Competitours: The Amazing Race meets Travel Improv

Gotta admit, I’m not much one for reality shows. I think I’ve seen the Amazing Race once. Yet I got a wee bit excited when I started perusing through the Competitours website.

For those who are like me and only know that they eat bugs on the Amazing Race (wait, that’s a different show, right?), what the people over at Competitours are doing might seem like a whole new phenomenon.

Basically, you travel around Europe as a part of a team and do all kinds of cool challenges based on whether you are in the city or the country that day.

Here’s an example of one of their challenges:

Visit a Torture Museum in Prague, choose three instruments of torture and explain how each could be used as a non-lethal household item.

That’s what I like to see – reduce, reuse, recycle.

Another one:

Go to the top of the Eiffel Tower and recruit and videotape 15 other tourists to do a rousing rendition of the French national dance, the can-can.

That’s actually a good way to get to know people while you’re traveling, and hey, you might end up getting some complimentary Cotes du Rhone from an appreciative French viewer.

Travel Now, Pay Later

Dance, boy, dance! /Photo: earcos

The really interesting part is there’s no upfront pay-to-play; you pay after the trip is over.

That way, you can make your own videos, upload them to your blog, and have a nice little “donate here” button that might get you some cash for the payment (no need to thank me for the idea…actually, please do).

They have a few different packages to choose from – standard for 14 days, express for 10 days, and a nice little budget trip for 8 days.

The next budget trip is soon, June 8-15, but if you can’t swing that, there is an express one that begins June 22 and a standard one on July 9.

Ok, the really REALLY interesting part, I will admit, is the grand prize: a worldwide travel spree, with up to 40 nights (!) paid hotel for the standard trip, with 2 airline tickets and $5,000 in spending money, baby. And you can go just about anywhere in the world there is a Starwood Hotel (yes, staying in a hotel–not a hostel. Ahh, luxury).

Beat “The Hippy” From The Amazing Race

But if you are one of those people that does know a lot about the Amazing Race, you’ll be pumped to hear that the Amazing Race Season 9 winner, Tyler MacNiven (otherwise known as “The Hippy”) and his Mom will be on the July 28th trip.

So if you want to take them down, here’s your chance!

Be sure to check out Eva Holland’s previous piece on Competitours over at Matador Pulse.

Are you up for the challenge? Share your thoughts below.