The Funniest Snowbird Travel Joke You'll Ever Hear...Ever

SRQ airport's president Rick Piccolo has a sense of humor about airport operations and travel and knows what folks go through to get to sunny Sarasota and Bradenton to get away from winter storms up north.

Given that another wave of snow is hitting the northeast today delaying travel in Bradenton-Sarasota, Piccolo told probably one of the funniest icebreakers and jokes on travel at a Kiwanis meeting on Tuesday. It sounds too good to be true.

Here's the transcript:

"There was a Minneapolis couple that had come to Sarasota for their honeymoon, and they had decided to come back during a very icy winter and decided to stay in the same hotel they visited 20 years prior.
So, because of their hectic schedules, the husband was coming down the day before the wife, flew into SRQ, and checked into the hotel. There was a computer in the hotel room, so he decided to send an email off to his wife that he had made it safely.
However, he had left off one letter out of her email address accidentally, hit the send button and ended up showing up at a widow's email inbox in Houston who had just came back from a funeral for her husband, who was a minister. She had decided to check her emails to make sure if there were any  messages of condolences from friends and relatives.
She went into the room to open the emails, let out a scream, and her son ran in. The widow was laying on the floor passed out. 

This is what was on the screen:

Subject: I've Arrived
To my loving wife:
I know you're surprised to hear from me. They have computers here now, and you're allowed to send email to your loved ones.
I just arrived and have been checked in, and I see everything has been prepared for your arrival tomorrow.
I'm looking forward to seeing you then. I hope your journey is as uneventful as my journey.
P.S. It sure is freaking hot down here!

That's certainly one way to remember a vacation...whether it's true or not. This joke actually has a long history, and its versions are available on myth-busting site Snopes.com. Even though it's not original, it's still funny.

Bradenton Area Visitors Bureau Giving Away 1-Month Vacation

The next best thing to hitting the lottery is winning a dream vacation getaway.

The Bradenton Area Convention and Visitors Bureau is always looking for ways to bring people to Manatee County, and why not through a sweepstakes? 

So far eight sweepstakes are planned in 2014, and the CVB talked to area businesses Tuesday morning at an Ad Buy event to sign up as partners for the contests. Each of the sweepstakes is expected to include a five-day, four-night stay, lunch or dinner, attraction admission, spa or unique experience component.

The best one out of the bunch has to be the Radical Sabbatical,  a one-month vacation here in the area, said Debbie Meihls, executive manager of the CVB. Unlike Europeans, most of us in North America can't take a solid month off  from work, so the prize can be broken up throughout the year allowing the winner to come back, she said. The contest is expected to be launched in summer 2014 to push fall tourism.

The experience includes one week on Anna Maria Island, one week on Longboat Key, one week in Bradenton and one week in Lakewood Ranch.

They're working on providing attraction tickets, restaurant gift certificates, eco tours, Segway tours, kayak and paddle boarding adventures and spa packages. 

Here are the other top sweepstakes pegged for 2014:

Guys Spring Training/Gulf Coast Getaway |  Launch: Winter 2014 

Bring the Budweiser and the buddies for this contest. The contest will promote a spring training getaway at McKechnie Field, golf game, fishing, bars and cigars.

Dog Days of Summer | Launch: Spring 2014

One lucky dog will win a chance to win a vacation for the family. The contest designed to promote the pet-friendly travel in the area by featuring pet-friendly accommodations and restaurants, dog parks, beaches and more. Includes a four-night stay at a pet-friendly hotel, meals, tickets, tours and more.

Fitness and More magazines with Huffy Bikes | Launch: Summer 2014

These two magazines are working on a giveaway that will include 10 Huffy bikes as prizes when the winners arrive in Manatee County to use to explore the various nature and bike trails in scenic Manatee.

SPF 50 (Solar Powered Fun) | Launch: Winter 2014

SPF 50  will offer 50 great things to do for the best Florida vacation ever. One lucky winner will score their choice getaway from 50 featured activities including accommodations, dining and more. Contest is designed to keep visitors online to lean more about the area and to start making their plans.

Legally, these contests are usually open to U.S. residents 18, sometimes 21, and older. So while locals could enter in these sweepstakes, ideally someone new will win to discover the treasured beaches on Anna Maria Island or have a ball at McKechnie Field. 

Keep an eye out for these contests next year and encourage your friends and family to enter so they can win a nice trip and visit you. That way you can be the tour guide and host without taking care of the bills.