Global scavenger hunt is a race against time
By TIM MURPHY Special to the Daily Press
In April, 50 passengers will board a 747 from Los Angeles International Airport with no idea of where they are going or where they’ll end up.
The group — split into 25 groups of two each — will be part of the GreatEscape2002 — a three-week scavenger hunt that will take teams across four continents and to at least 10 countries. It’s being organized by two Santa Monicans, and the winner gets a $100,000 cash prize.
Once the plane crosses the international date-line, the teams will open sealed envelopes that contain airline tickets, hotel vouchers and a list of riddles, clues and cryptic passages that will lead to the most exotic and out-of-the-way places on Earth.
“They will be going from Los Angeles to New York, the long way,” said Pamela Finmark, a cofounder of GreatEscape2002. The entry fee is $9,900 per person and well worth it, said Santa Monica resident Bill Chalmers, the brainchild of the event.
From April 12 to May 5, the teams will dash from place to place, overcoming language barriers, cultural differences, transportation snafus, couple dynamics and team competition in the effort to get back to New York with the most assignments completed.
The first place team receives the “The World’s Greatest Travelers” crown and $50,000 in prize money; $25,000 to second place, and $15,000 to third place, plus bonus prizes.
Participants will have between 48 and 80 hours in each destination to complete as many “scavenges” as possible. One assignment may read something like this: “In Egypt ride a four-legged beast around the Pyramids wearing a traditional Arab galabyia and headdress purchased in Khan al-Khalili. (Grand Bazaar). Or, in Thailand locate the eatery in the Night Bazaar that specializes in insect entrees and sample two house specials.”
“It’s a global travel adventure competition with seamless air travel and inviting hotels for less than $430 a day,” Chalmers said. “And if you win, fame and fortune await you.”
The event also will raise $1 million for various goodwill organizations like the Nobel Peace Prize winning Doctors without Borders, UNICEF, CARE, the International Special Olympics, MERCY Corps and the World Monuments Fund. Some of the money also will go to the families affected by the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.
The GreatEscape Foundation, a nonprofit organization, aims to raise $1 million a year for relief organizations in a pledge-per-mile fashion like walk-a-thons and the LA AIDS ride events, with teams obtaining pledges.
“It’s our goal that each team be sponsored at one dollar per mile for the 40,000 mile trip,” Finmark said. “Forty thousand times 25 teams is $1 million.”
Chalmers came up with the idea of the GreatEscape2002 after he won the 1989 HumanRace — an international travel adventure race around-the-world using public transportation. But Chalmers wanted to create an event that challenges travelers to immerse themselves in a variety of cultures in a short time.
“I’ve already circled the globe in less than 17 days on public transportation. It was fun, but I missed a lot,” he said. “So, while I still want the competition aspect of an international event, I want people to be able to slow down and appreciate the beauty of some of the Shangri-La spots we’ll be visiting and talk to the locals. I also want to emphasize that Indiana spirit of adventure and fun to our contestants who’ll be forced to use their wits and resourcefulness.”
“... I still want the competition aspect of an international event, I want people to be able to slow down and appreciate the beauty of some of the Shangri-La spots we’ll be visiting and talk to the locals. I also want to emphasize that Indiana spirit of adventure and fun to our contestants who’ll be forced to use their wits and resourcefulness.” — — BILL CHALMERS GreatEscape2002 organizer
Global teams have already applied from Sweden, South Africa, Japan, Canada, Ireland, Austria and the United States. The cut-off is March 7, There are still openings for individuals and teams to participate in GreatEscape2002. For more information call GreatEscape at 310-281-7809.
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on February 9, 2002. Read the original PDF.