Join the Ultimate Travel Challenge

TravelChallenge.Earth sets up travel based challenges for you and your group to enjoy.  We bring together travel enthusiasts to partake in unique travel challenges, allowing you to experience new adventures and places, all with the adrenaline of a race against the other teams. 
Experience the thrill of navigating Europe using only public transport as you make your way back to London. 
This is a fun opportunity to bond with friends, meet new people, and document your travel journey.

THE CHALLENGE
2025 sees our first ever challenge.  Being based across Europe, and lasting up to 6 days, you and all of the teams will fly to an undisclosed location somewhere in Europe.  All teams will arrive at the same airport and meet up.  Teams can consist of 2 or 3 people, and can be friends, family or couples.  Prior to the trip, each team will be given the details of all of the teams and their participants, so we all know who we're up against.

At an agreed time, at the airport, the race begins.
Your team then needs to make their way to the finish line which is Trafalgar Square in London.

THE RULES
You must use public transport with the exception of flights and the Eurotunnel.  Commercial or private flights of any kind are not permitted.  While you may use the Eurostar for parts of your travel, the Eurotunnel is not allowed.  
Public transport means any form of travel available to the general public.  This includes but is not limited to trains, buses and taxis.  Hitchhiking, using your own vehicle or obtaining lifts from friends or the public is not allowed.

No travel or accommodation can be pre-booked. You will only know the starting airport just before the challenge begins.

NAVIGATING
The use of technology to research, arrange or book travel or accommodation is not to be used during the challenge.  You will be given a map of Europe at the start of the race.  You may pick up other maps or travel timetables during your journey to help you.
Any knowledge or prior travel you have done will help you, but you will find yourself having to find buses or trains or hotels last minute.
You cannot seek assistance from anyone back home or by using technology.  You can only use timetables or ticket machines/counters you find on your journey.  You are allowed to communicate with other teams, but it is up to you if you help or hinder them.

ADVENTURE TO REMEMBER
To make sure it is a trip to remember and experience, it will not be an all out race across Europe.
The race pauses at 10pm each evening, and resumes at 6am each morning.  No travel can be made during the night, except for 1 night.  You'll check-in your GPS with the challenge co-ordinator at 10pm and 6am to verify that no progress has been made, with the exception of 1 night.  Do you use this night of freedom to get ahead early in the game or to catch up if you fall behind schedule?

Also, you must stop travel for a single 6 hour block every day.  Use this time to eat, sight-see or go shopping.  You will check-in your GPS and declare your 6 hours break with the co-ordinator at the start and end to ensure no progress has been made.  You may travel about during your break time, but you must restart from the same location.  Your 6 hour break time also pauses overnight, so if you use 3 hours in the evening then the remaining 3 hours continue after the race restarts the next day.  

During your journey, you should document (video) your progress.  You might be on a jam packed train for 3 hours, or drinking wine in a quiet town square, or maybe you've just missed your connecting bus.  You may post your travels on social media, but avoid giving away your general location.  Teams can communicate with each other, but should not plan or team-up together.  The challenge co-ordinator will check-in with all teams regularly.  The challenge will run for a maximum of 6 days (144 hours) from the start time.  At the half-way point, the challenge co-ordinator will announce the location of all teams to everyone.  Will you be ahead of the pack, or will you need to get a wriggle on?

IT'S ONLY FOR FUN
At this stage, it's only for fun.  There is no prize.  You'll get to have a great adventure and pit your wits against the other teams.  After the event is over, we will make a video from everyone's videos, and we'll all meet up for an evening of fun, travel stories, and to acknowledge the winning team.
TravelChallenge.Earth will arrange you initial flight to the start line, and will referee/co-ordinate the race.
Each participate is responsible for their own travel and accommodation expenses, as well as their own safety and well-being.  All laws must be adhered to at all times.  
All ages groups and levels of travel experience welcome.
All participants must have a valid passport and have no restrictions or exclusions to free travel within Europe.
The typical cost of your journey will be determined before the event, but depends on your choice of travel.

WHEN
No specific date has been set yet.  For now, please register your interest if you'd like to take part, or if you'd like to be a challenge co-ordinator.  Once there are enough teams registered, we will work out a date that suits everyone.  And if all goes well, there could be a second trip in 2025 and more throughout 2026 !