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Around-the-World Travel Adventure CompetitionTeams have started getting ready for GreatEscape2004: The Global Scavenger Hunt an around-the-world travel adventure competition. But only the most travel savvy globetrotters need apply. It took Magellan over three years to do it. It took Jules Verne's Phileas Fogg character 80-days to it. Amelia Earhart would have made it in about 45 days. It will take those in GreatEscape2004 just 22 days to do it. The "it" they share, is circumnavigating the globe! So, couch potatoes need not apply. This real world travel adventure competition is only for truly curious and travel savvy globetrotters among us. GreatEscape2004: The Global Scavenger Hunt is for travelers who crave an authentic adventure, enjoy exotic travel, and hunger for a real life travel competition. For three thrill-packed weeks beginning April 16th, 2004, teams made up of Indiana Jones and Jane-types will compete in this annual around-the-world competition. The Global Scavenger Hunt offers winning travel adventurers $100,000 in prizes and "The World's Greatest Travelers title." Like 1930's, anthropologist-adventurers hot on the path of the Holy Grail, contestants will ride elephants to sacred temples, jostle atop camels around the Pyramids, haggle in ancient souks, partake in bizarre cultural festivals, and, in between the escalating daily thrills, catch their fair share of Himalayan sunrises and Mediterranean sunsets. Travel savvy participants will treasure this once-in-a-lifetime around-the-world adventure. "Our travel adventure competition will move Teams away from having their noses stuck in guidebooks and get them engaged in the human connection of travel," says William D. Chalmers, the events organizer, "It's from those personal interactions and up close 'n personal experiences that we all grow as people. That's what The Global Scavenger Hunt is all about. Our unofficial motto is to have our travelers trust strangers in strange lands." The annual charitable fundraising event promises to combine the style of the 19th Century Grand Tours with the jet-setter reality of 21st Century travel, GreatEscape2004 will take an exclusive group of 25-Teams of two on a three-week adventure of a lifetime. Teams will circle the globe from Los Angeles to New York City--the long way!--while completing unique cultural-oriented scavenges in unusual locations and be competing for cash and "The World's Greatest Travelers" trophy. "GreatEscape2004 is designed as a true cultural immersion. We believe that travel brings people closer together, fosters global understanding and improves compassion for all involved," continues Chalmers, who was recently dubbed the 'world's greatest traveler' by National Geographic Traveler magazine, "Going around-the-world on one trip is an exciting prospect and when we add a lot of Indiana Jones-like adventure to it, we feel that The Global Scavenger Hunt has all the makings of a classic travel adventure competition bar none." Created for independent travelers who thirst for spontaneity, new experience and human interaction, the around-the-world event is designed to be a rally rather than a flat out race. GreatEscape2004 will have Teams travel across 4 continents over three weeks between April 16th and May 9th, 2004, with Teams earning points by completing a series of cultural-oriented scavenges in each of 10 exotic destinations. Three winning Teams will divide $100,000 in prizes, but only the First Place Team will earn "The World's Greatest Travelers" crown. Teams will be limited to using public transportation only while solving clues. "Public transportation makes a foreign environment seem, well, more foreign!" continues Chalmers, travel book author and the winner of a previous race around the world, "Participating Teams will get more than some snapshots, a sunburn and souvenirs, they'll replenish their memory banks with exciting and exotic experiences. I suspect, like the Eco-Challenge for physically fit marathon trekkers, that GreatEscape2004 will be the ultimate cocktail hour competition among savvy travelers. More than just a travel a competition however, Teams will be helping to raise a million dollar goal for some great charities." Applications are being accepted at www.GlobalscavengerHunt.com or by calling 310.281.7809. Teams will be reviewed for suitability; single applicants will be paired with like-minded travelers in what may be the ultimate Blind Date with The World! The entry fee of $9,900 includes all airfare, hotels and special events for the three-week adventure. (Some expenses associated with the event may be tax-deductible--please consult with your accountant or tax-advisor.) The GreatEscape Foundation is using the annual travel competition as the springboard to raise funds for worthy international humanitarian organizations, including: Nobel Peace Prize winning Doctors Without Borders, UNICEF, CARE, International Special Olympics, Conservation International, Habitat for Humanity International and the World Monuments Fund, among others. Edited by Dave Shultz |
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