2103 It's Read Everywhere contest winner announced

What a ride it’s been.

We asked you to take us along on your travels for our 2013 “It’s Read Everywhere” contest by packing a copy of the Longboat Observer, East County Observer, Sarasota Observer and Pelican Press and sending us photos of your adventures.

Here’s what happened when a whopping 141 readers submitted their photos with their hometown newspapers in hand.

We reached great heights at Mount Kilimanjaro, Machu Picchu, the Great Wall of China and the Grand Canyon.

We savored the spotlight during the filming of the “Today” show in New York City, at Buckingham Palace the week that Prince George was born and during the presidential inauguration earlier this year.

We experienced magic at both Disney World and Disneyland.

We went to the Land Down Under twice, swam the Dead Sea twice, visited the Taj Majal, took too many African safaris to count and traveled to every continent except for Antarctica.

We don’t even know all the places we’ve been: Marines stationed on the U.S.S. Kearsage sent us their photo but couldn’t reveal their location. (That was classified information.)

But the readers have spoken by voting 5,098 times at YourObserver.com.

And, that’s why the grand prize goes to East County residents Lou and Sandi Bury, who took their East County Observer with them to Costa Maya, Mexico, during a cruise — they received 3,659 votes.

“We took the paper along with us on our side tours and while shopping,” they said. “We love the paper, because it keeps us informed of local news and what is going on in the community.”

Although traveling during this year’s contest has been quite the journey, we’re glad you’re back here on the homefront. And we’re sure you’ll agree when we say, “There’s no place like home.”

To all who participated, we’d like to say, “Thanks for the ride.”

Contact Robin Hartill at [email protected]

TRAVEL ITINERARY
Here were some of the most popular destinations for our readers during the summer of 2013.
Africa — 11 visits
England and New York City — 7 visits
France — 6 visits
Turkey — 5 visits
Italy — 4 visits