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Friday, January 30, 2009

Competitours : a personalised race to experience Europe

Some people describe my travels as a crazy race against time, dashing here and there around the world. So naturally I was interested to hear of a new concept by Competitours.

They've developed a package that provides lots of different experiences around Europe in a competitive race format. It's an odd cross between the traditional European tours, independent travel and The Amazing Race. Unlike the tv show, almost anyone can participate (in teams of 2).

How it works is this:

There is a 2 week secret itinerary across 5 European countries. Each destination is only revealed the day beforehand. At each place there are a range of activities and experiences to select from to complete. Each activity is worth a number of points based on difficulty and time. Get the most points by the end and you win a prize. The competition rules and itinerary are structured so as to ensure there is plenty of free time outside the competition to do other stuff.

Since there are lots of choices, in effect everyone will have their own personalised tour. The intention is that even if you don't win the competition you still win by having a fun trip and experiencing more of Europe than you'd get from an organised tour.

If you are on Flyer Talk, Randy Petersen is generously sponsoring a team for a mid-March tour. Register your interest, and submission to be chosen, in the discussion thread by early February.

6 comments:

pamelaf said...

Sounds great, but for those that are truly interested in a real mano-mano global travel adventure competition of epic quality and scope...one that will visit 10 countries across 4 contintents over a three week period...and crown The World's Greatest Travelers...see The Global Scavenger Hunt. www.GlobalScavengerHunt.com...That's the place were Steve got his idea from! P -

The Global Traveller said...

I blogged about Global Scavenger Hunt a few months ago.

brian said...

I think the popularity of the Amazing Race has made these types of competitions much more interesting to more people. Great concept.

Kevin Evans said...

5 countries in 14 days is pretty fast-paced, but to win you’ll need to be pretty up to speed on the places before you go. I reckon Competitours will be like a master-class - deep-dive learning on specific countries and cultures you’re interested in.

Sounds like a blast. We’re going to send some writers (not me unfortunately :-( ) to document the practice run in March.

Check out The Travel Editor.com’s write up here:
http://www.thetraveleditor.com/article/1908/Feature_Article_Experience_Competitours_The_Amazing_Race_for_the_21st_Century.html

Unknown said...

I'm Tyler MacNiven, I won season 9 of the Amazing Race. If you want to race around the world without being a secret agent or Amazing Race contestant, then Competitours is the best bet. I've been itching for race-mode again so I signed up for a Competitours race this summer. I'll be racing with the fastest lady I know: my Mother. It is a magical experience to charge through foreign landscapes with intense, fun, and creative missions. Competitours focuses more on creativity and fun than high level stress. Winning formula if you ask me. Come race with us!

Unknown said...

It's race day! (only if you are in China, because it's still the 27th here in San Francisco). Tomorrow my Mother and I hitch a metal bird to Geneva Switzerland to begin challenging ten other innocent teams on a race of wit and mental prowess. My Mother, of whom they based the character Nancy Drew on, and I have wild expectations of expecting the unexpected. Adventure, excitement, delicious European food! Here we come!!