So I just won my first trip a couple of days ago, and I will be calling the sponsor soon to ask some questions before sending off my Affidavit... I was curious what kind of experience others had when arranging your trip wins?

Some questions I have:

Were you able to work w/ the sponsor with a specific hotel/hotels you would like to stay at (like in my case, my hotel accommodations are non-specific, other than one room, double occupancy for 2 nights)?

Were you able to request a specific flight number/departure time? We would much prefer to take a red-eye if possible to maximize our time in New York.

Were you able to extend your trip an extra night (or more) at your own expense?

In your experience did the ARV differ greatly from the original price you were given and were you taxed on actual costs at the time of booking? On my paperwork is says "For tax purposes the prize is estimated to have a fair market value of $5,040; although such such amount may change depending on cost of travel and accommodations." When I took a look at flight costs/hotel accommodations in addition to everything else I am getting, it seems to me the ARV should be more like $3,000... I just don't want to get taxed on an extra $2000, so I was very curious about that.

Anything else I should know?   

  MrsCorkyLeigh - have you read:

ARV and your taxes {TY to LIDARKSIDE}
http://www.sweepstakesplus.com/smf/arv-and-your-taxes-ty-to-lidarkside-t50686.0.html

Start writing them down so you have a list to work from when you call. You may come up with a few more questions by then.

I won a trip to Barbados a few years ago.  While the sponsor selected the hotel (which was beautiful) I was able to pick the date we went.  They also selected the airline but I was able to work with them to pick out flight times.  I never got a 1099 for so I never paid taxes on the trip.  The ARV was way more than the actual cost of trip though!