Around-the-World Travel Adventure Competition

Santa Monica, California, USA (April 12th) – Los Angeles, California will be the starting point for Teams competing in the eagerly anticipated 3rd annual around-the-world travel adventure competition and charity event: GreatEscape2005: The Global Scavenger Hunt™. The rest of the locations on this Blind Date With The World™ are still Top Secret! The global racecourse has been set up and the first stop for contestants vying for the title of The World’s Greatest Travelers™ will be Los Angeles, as the competing Teams assemble for the first time on Friday, April 15th to take A Blind Date with the World™--a blind date because the 10 countries on 4 continents they will be visiting over the next threes, is Top Secret! “The Los Angeles area is my home and really no better spot to begin this extraordinary world-class travel adventure competition from,” says Santa Monica author and Event Director William D. Chalmers, “Around the world in 80 days is kids stuff, we’ll be doing it in 22 days! We have competitors from Europe, Canada and the US participating this year. It is truly a global event and we are excited about the competition attracting sponsors like Eagle Creek and Lonely Planet—two top-notch global travel companies. It will be a wild three weeks on the road!” Family, friends, co-workers and armchair travelers alike will be visiting the website blog to stay up on the event. The Event Director will attempt to give readers a "words eye view" of the ongoing event: Where they are visiting; What Teams are doing; Which Teams are in the lead; What human drama is taking place; What issues the global event is running up against--because no matter how well you prepare issues do arise, and as they say, crap does happen!--and just generally give you as much insight as possible into the one of a kind 3rd annual travel adventure competition event as possible. After that, for the next three incredible and thrill-packed weeks, the two-person Teams will be limited to using only public transportation in their secret global destinations as they solve clues, answer cryptic questions and uncover exotic scavenges in this around-the-world competition and global scavenger hunt travel adventure for The World’s Greatest Travelers™ title. Between April 15th and May 7th, Teams will travel from Los Angeles to New York – the long way – and completing scavenges in 11 nations across 4 continents. Like Indiana Jones (and Janes) hot on the path of the Holy Grail, contestants will ride elephants to sacred temples, jostle atop camels around the world wonders, haggle in ancient souks, take part in bizarre festivals, and, in between the escalating daily thrills, catch their fair share of glorious sunsets and memorable local feasts. “Our cultural immersion requires Teams to ask questions of locals and be active participants in unique local cultural activities that get them engaged in the truly human connection of travel,” says Chalmers, who himself was knighted as the “World’s Greatest Traveler” by National Geographic Traveler magazine in 2002, “It’s from those personal interactions and authentic experiences that we all grow as people. That’s what The Global Scavenger Hunt™ annual event is all about, trusting strangers in strange lands.” Teams competing in 3rd edition of The Global Scavenger Hunt™ will also be doing it for a good cause by collectively helping to raise funds towards a $1 million goal for lauded organizations like: Doctors Without Borders, UNICEF, CARE, the World Monuments Fund, Mercy Corps International and the International Special Olympics, among others. The GreatEscape2005 Fact Sheet: What: Annual around-the-world Global Scavenger Hunt & travel adventure competition taking Teams of two on A Blind Date With The World. When: April 2005, three weeks between April 15th and May 8th. Teams will travel from LA to NY – the long way! Who: Limited to 25 Teams of 2: Prizes: $100,000 in Cash & Prizes and The World’s Greatest Travelers Crown. Where: A circumnavigation of the globe starting in Los Angeles and touching down on 4 continents and visiting 10 countries that may include: Peru, Brazil, Japan, China, Cambodia, India, Morocco, Greece, Italy and Czech Republic. (Remember, these are only potential countries - GreatEscape2005 is A Blind Date With The World for all its participants!) Why: Teams will be helping to raise a $1 million goal for ongoing humanitarian causes like: Doctors Without Borders, CARE, Mercy Corps International, World Monuments Fund, UNICEF, the International Special Olympics and Habitat of Humanity International. How: For additional information and applications, please visit GlobalScavengerHunt.com or contact 310.281.7809. GreatEscape2006, next year's event will be limited to 25 two-person Teams (singles may apply) that are required to pay or raise the $9,900 per person entry fee for the GreatEscape Foundation, which covers all the travelers international airfares, 23-nights in First Class hotels and about 40% of their meals. (Portions may be tax-deductible, please consult your tax advisor.) For additional information or to apply for GreatEscape2006, please visit GlobalScavengerHunt.com or contact the GreatEscape Foundation at 310.281.7809.