I’m reluctant to write about this contest, as I entered it myself and am absolutely dying to win (you can VOTE FOR ME here, if you wish!). But I’ve been told that several thousand people have already entered, meaning my chances aren’t great, so I’m giving in and letting my readers know about this awesome opportunity.
The self-proclaimed world’s first un-popularity contest, Get Rid of Me, will award the winner with a six-month round-the-world trip for two. The adventure will entail visiting a staggering 18 countries across four continents.
Entrants are asked to create a profile and explain why they deserve to be banished for six months. When they sign up, they are encouraged to upload a photo of themselves and post brief daily confessions about why they should be gotten rid of. One of mine was, “I just interviewed Gary Arndt, who’s been traveling the world for 3 years. I’m so jealous.” Entrants can also upload videos, if they choose.
All expenses will be generously paid for by On The Go Tours, a UK-based company with more than 10 years of adventure tourism experience. They offer tours around the world in places such as Egypt, India, Russia, Turkey, China, Jordan, Morocco, South America, Sri Lanka, Africa and the Himalayas.
On The Go Tours will be providing the winner with local contacts and fun adventures at every stop. The winner will also be given a video camera and custom blog that they will use to document the adventure.
The winning trip includes trips to China, Egypt, India, Jordan, Kenya, South Africa, Morocco, Nepal, Russia and Turkey, plus a trip on the Trans-Siberian Railway—one of my dream travel experiences!
Entrants are expected to gather votes. Fortunately, it’s not a contest where the person with the most votes wins (I hate those, especially since people always find a way to cheat!). It’s a lottery system in which someone will be chosen randomly, but for each vote you get, you get one more entry. So basically, the more votes you get, the better the chance you have of winning.
In a press release, On The Go boss Jay Lakshman jokes, “We’re providing a serious public service here by sending this person away, we’ll spare their friends, family, neighbours and co-workers, and hopefully their experiences abroad will take the edge off their personality. It may seem perverse to reward the winner of an unpopularity contest with the holiday of a lifetime, but we like to think of it as a favour to the rest of us stuck back home.”
Here are some of the reasons contestants are giving for why they deserve to win:
- Caroline Mahanga has been a mum since 16 and wants six months off from her kids!
- Neeltjie van Vuuren has apparently never been on a plane!
- Alexandra Best wants to try a new, local cheese in every country on the trip. Now THAT is living.
- Claire Stasse plans to offer her spare ticket to her ex-best-friend. But will it be accepted?
The competition closes on September 30, and a winner will be picked in October. Good luck! Actually, no. Bad, bad luck. I want to win!
