Pro Sound News Europe

Pro Sound News Europe

Pro Sound News Europe

The Global Scavenger Hunt is a pretty well-known travel contest: 25 groups of two compete to complete certain tasks all over the world (think Amazing Race) with an aspect of cultural immersion thrown in. One previous participant, Steve Belkin, thought the premise was great - but felt somewhat dissatisfied by the actual travel package experience. A lifelong entrepreneur, Belkin took that dissatisfaction and used it to create a new team travel competition, Competitours. He sat down to talk with Luxury Travel about Competitours.

Interview

Luxury Travel: Competitours has a slogan, "Competitours will transform you from a mere tourist into a 'reality travel game' contestant on your vacation to Europe." What does this mean?

Steve Belkin: A vacation in Europe is a luxury for most Americans. Competitours ensures that a trip to Europe will make for some great memories. It's 14-day, 5-country travel game with 16 pairs of travelers competing to earn points. But these points aren't gained by strength or speed, but by originality and creativity. For example, after tasting a small batch beer at a microbrewery in Amsterdam, contestants may be asked to create a short commercial extolling its values. The teams don't have to do every point-earning task, and gain points even by, say, simply drinking the beer in the first place. Bu the more the teams do - and the more creatively they do them - the more points are accrued.

LT: You competed in the Global Scavenger Hunt. What was it that you didn't like about it?

SB: It's not that I didn't like it; I did. But the competition was fast-paced, and highly structured. I felt that seeing the world and really experiencing other cultures would have to involve more free choice in terms of activities. Also, the Global Scavenger Hunt is very expensive. Competitours is much more affordable. The Global Scavenger Hunt really is global; contestants spend a lot of time on airplanes throughout the contest. Competitours is focused on Europe, so that a lot less time is spent traveling between destinations, and more time is spent enjoying those surprise European cities.

LT: Tell me more about the pricing, please.