Passports with Purpose Partners with Expedia.com for Annual Travel Bloggers Fundraiser

BELLEVUE, Wash., June 13, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Passports with Purpose (PwP) today announced that Expedia.com®, the world's leading online travel agency, will join thousands of travel enthusiasts in the annual travel bloggers community fundraiser as the platinum sponsor. In its fifth year, Passports with Purpose co-founders Beth Whitman, Pam Mandel, Michelle Duffy and Debbie Dubrow will announce the 2012 beneficiary at the Expedia Summer Shindig party at the Travel Blog Exchange (TBEX) in Colorado on June 16 at 7:00 pm (MDT).

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Each year Passports with Purpose has surpassed its fundraising goal through the support of sponsors, and a network of travel bloggers and individual donors, leading to the creation of two libraries in Zambia, a school in Cambodia and a village in India. The 2012 philanthropic effort will begin November 27, 2012 and end December 11, 2012 on www.PassportswithPurpose.org.

Expedia.com also supported Passports with Purpose as its official travel sponsor for co-founders Beth Whitman, Debbie Dubrow and Michelle Duffy for their visit to one of the two Room to Read libraries in Zambia.

"The bloggers behind Passports with Purpose are a perfect example of how travel can inspire us to find our passions and our purpose," said Joe Megibow, Vice President and General Manager, Expedia.com. "We're thrilled to be partnering with these bloggers to change another pocket of the world this year."

"We're delighted to have Expedia support Passports with Purpose this year. We feel that together, we can create strong momentum to make the 2012 fundraiser the most successful and broad-reaching effort to date," said Beth Whitman.

"This year, our relationship with Expedia allows us to expand our reach in ways we never thought we'd be able. Their global support gives us the opportunity to grow our audience in ways we couldn't have done on our own," said Pam Mandel. "A bigger audience means more participation, and more participation means that, working with causes we believe in, we can make an even bigger difference in the world. Passports with Purpose and Expedia share in the vision that travel has the power to change the world."

During the fundraiser, participating bloggers procure a prize, post about Passports with Purpose and the prize on their blog, and promote the fundraiser in social media and among their network of contacts. Past prizes included vacation packages, electronics and gear and amazing travel experiences. The Passports with Purpose website hosts a list of all the available prizes and donors make a tax-deductible donation. For each $10 donated, eligible donors will be entered to win a prize of their choice. After the fundraiser ends, a winner is randomly selected for each prize. All of the funds raised go to the chosen beneficiary.

About Passports with Purpose

In 2008, Debbie Dubrow, Michelle Duffy, Pam Mandel and Beth Whitman, the bloggers behind Delicious Baby, WanderMom, Nerd's Eye View and Wanderlust and Lipstick, respectively, began a travel-inspired initiative to raise money online. Passports with Purpose also filled the need to do long-lasting good for people in the places travelers visit by uniting an online community and leveraging the social media platforms of more than 100 travel bloggers around the world. PwP initiatives benefited Heifer International; the Passports School with American Assistance for Cambodia and a village in Tamil Nadu, India for 25 Dalit families with Land for Tillers' Freedom. In 2011, funds were raised to build two libraries in Zambia with Room to Read. For more information about Passports with Purpose visit, www.PassportswithPurpose.org, www.Facebook.com/PassportswithPurpose or www.Twitter.com/PassportPurpose.

About Expedia.com

Expedia.com is the world's leading online travel site, helping millions of travelers per month easily plan and book travel. Expedia.com (http://www.expedia.com/1-800-EXPEDIA) aims to provide the latest technology and the widest selection of vacation packages, flights, hotels, resorts, rental cars, cruises and in-destination activities, attractions, and services. With the Expedia Best Price Guarantee, Expedia.com customers can get the best rates available online for all types of travel.

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