That’s right, scavenger hunt.
Not only does the trip, billed as a “blind date with the world,” expect participants to relinquish destination and itinerary control, they are also required on a daily basis to complete assigned tasks — for which they earn points — showing they have experienced “cultural immersion” in each location they are visiting.
This isn’t about knocking on someone’s hut in Africa and asking for a spare ivory tusk.
The tasks are much more participatory, requiring travelers to have their wits about them, to be extremely resourceful, and to practice the art of what founder and organizer Bill Chalmers describes as “trusting strangers in strange lands.”
Think more along the lines of crashing the Cannes Film Festival, as one team did on a prior trip. Or singing “Feelings” at a Ginza district karaoke bar with at least four other local patrons, capturing it on film for proof of a job well done.
Hackley and Hunt know they will be visiting China because that country required special visa instructions, but until they receive an itinerary and instructions for their scavenges each morning, they’re pretty much in the dark about their plans from one day to the next. Which is unusual for Hackley, who’s used to being in charge.
“That feeling of not worrying about where to go is enticing, but I feel a certain emptiness because I don’t have to be concerned about details,” he said.
Hackley is no stranger to challenge and endurance. As a member of The Travelers’ Century Club, he has traveled to all but 11 of the 317 countries listed by the international organization.
