Spread the Holiday Cheer!

Do the holidays make you feel generous? Charitable? How about… lucky?

Passports with Purpose can help you turn your holiday spirit into a village in India for some of the country’s poorest citizens and a great prize for you.  How does that work, exactly?

Passports with Purpose is an annual fundraiser hosted by travel bloggers who want to combine their passion for travel and the world around them and turn it into something that makes a tangible difference in the world. In 2009, 90 bloggers participated and raised almost $30,000 to build a school in rural Cambodia (complete with a school nurse and a kitchen garden that provides each child a daily meal). In 2010, Passports with Purpose has partnered with Friends of Lafti and is looking to raise $50,000 to build 25 homes in rural India for members of the Dalit Caste – the so called “untouchables” and the poorest people of India.

What does this have to do with you?

Several travel bloggers have gotten rounded up incredible prizes for people who donate (tax deductible!!) to Passports with Purpose.  For each $10 donation, you can be entered to win a prize of your choice.  There are a number of great hotel stays up for grabs, including:

• Two night stay in New Orleans at the historic Hotel Monteleone
• Three night, Ocean View stay at the Mauna Kea Beach Hotel on the Big Island
• Three nights Accomodations at the St. Kitts Marriott Resort
• Two nights at any Homewood Suites in North America
• Five nights in a Mediterranean Suite at the Riviera Palms Springs in Palm Springs, CA
• Five nights at any of the nine Paradise by Marriott resorts

Other prizes include air fare, travel gear, electronic equipment and more. Head on over to the donation page for a full list.

All donations must be received by December 13th. Prize winners will be notified December 17th – plenty of time to use your prize as a holiday gift for someone (or, you know, keep it for yourself).