Alongside PINKTOBER™ “Artist Ambassador” Melissa Etheridge, the Hard Rock hotels invite guests to join with music superstars and rock out, strike a pose or lift a glass in support of breast cancer awareness and research! For the 11th year, Hard Rock locations worldwide support the cause through the multifaceted PINKTOBER campaign, benefiting breast cancer charities worldwide.

The 2010 PINKTOBER initiative gives guests a variety ways to show their support, including limited-edition PINKTOBER apparel and accessories, Pink menu offerings and live music events –The global PINKTOBER launch will kick off on Tuesday, September 28, 2010, with a special appearance and performance by Oscar® and two-time GRAMMY® winner, multi-platinum recording artist and breast cancer survivor Melissa Etheridge at Hard Rock Cafe Hollywood on Hollywood Boulevard. In addition, Crystal Bowersox, “American Idol” 2010 runner-up, will show her support for the cause with a performance at the star-studded PINKTOBER launch. Event ticket and merchandise sales will raise funds for The Breast ”PINKTOBER is a great way for me to share my story with my fans, help educate and raise awareness, and of course rock out for a cause that personally affects me each day,” said PINKTOBER “Artist Ambassador,” Melissa Etheridge. “I look forward, for the fifth year, to joining Hard Rock International for this empowering and high-energy program.”

PINKTOBER will continue to rock the world on Tuesday, October 5, 2010, with Hard Rock’s PINKTOBER Charity Concert to be held at London’s IndigO2. The concert will feature exclusive performances from top female pop acts, including The Bangles, Beverley Knight, Amy Macdonald and many more to be announced. Proceeds from event ticket sales will benefit The Caron Keating Foundation.

Can’t get to Hollywood or London? No problem. Hard Rock guests around the world are encouraged to participate in PINKTOBER at live music events and appearances at local Hard Rocks, which will feature established and emerging acts rocking throughout the Fall.

You can also show your support with Hard Rock’s PINKTOBER limited-edition merchandise including a collector’s edition pin, T-shirt, bracelet, robe, Pink sheets and more, will be sold exclusively at Hard Rock properties worldwide, including Cafes, Hotels, Casinos and on www.hardrock.com. Proceeds from the sale of PINKTOBER merchandise will benefit The Breast Cancer Research Foundation and The Caron Keating Foundation (UK only) with 75 percent of the retail price of each pin and 15 percent of the retail price of other products sold.

More SMW Articles on Breast Cancer
Five Things You Should Know About Breast Cancer
October: Think Pink
Mammograms: Just Do It. Here’s Why.

The Benjamin (www.thebenjamin.com) has teamed up with New York’s Equinox Fitness Clubs and Patricia Moreno, motivational speaker, fitness instructor and author of The intenSati Method, 7 Principles to Thinner Peace, to offer the “Finding Thinner Peace” package. The travel-fitness partnership allows guests to visit an Equinox Fitness Club during their stay and experience intenSati’s revolutionary high-energy cardio workout that combines positive affirmations with aerobics, martial arts,dance, yoga and endurance principles.

The Benjamin’s “Finding Thinner Peace” package is available now through December 31, 2010 starting at $274 per night and includes:

• Accommodations in a superior guestroom
• A copy of Patricia Moreno’s The intenSati Method Book
• SatiLife Water Bottle
• A one-day Equinox Day Pass and Weekly intenSati Class Schedule

By shouting positive affirmations, the intenSati (www.satilife.com) practice leads participants to choose positive thoughts such as those of success, well-being, love, and faith – while at the same time proactively creating a healthier and stronger physical body.

And The Benjamin, located in the heart of midtown Manhattan at the corner of Lexington Avenue and 50th Street, is known for its positive effects on travelers. The hotel features a ‘pillow menu’ and a ‘sleep concierge’, both with the sole purpose to help you get a restful night’s sleep.

More SMW Travel Articles for New York City
One Night in New York: Peace, Quiet and Cupcakes
Visiting in NYC: A Perfect Place for Single Moms to Bring the Family
Where to Have an Affair in New York City

It’s a widely recognized fact that stress can lead to long term health issues. In fact, a May 2010 study from the U.S. National Library of Medicine released findings that among women who felt high stress, 35 percent were more likely to have heart disease. It’s time to take care of you, and Hotels.com® knows that a long vacation, especially a free one, can relieve tension like nothing else.

SingleMindedWomen.com and Hotels.com are giving away some nights off to a few lucky people. The “I Need a Vacation” contest via Hotels.com and the “Single Women Escape” promotion on SingleMindedWomen.com will help you get the break you need.

The “I Need A Vacation” sweepstakes works like this: Hotels.com will award one winner a check for $102,250 USD, no-strings-attached, which you may use however you want: go on vacation every year for 50 years, take a year off a la “Eat Pray Love” style, or stash the cash for a soon-to-be-determined travel plan.

Log-on to www.hotels.com/ineedavacation and register to enter the Hotels.com summer sweepstakes. Upload your photo or vote for someone else. Entries are voted upon after users upload the funniest, most creative and compelling photo of themselves, which shows why they deserve a vacation. The promotion continues throughout the summer with a winner announced in early September.

Participants can boost their chances of winning by recruiting their network of friends, family, and colleagues to vote for their picture every day. Contestants also have the option of uploading their pictures directly from their Facebook albums, enabling them to easily reach out to friends and Twitter followers to earn more votes.

The Single Women Escape contest works like this: Simply comment on this post and tell us why you need a vacation. We’ll pick one winner to get a free one-night overnight stay provided by Hotels.com at Hotel Angeleno in Los Angeles and we’ll arm with you with the best travel accessories. The travel swag bag, from Passport Boutique in Boston, contains one Love Quotes scarf ($85), a Bucky eye mask ($13), “Take Charge” Cord organizer ($20), Tepper Jackson luggage tag ($15) and a Plane to See bag ($10).

So start here and leave your comments, then head over to hotels.com to register for their sweepstakes. Someone has to win, right? It might as well be you – you deserve it!

**The contest ends Aug. 27, 2010.

More SMW Vacation Ideas
Single Minded Women Say “Ohm” on Vacation
Affordable, Fun Family Vacation Ideas
Volunteer Vacation Opportunities on Maui

Four Seasons Austin

Luxury is a lovely accessory but for many, the notion of luxury is non-existent. That’s why the Four Seasons Austin is hosting a “Pay it Forward” program, which allows guests luxury accommodations in return for community service.

The new “Pay It Forward” voluntourism package starts May 1, 2010, and offers guests nearly 50% off room rates if they donate half a day to a local Austin charity. The rates start at $225 per night, a savings of 46 percent – for guests who volunteer with one of two partner non-profit organizations during their stay.

“Austin is an incredible vacation destination, but we thought, ‘what if travelers could make it an even better place in the process of enjoying all the city already has to offer?’” said Tom Segesta, general manager of the 291-room Hotel. “In the end, everyone benefits.”

The non-profit organizations participating in the Hotel’s package include the following:

• Caritas of Austin: Established in 1964, this nonprofit organization provides housing, food, education and employment services to those in need. From its primarily volunteer-operated Community Kitchen, Caritas serves 400 lunch meals a day, six days a week. Four Seasons managers and employees have volunteered in the community kitchen for several years, helping prepare and serve more than 4,000 meals annually. Guests would be able to select this opportunity Monday through Friday, with an approximate time commitment of 9:00 am to 1:00 pm. Participants must be at least 13 years old.
• Keep Austin Beautiful: Established in 1985, Keep Austin Beautiful’s mission is to clean, beautify and protect the Austin environment through physical improvements and hands-on education. Guests selecting this option would primarily focus on downtown litter removal and beautification projects near Lady Bird Lake. This volunteer opportunity is available seven days a week from approximately 9:00 am to noon, although times may vary depending on project.

The “Pay It Forward” package is offered through Sept. 6, 2010 and may be reserved by calling 512-685-8100 or online at www.fourseasons.com/austin. Rates are subject to availability and at least 48 hours advance reservations are requested in order to coordinate the volunteer opportunity.

Want more voluntourism ideas? Check out more of our Immersion Traveler articles including:

Volunteer on the Appalachian Trail

Rebuilding New Orleans

Volunteer Vacations in Maui

Head over to the Four Seasons in Los Angeles and Executive Chef Ashley James and Pastry Chef Federico Fernandez will whip up a special cookies and cupcakes, which will part of a decorating class for kids and Moms. The special Mommy and me time takes place Saturday, May 8 from 3:00 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.  and costs only $50 per child.

The cookie decorating class will be complimentary if you choose to stay the weekend at the Four Seasons. The hotel’s “Experience More” package includes a credit from $100 to $500 depending on the room or suite category selected, and the credit can be used for spa treatments, cocktails or dinner at the hotel’s newest restaurant,  Culina, Modern Italian.

For more adult activities, reconnect with Mom at Four Seasons Spa with manicures, pedicures, complimentary spa smoothies and a special spa gift. We’re big fans of this year’s Mother’s Day nail colors from SpaRitual including,  “Flower Child” and “Love your Mother.” This spa package will be available from Friday, May 7 to Sunday, May 16. Spa guests should reference the Mother’s Day Spa Package and select a manicure for $50, pedicure for $80 or both for $130 per person. Reservations can be made by calling the Four Seasons Spa at (310) 786-2229.

Of course, the Four Seasons will be hosting its annual Mother’s Day Brunch, featuring a lavish buffet with an omelet station, seafood display, dim sum, salad stations, carved meats, an array of desserts, and more!

Wouldn’t it be nice to treat Mom to a little luxury this Mother’s Day?

SingleMindedWomen.com Resources

• Four Seasons Hotel Los Angeles at Beverly Hills

The 1965 movie, “The Sound of Music,” was made famous by Christopher Plummer and Julie Andrews and recounted the voyage of the von Trapp family as they sang their way through Austria to escape Nazi rule. A favorite family film, images of Maria running through the Salzburg hills during the opening credits will forever be burned in our memory. But when the von Trapps moved to America in the 1950s, the hills in Stowe, Vermont, really started to sing.

On a recent trip to the Trapp Family Lodge I had the pleasure of walking the hills with Sam von Trapp, grandson of Maria, and got a first hand look at how the family lodge maintains its family legacy, and welcomes families around the world into their hillside history.

The three-hour drive from Boston winds through some of New England’s most picturesque towns, including a drive through the sleepy town of Stowe. The turn onto Trapp Hill Road takes you up the mountain to the lodge. One step inside and you’re immediately taken by the Austrian-inspired decor and friendly faces eager to welcome you home. Don’t forget to turn around and get a view of the mountains behind you…

The sugarhouse

The day got underway as we set into our snow-shoes and trekked the hills toward the sugarhouse. Every March, the staff and von Trapp family members start the tradition of maple sugaring, using buckets to collect sap, and using a sled and a team of draft horses to gather sap. The sugar is boiled down in the sugarhouse and used to make the von Trapp’s own maple syrup.

I was scheduled to meet a group at the ski center for a historic tour of the lodge, which one member of the von Trapp family always attends. To my surprise, I was the only one who showed up and the pleasure was truly mine. Nelson, a local actor and Trapp Family Lodge staff member, started the tour with a moving rendition of “Edelweiss”. The words set the tone for what we were about to experience: “Edelweiss, Edelweiss, Every morning you greet me. Small and white, clean and bright; You look happy to meet me. Blossom of snow may you bloom and grow; Bloom and grow forever. Edelweiss, Edelweiss; Bless my homeland forever.”