Gap Adventures’ Global Entries Up!

Create Your Own Adventure, (www.createyourownadventure.com), the largest and most ambitious interactive competition ever staged by Gap Adventures, has garnered more than 7,500 entries from 90 countries on six continents in just three weeks. The contest has also drawn a total of 50,000 online visitors from 150 countries, with a number of intriguing entry trends emerging in recent days.

On the heels of the successful Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympic Games, proud Canadians are submitting itineraries reflecting their love of the country’s West coast, Inuit culture and heritage, as well as their pride in the record Canuck gold medal haul.

Some of the most compelling and patriotic itineraries included the 16-day Olympic Torch Relay Tour (http://createyourownadventure.com/tour/a2fLwddeDqP1), which would follow part of the 2010 torch relay route and touch destinations on Canada’s three majestic coasts, as well as the 14-day Inuit Culture and Northern Lights tour (http://createyourownadventure.com/tour/gSBXJTv9uTXU/), which would whisk nature-loving travellers from the quaint confines of Quebec City to the breathtaking shores of the Hudson Bay for a chance to experience traditional Inuit meals, soapstone carving and drum dances–not to mention possible encounters with polar bears, whales and caribou.

“I’m always moved by the tremendous life-changing impact that travel has on people from all walks of life,” Gap Adventures founder Bruce Poon Tip said. “It’s been wonderful to see a stronger sense of community build coast-to-coast as people rallied around the flag over the past month and then translated their national pride into building these truly creative dream itineraries.”

The Create Your Own Adventure contest invites everyone from once-a-year vacationers to seasoned globetrotters to submit an itinerary for the tour of their dreams, virtually anywhere in the world, virtually any way they want. Everyone with a winning tour idea can log on to www.createyourownadventure.com and use the customized itinerary engine to build their dream trip. The deadline for submissions is March 31, 2010 and the creator of the winning tour will have the opportunity to experience their adventure along with two lucky friends.