The Luxury of a Family Travel Competition
When Parents Team Up With Teens, Memories of the Game are Created
Feb 2, 2009
Competitours is a new travel competition, slowing down the sometimes manic pace of contest like The Amazing Race and the Global Scavenger Hunt. This team travel contest focuses solely on European destinations, so more time is able to be spent in each city. It provides a unique and compelling travel experience, without sacrificing the amenities that luxury travelers have come to expect. It easily provides a new twist to luxury family travel in Europe.
Steve Belkin, Competitours' CEO ("and janitor," he says) described to Luxury Travel the many fun and special aspects of a Competitours travel adventure. The contest takes Americans from home to surprise European destinations, wherein certain activities are participated in, and sights seen, for each team to accrue points. Each team can decide which activities to do (although they must all go to the same predetermined countries and cities). Belkin especially recommends Competitours for family pairs. The low-stress route to traveling that has been embraced by many older travelers is reflected in Competitours' overarching theme: Enjoy the country you're visiting, and get to know it well.
The luxury of time spent with family members cannot be overstated - or overvalued - these days. Teams made up of parents and teens or adult children (even grandparents and teens) can draw on the skills the different generations bring to the table. No matter how much fun is being had exploring the quirkier aspects of a given European city or town, this is still a competition, and the more creative the tasks are done, the more points each team accrues. There is a terrific dynamic at work with Competitours that bridges the generation gap: Collaboration.
Parents or Grandparents and Teens or Adult Children Make Joint Decisions in Many Areas
- Which point earning strategy to pursue
- Plotting travel strategy using only public transport
- How to shoot a challenge video that will get the judges' highest score
- Which activities and tasks to pursue at each locale
- Daily assessment of game strategy based on quickly-changing position in standings
Sample Challenges
- Go to the Eiffel Tower and recruit/videotape a dozen tourists doing the can-can
- Visit the Viking Museum in Oslo and later shoot a short commercial "selling" a 9th century Viking Ship as a vacation option
- Go to the Torture Museum in Prague, and later shoot a video explaining how an instrument of torture could be used as a nonlethal household item
Each competitor brings requisite strengths to the travel contest. In terms of family teams, the teens and young adults will likely be the masters of the videoblogging part, documenting each challenge - this involves working the camera, uploading via wifi/internet cafe, and providing almost real time updates. Older generations can use their previous travel experiences and know-how in a given destination to help make smart decisions about how to structure each day's itinerary.
Memories of immersing in a foreign culture and working together as a team is an ideal gift for a family to give itself. Steve Belkin told Luxury Travel that "while a parent or grandparent may prefer to take their teen on a full service luxury trip [to Europe], Competitours offers a far more satisfying and relationship-building environment." No one will forget the grand prize of a world-wide travel spree, of course. However, the goal of accomplishing a daily series of interactive and fun challenges in interesting and historic European cities and villages, is worth the trip in and of itself.
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