Orlando hotels & resorts and other extras like theme park tickets. Anyone buying an Orlando package during the initial offer period (March 15-June 21) will receive two tickets to Kennedy Space Center for free and increase their odds of winning a Free Epic Journey to Space!

"We are delighted to be included as a premier offering in TripAlertz's Orlando tour packages," said John Stine, Director of Sales and Marketing with the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex. "The Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex is the only place on Earth where you can tour launch areas, meet a veteran astronaut, see giant rockets, train in spaceflight simulators, and even view a launch."

TripAlertz is also proud to announce its first cruise line partnership with Norwegian Cruise Line. Norwegian will be featured on TripAlertz alongside other prominent travel brands for the grand launch, including Fairmont Bermuda, Elite Island Resorts, Occidental Resorts, Jackson Hole Resort, Napa River Inn, Hilton New York, Renaissance Aruba & Asheville, Xeliter, The Reefs Bermuda, Cambridge Beaches Bermuda, Radisson Aruba, Recreo Costa Rica, Steele Luxury Travel, and many more.

"We are thrilled to be featuring Norwegian Cruise Line's Freestyle Cruising vacations on TripAlertz," said Founder Brendan Murphy. "We strategically chose to work with Norwegian as our founding cruise partner because their commitment to innovation matches perfectly with our member demographics who are seeking a revolutionary online travel experience."

For more information visit bit.ly/jointripalertz. To interview TripAlertz founder Brendan Murphy, Colonel Rick Searfoss, or Andrew Nelson of XCOR, please contact us. See attached video for a preview of the Lynx experience.

The complete rules of the promotion are available at TripAlertz.com or by mailing TripAlertz's administrative office at 3048 W. Clarkston Road, Lake Orion, MI 48362. This release summarizes some of the rules, but the state filed promotional rules are the sole legal determinant of the promotion's rules.

Available Topic Expert(s): For information on the listed expert(s), click appropriate link.

Brendan Murphy - http://profnetconnect.com/brendan-murphy

SOURCE TripAlertz