This year Orange created Balloonacy: the world's first internet balloon race. It was designed to promote the PAYG Animal packages in an original, playful and interactive way.

A tantalising VIP trip to Ibiza was the prize for the winner and ensured plenty of people entered the race. Over the course of a week, contestants followed their chosen animal balloon - a dolphin, canary, raccoon or camel. You could give your mates a boost and there were daily prize draws to spice things up a little.

We caught up with Tom Langdon - the jammy devil who won the fabulous week in Ibiza. We found out how he won the race, what he loved about Balloonacy and the gossip from his week on The White Isle...

The fabulous villa Tom and his mates shared

So Tom, how did you hear about Balloonacy? I’m an Advertising student at Bucks New Uni, and digital is an area we all keep a really close eye on. I kept spotting the little pre-race balloons online, so I signed up.

What did you like about the Balloonacy concept? I'm a sucker for anything fresh and I couldn't wait to see how an internet balloon race would actually work. There was something bizarrely compelling about the whole thing - you knew you had to be watching the race all the time to stay in the running, but because the balloons took about five minutes to cross each page, you could leave it in the background and get on with something else without missing out.

What was your recipe for success? It must have taken an awful lot of dedication.
Luckily for me the race started about a week after I'd left uni for the summer break, so I had a lot of time to kill. I raced casually in the background the first day but after telling a friend about it, we started working in shifts. My mate Matt took it during the day, and I took over late afternoon and raced through the night.

Tom (left) and his Balloonacy partner in crime, Matt

That’s pretty heavy going! Did you ever feel like giving up? The worst bit was about 24 hours before it was all set to finish. We had a 250 mile lead but it was smashed by someone rocketing up from second place. But with the thought of a luxury trip to Ibiza spurring us on, we persevered and made it in the end!

We’re all dying to know: what was the Ibiza week like?! We stayed in what can only be described as a holiday estate - the villa had it's own grounds, private access to a beach and a pool the size of a tennis court. We were met at the airport by Gunter, who organised fantastic things for us to do all week. We had a chef cook for us for two nights and we were treated like royalty. The week was a blur of clubs, hippy markets, speedboat rides, clifftop walks, brilliant food and unforgettable moments!

Tom and his mates enjoying a slap up dinner!

How jealous are we? Sounds like a trip of a lifetime. Well done Tom!