This company wants to pay you $15,000 to go to the beach this summer—here's how to apply

Who wouldn't want to get paid to sit on a beach and sip a cool drink? That dream could be your reality if you enter a new contest from Hotels.com.

The hotel booking website is looking for a "Retro Beach Motelier" who will get paid $15,000 to visit the company's "10 best retro beach motels" across the U.S. this summer. The money includes a $10,000 travel stipend — the hotels are far-flung across the country, from Florida and Maine to Washington state and southern California — and a $5,000 "salary" to spend on whatever you like during your travels.

Hotels.com says it will also outfit the contest winner with sunscreen, umbrellas, vintage sunglasses, a cooler, a solar-powered AM/FM radio and a retro polaroid camera. The only requirement for the winner: Use that camera to document the trip "for future generations."

To apply, you'll have to fill out an online questionnaire that asks for your Instagram handle and includes prompts like "If you time traveled to the '50s, who would you spend your beach vacation with?" and "Describe why the retro beach motel is your perfect somewhere."

The company says it'll choose a winner based on three metrics: creativity and originality, quality of submission and fit to theme.

The winning traveler's itinerary includes old-school boutique beach motels across the country, like San Diego's The Pearl Hotel and The Montauk Beach House in Long Island, New York. The motels come from Hotels.com's recent ranking of the top 10 "retro beach motels" in the U.S., based on factors like average guest ratings, motel design, price value and location.