Travel Free With SnoworSand (so what's the catch?)

Interview by Peter Stevenson

If it’s too good to be true, it usually is. At least that’s how saying goes.
But once in a while, we stumble upon something that challenges this idea.

At least this is the case for SnoworSand’s director of operations, Nicholas Kurlas, who recently launched a travel rewards program that he claims is better than any in the industry.

The SandDollars Program helps budget conscious students and young professionals travel for free to the world’s top destinations, including Thailand, South Africa and Morocco.
I sat down with Kurlas to learn more about the program and see what it’s really all about.

PS: So can you tell me a little a bit about the program?

NK: SandDollars is a referral program based on sharing information about SnoworSand trips to Europe, Asia and Africa. The power behind it is that people get excited about the way SnoworSand does things differently, that our trips are personalized, high quality, led by local people and accessible to the budget-conscious traveler.

For example, when someone learns about trip they want to take, they are naturally inclined to talk about it with their friends so they join them. The SandDollars program gives them the tools to share trip ideas more efficiently with more people and then rewards them with free travel for doing it.

PS: What makes this referral program so much better than the others out there?

NK: The best thing about the program is that it’s simple and you can earn free trips with as few as three referrals. That means if you tell three people about a trip and they book with us, you can earn free travel.

Another great thing is that anyone can participate and there’s no barrier to getting started. We don’t make you sign up for credit cards or purchase thousands of dollars of airline tickets. It comes down to getting excited about what we do and sharing that excitement with others.

PS: So how exactly does it work?

NK: If someone is interested in the program, we then send them info about the free trips we offer and provide them with tools to share information with their friends. Next, we give them a discount code that provides valuable discounts on SnoworSand trips. When someone books a SnoworSand trip with their discount code, the participant earns SandDollars, which can be exchanged for trips to Europe, Africa and Asia.

PS: So tell me about some of the free trips and how many SandDollars they cost?

NK: London, Dublin, Paris, Amsterdam, Rome, Barcelona and Florence cost ten SandDollars. This includes accommodations with breakfast, a three-day guided itinerary, sunset aperitivos, sites and activities and guided tours of the city.

Morocco, Greece, Thailand and South Africa trips range from 13 to 300 SandDollars. All this information is provided to people when they get started so they know exactly what it takes to get the trip they want.

PS: How can someone possibly earn 300 SandDollars?

NK: You’d be surprised how easily the word spreads about good travel deals. Travel is something people love to talk about so when someone finds a cool trip they know their friends would like, they will tell them about it. We’ve found there’s a snowball effect where people start talking and sharing information and it spreads organically through social networks, reaching more people then we ever thought possible.

In order to facilitate this kind of process, we provide people with methods to share information more efficiently. One such method uses online social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter. These kinds of technologies make it easy to share information with hundreds or thousands of people, so the potential for earning free trips is much higher than most people think.

PS: How do you get involved?

NK: To apply to the program, send an email to SandDollars@snoworsand.com with Student Universe in the subject line and your name, age, phone number and city of residence in the body of the email. We’ll contact you with everything you need to get started, including an informational kit with more details about how the program works and your own discount code.

About SnoworSand

SnoworSand was founded in 2005 to organize ski and scuba diving trips for college students living in Italy. Since then, it has developed to offer trips to destinations throughout Europe, Africa and Asia. Over the years it has grown to become the preferred trip provider for numerous universities and study abroad programs in the US and Europe. Instead of traditional tour experiences, the company emphasizes genuine local experiences that are customized to each traveler’s style and budget. For a full listing of SnoworSand’s destinations and itineraries, visit www.snoworsand.com. For questions, contact us at info@snoworsand.com.