New York Times Best-Selling Author Joins Gap Adventures as the Surprise Celebrity Judge for Create Your Own Adventure Contest

    TORONTO, ON, March 06, 2010 /24-7PressRelease/ -- New York Times best-selling author Patricia Schultz has been announced as the 10th celebrity judge in an esteemed panel that will select the Top 20 finalists of Gap Adventures' highly-popular Create Your Own Adventure contest (www.createyourownadventure.com).

But the author of the definitive travel guide 1,000 Places to See Before You Die--who was named one of the 25 most influential women in travel by Forbes Magazine in 2008--will have extra judging duties to carry out before she helps decide the top finalists. For all entries submitted between March 8 and March 13, Schultz will select her five choices for 'Best Adventure to Experience Before You Die' out of the hundreds of worldwide submissions. The five winners will be awarded a $500 USD Gap Adventures travel voucher, as well as a signed copy of 1,000 Places to See Before You Die including a personalized message from the author.

"I'm absolutely thrilled to participate in such a dynamic online contest," Schultz said. "Create Your Own Adventure allows travellers to share the itinerary of their dreams with others and communicate their passion for adventure to the world--I don't think you could ask for anything more from a travel contest."

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.

"Having Patricia Schultz come aboard as a judge simply is the perfect addition to this panel," said Gap Adventures founder Bruce Poon Tip. "Her commitment to exploring the world in search of authentic travel experiences aligns perfectly with our goals when we first dreamt up this contest. I can't wait for her to join me and the rest of our travel-loving judges to select the finalists."

About Patricia Schultz
Patricia Schultz is the author of the international bestsellers 1,000 Places to See Before You Die (now with nearly 3 million copies in print and translated into 25 languages) and 1,000 Places to See in the USA and Canada Before You Die. A veteran travel journalist with 25 years of experience, she has written for Frommer's, Berlitz and Access travel guides, as well as BusinessWeek, Oprah and Real Simple. She also executive-produced a Travel Channel television show based on her book, 1,000 Places To See Before You Die. Her home base is New York City.
www.1000beforeyoudie.com

About Gap Adventures
Gap Adventures is a world leader in the adventure travel industry offering small group adventures on all seven continents and beyond to more than 100,000 global travellers annually. The award-winning trips, which focus on culture, nature and active travel, are ideal for those with a sense of adventure - people who want to leave the beaten path and authentically immerse themselves in a local culture or environment to experience the real world in a sustainable manner. Demonstrating its ongoing cultural, social and economic commitment to responsible tourism, Gap Adventures established the Planeterra Foundation, as a way the company and its passengers can give back to the communities visited. For more information, please visit www.gapadventures.com and www.planeterra.org

Media Contact:
Marie Anne MacRae
Business Development & Media Relations Manager
Gap Adventures
Direct: 416 263-4675

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