GE 2017: If repetition creates a master ….

If repetition creates a master ….then Rainey and I are officially MASTERS of around-the-world scavenger hunts.  Today starts our TENTH time on the Great Escape trip.  We have taken these three weeks off our life - each year for the past decade - and had adventures, solved riddles and decoded puzzles in more than 50 countries. We have dragged along with us, over the years, our children, siblings, nieces, parents and close friends.  Best memories ever.  We can’t wait for the 2017 event to begin…

For new readers, here is a brief overview about this incredible event:

•       The Great Escape global scavenger hunt is a travel competition. There are ten teams: each team has two people.  We will go west – around the world – starting in San Francisco and ending up, 23 days later, in New York City.  But, and this is the fun part, the event is a “blind date with the world” so we do not know what countries we will visit.  We find out the next country only four hours before we move on. 
• 
  
•       When we land in a new country, the Great Escape organizers (Bill and Pamela) will open that leg of the event and give each team a long list of possible scavenges for that leg .  With the time allocated, you can usually only complete a fraction of the list.  So the strategy is in what scavenges each team selects to complete. The more you do, the more points you make.  And each challenge has different assigned points.  So do you do a series of lower point scavenges in a morning or try for one big value - but also harder and longer to accomplish - scavenge? 
• 
  
•          The team that wins the entire event will be crowned “The World’s Greatest Travelers” and get to repeat the entire trip next year: for free!!

Today we met in San Francisco for an orientation event with Bill and Pamela.  Introductions and an explanation of the rules.  Then a lovely Bon Voyage party. The organizer's son (Lucca) will also be on the trip with us.  And their daughter goes to college at UC Berkeley so she joined us for dinner. Pamela turned FIFTY today so there was extra cause for celebrations.  

The event will start this year with a day of exploring in San Francisco.  We start at 8:30AM tomorrow so I'm off to bed.

But first .... Meet the intrepid adventurers in this year’s competition.  As you will see, the event is totally addictive.  People fall in love with the experience and come back year after year.  

The Traveling Bohemians: A Father / daughter team

One of my dearest friends, Marnie Cervenka, was supposed to be on the trip with her youngest daughter, Catherine.  Marnie did Great Escapes a few years ago with her older daughter and had a blast. But this year was not to be.  A cancer diagnosis and treatment at MD Anderson side-lined Marnie, who beat back cancer over the last 3 months with incredible grace and grit.  Instead her husband Greg stepped up. Greg and Catherine did half of the Great Escape trip a few years ago and are back this time for a full 3 weeks. 

Nola Second Line:  Betty and Jim

Betty and Jim hail from New Orleans.  They have done the trip now three years in a  row: at their own pace.  They jealously protect their LAST place position in the rankings each year. 

Slo Folks: Tom and Paula

Another repeat team, Tom and Paula were on the trip last year and we so enjoyed scavenging with them on the Kenya leg (think hot air balloon ride over the Serengetti at dawn).  They are from San Luis Obispo, California and my money is on the Slo Folks coming in strong in 2017. Great competitors with adventurer soul and great gear.

Team Ying:  A second father / daughter team

A million years ago, when Alan Ying was a pre-med college student at Rice, he worked for my fledgling law firm.  Then he went off to study medicine and create apps for doctors and conquer the world.  So it is extra special to have him and his daughter on the trip. Sydney is a freshman at the same high school as my youngest son, Jordan, in Houston, Texas.

Yolo Go Now:  Mark and Lily

This team came all the way from Shanghai to compete.  If we go to China, they will have a clear advantage.

Thunder Snow:  Jenny and Mark

Now this is an interesting concept:  these two never met each other before today.  And they are about to go around the world together!!  Apparently Jenny wanted to do the event and needed a partner.  Some mutual friends suggested that Mark might be up to it.  And off they go ... taking a stranger to strange lands.

Flying Snitches: Avni and Rochi

A girl power team from Phoenix, Arizona

Long Gone:  Jeff and Ella

Another repeat competitor, Jeff came on the event several years ago as a "single" and got randomly matched up with another stranger by the organizers.  Now he's back with his girlfriend.... all the way from New Zealand.

TSA Precheck Yourself:  Mike and Gilly

From Los Angeles, this couple are on a year sabbatical from life and decided to do something crazy while they had the free time.  Why not see the world in a whole new way?