Gwinnett Daily Post

DULUTH -- Talk about summer getaways.

Duluth resident Gail Donaldson recently traveled nearly 6,000 miles with a friend to Papeete, Tahiti, in the South Pacific where they boarded a luxury cruise ship and went on an eight-day cruise of French Polynesia.

Donaldson won the trip in the spring, an outing valued at about $8,100, through a contest called Imagine Happiness, sponsored by Ensemble Travel Group, an international network of nearly 850 travel agencies in the United States and Canada.

In her entry, Donaldson expressed her love of cruising, especially to a tropical destination like Tahiti. While on the cruise, Donaldson got to explore the island's archeological sites, native foods and natural beauty.

"The warmth of the Tahitian people and their willingness to share all aspects of their daily life just blew me away," Donaldson said.

Founded in 1968, Ensemble Travel Group is a member-owned international organization with a membership that represents billions of dollars in travel sales every year.