This year's "It's Read Everywhere" contest winners are ...

By Robin Hartill
| 5:00 a.m. November 12, 2014

Michael Gibson surprised his mom, Kristina Gibson, and dad, not pictured, as they disembarked in Hong Kong on one of their stops on a Queen Mary 2 world cruise. They read their Observer while overlooking the Central District of Hong Kong from Kowloon.

Sarasota
Neighbors

Observer readers have both roots and wings — as they demonstrated in their travels over the past year.

This summer you truly took flight — and we’re honored that 182 of you took us along for your travels by packing a copy of the Longboat Observer, East County Observer, Sarasota Observer and Pelican Press and sending us photos as you traveled the globe to all seven continents.

And although you saw the world you didn’t forget your roots and brought your hometown newspapers with you on your adventures. A few highlights:

We watched Derek Jeter play his final game at Yankee Stadium in New York and the first stage of the Tour De France in England.

We attended the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics in Russia and the Cannes Film Festival on the French Riviera.

We traveled to the “Hobbiton” movie set in New Zealand, Salvador Dali’s home in Port Lagot, Spain, and St. Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City (but sadly we didn’t meet the pope).

We went on more cruises than we could count, including one around the world, swam in the Dead Sea and the Blue Lagoon, in Iceland, and stomped grapes while reading the paper at Grgich Hills Estate in Napa Valley, Calif.

All 182 journeys were memorable to us, but our readers have chosen their favorites, voting 1,801 times.
The sky is the limit for our four winners, each of whom will receive two travel certificates from Sarasota-Bradenton International Airport (SRQ).

Michael Gibson, whose photo of himself and his mother, Kristina Gibson, in Hong Kong after he surprised his parents as they disembarked from a cruise received 981 votes, had not decided how he would use his winnings Monday.

“In the continental U.S., there are a lot of nice places I would like to go, but since my wife’s not here, I’ll defer that to debate.”

We can’t wait to see what next year brings us — both while reporting local news here and on our adventures with you afar — because you readers make us feel on top of the world.

Travel itinerary
It’s time to plan your travels for next year’s “It’s Read Everywhere” contest, which begins Nov. 13 and will run through October. Sarasota-Bradenton International Airport (SRQ) is the sponsor.

Upload photos at YourObserver.com/itsreadeverywhere.