The Big Check: The Prize Patrol’s Biggest Travel Challenge
Long before the airlines started charging fees for baggage other than carry-on’s, we members of the Publishers Clearing House Prize Patrol traveled as light as possible. We each brought one bag on board and put it in the overhead compartment — along with a rolled-up Prize Patrol sign for the van. And that’s the way we still do it.
Todd, Danielle and I simply like to keep moving — for three reasons: (1) It’s our responsibility to deliver that Big Check to the unexpectant winner without delay. After all, he or she may have a financial emergency staring them in the face! (2) We may have more than one prize award on our itinerary — with another plane to catch later that day. (3) Travel is challenging enough these days without having to wait for a pokey carousel at baggage claim.
The biggest travel challenge we have nowadays is the most important thing we carry: The Big Check. Some overhead compartments are not large enough to hold it, especially the oversized cardboard certificates that feature jaw-dropping prize amounts like “$1 Million” or “$10 Million” or “$5,000 A Week for Life.” So we ask the flight attendant to find a suitable storage place, maybe in a First Class coat closet, and that always works out somehow.
We learned the hard way that it’s best to travel light. Some years ago a wonderfully personable employee at PCH was appointed to Prize Patrol duty. Her husband was so proud of her that he bought her a beautiful 5-piece luggage set for her to take on her “maiden voyage.” Well, when we all met at the airport for our outbound flight, we realized that we had a real travel challenge on our hands. And, boy-oh-boy, was it! (If you are reading this, Juju: thanks for cutting back to one bag on our later trips, and remember: we still love you.)
The next Big Check we deliver could be the BIGGEST ever — cumulative dollar-wise — in Publishers Clearing House history. Yes sir, someone who reads this blog and enters the PCH Sweepstakes by the August 23rd deadline (7 days away!) could win our incredible “FOREVER” prize. If YOU win it, you would receive $5,000 a week for the rest of your life. Then – after that – someone you choose will also receive $5,000 a week for the rest of his or her life.
Click here on this link to pch.com to enter — today and everyday. And August 31st the “FOREVER” prize winner could become YOU!
Good luck!
Dave Sayer
Prize Patrol Ambassador
P.S. TICK TOCK! Time’s running out!
