Have you planned your Fall getaway? My family trip to London is just around the corner. We plan to spend 1-week on a road trip visiting Oxford, Stratford-upon-Avon, Thornbury and Bath.  Then it’s off for a visit of Windsor Castle before arriving in London for a week of fun in the big city.

Finding accommodation in London has not been easy. What area should we stay?  Are there any central hotels in our budget?  Is pubic transport within walking distance? The questions are endless.   That’s why I love how easy it is to visit the Club Carlson site for booking.  No more shopping around on multiple sites trying to find the lowest hotel rates.  Simply go directly to Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group website to get the best rate plus save up to 10% more by being a member.  You’ll save time not having to search around for hotel discounts as well as money.

About Park Plaza, Plaza on the River in London

I found the perfect hotel on the Club Carlson website – Park Plaza, Plaza on the River which is located on the banks of the River Thames.   You can’t ask for more stunning views than of the Houses of Parliament and Big Ben!

This London hotel is just a short walk from Vauxhall and within easy reach of the financial district, the West End, Westminster Abbey, the London Eye and several other attractions. The location will make it perfect for my family to get around to hit all the London hotspots.   After exploring the attractions near the hotel, our other must visit sites such as the Tower of London, London Bridge and the British Museum will be a short tube ride away.

Booking one of the 128 suites will give us amenities such as FREE Wi-Fi (a must for my family), a fitness centre, business services and the Pan-Asian Chino Latino Restaurant & Bar – YUM.  Also, children ages 12 years and younger stay free of charge when sharing with an adult. This is super important when traveling as a family. I’ve lost count of the number of places that wanted to charge extra for the kids!

Why Join Club Carlson?

The new Members Only Rate Exclusive (MORE) from Club Carlson gives members the exclusive opportunity to save up to 10 percent more off the lowest available rate at participating hotels when booking directly on Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group (Radisson Blu, Radisson, Radisson RED, Park Plaza, Park Inn by Radisson and Country Inns & Suites By Carlson) brand websites, mobile sites, and mobile apps.

The Members Only Rate Exclusive complements the collection of exceptional benefits, services and privileges Club Carlson members already enjoy, including

• 20 points per U.S. dollar spent on rooms and food and beverages purchases
• Award Nights starting at 9,000 points with no blackout dates
• food and beverage discounts
• Elite status after just 10 Eligible Stays

Members also have access to a wide range of partner redemption opportunities including airline miles, retail gift cards, as well as TSA PreCheck® application fee (U.S. residents only), and more.

Enter to Win 30,000 Club Carlson Hotel Points

*CLOSED* The winner is Elena

I’m excited to give away 30,000 Club Carlson Hotel Points to one (1) lucky reader.   I want you to have your dream getaway this Fall as well.   Since hotel stays start at 9,000 points per night, you could end up with 3 nights of accommodation at a Club Carlson hotel!

Rules: The winner will be selected at random and will be contacted via email after the close of the giveaway. The lucky participant will have 24 hours to respond to my email or a different entry will be selected. Entry for this giveaway will close on October 10th at 12pm EST.  I will provide your email and Club Carlson membership number to the sponsor.  Club Carlson will deposit the points into the winner’s Club Carlson account. 

**Leave a separate comment for each entry!  You can complete one or more entries (after becoming a Club Carlson member) to increase your chances of winning.

Mandatory:   Sign up to become a member of Club Carlson (if you’re not already). You MUST be a member of Club Carlson to enter and be eligible to win the 30,000 points.

1. Leave a comment on this post telling me where you’d like to get away this Fall.  See the Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group’s site for ideas.

2. Head over to The Talking Suitcase on Facebook.  Leave a comment here telling me you visited the page. (optional)

3. Follow The Talking Suitcase on Instagram. Leave a comment here telling me you follow.  (optional)

4. Follow The Talking Suitcase on Twitter. Leave a comment here telling me you follow.  (optional)

 Good Luck!

Photo’s used with express permission from Carlson Rezidor.

I am thrilled to be participating in Passports with Purpose this year!  If you’re not familiar with Passports with Purpose, it’s an annual travel bloggers’ fundraiser that unites the online community to help people in the places we travel.

Fundraiser Beneficiary:

The 2014 beneficiary is Sustainable Harvest International (SHI). SHI’s mission is to provide farming families in Central America with the training and tools to preserve our planet’s tropical forests while overcoming poverty.

The cool part of the project is that for each $5000 raised during the fundraiser, SHI will help a family in Honduras learn to farm sustainably and feed their family. Training will last for five years with lasting benefits for the entire community.  I personally love that the project lasts five years.  The extended time frame can help to truly make a lifelong difference in the community.

How it works:

Donate $10 on the catalog of prizes; each chance is $10 and all proceeds go to Sustainable Harvest International.  That’s it!  Donate to support a great cause and be entered to win a wide range of fantastic prizes!

The Talking Suitcase Prize:

This year Tom Bihn Company was gracious enough to donate the fabulous Synapse 25 – a $195 value!  I can’t say enough about the Synapse 25. It’s the perfect travel backpack. Durable, roomy, carefully designed backpack that can handle the most rugged travel adventures.

One of the nice features is that the front pocket is deep enough for a 1-liter water bottle.  I need to carry a lot of water when traveling as a family of four.  My kids get cranky when they are hungry or thirsty!

The backpack has a TON of storage room and also includes a water-repellent zipper if we get caught in the rain while hiking or traveling.   You can fit a laptop, clothes, (or an jacket when out and about), toiletries, camera and so much more.  There is even an inner-pocket perfect for a phone.  I can’t travel without a phone!

Ready to win a Tom Bihn Synapse 25, other travel gear, vacation packages and more?

See all the awesome prizes in the 2014 Prize Catalogue and help support this incredible cause!

Thanks so much for your support!

Could you use $500 to put towards your next trip? Enter the $500 Fall Cash Giveaway to start planning your getaway now!

Welcome to the $500 Fabulous Fall Cash Giveaway!

We have joined forces with a fantastic group of bloggers to bring you this great giveaway. One lucky person will win $500 cash.

Enter to win $500 cash via PayPal.

Complete the tasks below to earn entries into this giveaway.

Refer your friends using your unique link to earn even more chances to win.

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