Remember that time we had that contest? And you and the rest of the Internets tried to win that contest?

That was awesome.

For those of you scoring at home (and the much larger group of you that aren’t) here is what I’m talking about. The good people at Kipling make really nice bags. By nice I mean they are both sturdy and fashionable, like me, but more so. Kipling is also really cool, and to prove it they agreed to give one lucky UpTake Vacations reader an Alcatraz II Backpack. Yes, Angela Jacobs, I’m talking about you.

Lucky Angela has won our major award, and that makes her better than the rest of us you. I know, it hurts.

Thanks for entering the Kipling Backpack Giveaway, and thanks for reading UpTake! We’ll have more fun travel-related giveaways soon!

Take the bag. Please. Luggage is often overlooked when planning a vacation. Stand around the baggage claim for twenty minutes and you’ll see what I’m talking about. Many people pay more to check a bag than to purchase it. Perhaps they are unfamiliar with the old adage, you get what you pay for. Or in this case, win.

Luckily, the good people at Kipling are providing one lucky UpTake Vacations reader with a quality piece of luggage for all their travel needs, the Alcatraz II Backpack (pictured)!

As an added bonus (to me) Kipling provided one Alcatraz II Backpack for my consideration (this is called full-disclosure). I consider it a darn nice bag.

The Alcatraz II has room for your laptop and lots of other stuff. It can be worn as a backpack or wheeled as a whatever you would call that (a wheelpack?). And it’s airline carry-on acceptable, so you can skip the aforementioned baggage claim unless you just want to stop by and rub it in. That will show them.

The bag itself is strong and sturdy with lots of zippers and pouch pockets. It is also water-resistant, which is nice. The Alcatraz retails for $228 and is available in a variety of fashionable solid colors (although the one I received is more of a calico and looks like a thousand dirty penguins as seen from space, not that I’m complaining).

Bottom line, it’s a very nice bag and winning it will give you one less thing to worry about on your vacation. Plus, you’ll look really stylish and that’s always fun.

How to enter: Leave a comment about your worst luggage experience in the space below. Make sure to enter your email address in the box provided (not the actual comment).

Comments will be open until 11:59 p.m. PST on Friday, July 22, 2011. Winner will be picked in a random drawing. Winner will be contacted via email and have 24 hours from time sent to respond. Failure to respond with the allotted time will result in another winner being drawn. Contest open to U.S. residents 18 and over. Void in Alaska and Hawaii.

And now it’s time for the ongoing online saga consisting of travel links, tweets and the sweet deals of summer. Can you feel that? That, my friends, is excitement!

Here’s how it works. Over the week my inbox (link in right sidebar) runneth over with travel-related stories and pitches. I look into them and, should they prove interesting, I share them with you, the reader. I also do the Twitter. The jury is still out on Google+.

So with nothing further ado, here is a collection of travel fun from the past week:

Common Sense and Whiskey (not to be confused with my life) by Bill Murray (not that one) offers interesting travel insight and pictures.

510 Families has great no-fly vacation ideas if you’re in the San Fransisco area (or not, but really like driving).

Want to play 18 holes of golf in Hawai’i for under $80? Of course you do.

Palm Beach County, Florida wants you in the deep end. Diver down, people.

Cotton Tree in the Cayman Islands has a great deal going on that is still to expensive for me, but you might like it.

Traveling with kids in Albuquerque? Rookie Moms have things to do!

The Personal Vacation Plan can fill in those blanks in your travel itinerary.

Hotel Tonight is the app you need for same day and last minute hotel reservations and deals.

Rainforest Cafe wants to send you to Walt Disney World. All you need is a frog and a camera.

Tripbase has 15 very magical photos to share.

There you go, folks. Quick and easy. Use the links in the opening paragraph to share your links with the travel crowd via your friends here at UpTake. You’ll be glad you did!

This contest is closed. Thanks to all that entered, and congratulations to our winner, Vanessa Vasquez!

Pixar is at it again. The geniuses behind the hit movie Cars are revving up their engines, making sure their Mickey Mouse antenna toppers are secure, and setting off on the ultimate road trip. Cars 2 hits theaters on June 24, 2011 and the trip promises to be an exciting one.

The good news is that you don’t have to wait for the movie to start your own adventure. You can hit the road whenever you want (although you may want to check with your boss first).

The better news is that you can take the gang from Cars 2 with you! You read that right. The good people at Kimberly-Clark have joined with Disney-Pixar to offer their customers the opportunity to collect Cars 2 “credits” — good for free gifts and products (codes and legal info can be found on individually marked packages of Kimberly-Clark products like Cottonelle, Kleenex, Pull-Ups, Huggies, Scott and Viva — codes are redeemable online for a limited time).

Why am I telling you this on a site about family vacations? Because we’re having a Kimberly-Clark Cars 2 Road Trip Survival Kit Giveaway! It doesn’t get any more family vacation than that. Read More »