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Traveling is a great chance to explore the world but it’s also the opportunity to push yourself to the limits and challenge yourself. Make your next trip a challenge with the Ultimate Train Challenge!

You have to travel from Portugal to Vietnam (or vice versa) by train and you only have 30 days to do it! On top of having the travel experience of a lifetime you get the chance to win prizes and raise money for charity. It’s a win-win.

This is something I heard about in late 2011 when three travel bloggers did it, but this year, it’s opened up to all travelers. Unfortunately, I won’t be able to join but I wish I could!

The Ultimate Train Challenge takes place in May and consists of 31 travel days. You make your own schedule and choose your own route. You decide how much you want to push yourself and your must see destinations.

Although it’s about 15,000 miles (25,000 kilometers) to navigate, you will still have enough time to stop and do a lot off the trains. Barcelona, Paris, Venice, Berlin, Prague, Moscow, Beijing, Hanoi – so many great cities to hit along the way.

Read the full details here. In short, you can blog your trip on their website to keep family and friends up to date with your journey; they have a live-mapping feature on the site, so you everyone can keep up with you in real time. As a bonus, Intrepid Travel is offering two fabulous 15-day tours to the first ones to cross the finish line in each direction; they are going to throw a fun pre-launch party in both locations; Eurail is offering up at least four of their Global Passes that they will be raffling off and giving away as prizes; HostelWorld is offering two free nights’ stay in each city beforehand and… more.

In order to keep up with the latest developments on new sponsors, prizes and other news, you can sign up for  their free newsletter via this link. As an extra bonus, they will be doing a drawing from all the newsletter subscribers in February and will be giving away a new Samsung Galaxy SIII to one lucky subscriber.

• If you register by February 15th, the entry fee is $295 US (approx. £183 /€223).

•If you register from February 16th to April 30th, the entry fee is $395 US
(approx. £245 / €298).

•And because you heard it on Travel Fashion Girl, they’re gonna hook you up with $30 off your entry fee. You just need to enter the code AJ13UTC on the “Referral” line on the entry page to get the $30 discount.

But really, it’s not about the prizes. It’s not about the pre-event party we are going to throw in both cities for everyone. It’s not about the stuff…

It is about having an adventure you are going to talk about for years. It is about challenging your limits and doing something that very few other people have done. From one corner of Europe to the far corner of Asia…. all by the best mode of transportation you can use to experience the vastness and wonder of the planet we live on.

Raise Money for Blue Dragon’s Children Foundation in Vietnam

They also have partnered up with Blue Dragon’s Children Foundation in Vietnam to raise some needed funds to help out their cause. We are asking each participant to raise $500 and Intrepid Travel has been generous enough to agree to match each donation dollar for dollar, up to a $10,000 total. So not only are you doing this whole adventure to challenge yourself, the entire group is going to do a small part to make the world a better place.

 

 

On the Your World, No Rules website , they explain everything you need to know about this event.

They have also put together some resource pages for you to help decide on your route and work through your visas.

Do it alone or do it with your friends. Live your life with no regrets.

Sign up. This will be the adventure that will change your life. And don’t forget… on that sign up page you input AJ13UTC in the “Referral” box to get $30 off your entry fee and tell them that you found the UTC13 from here. Thanks and good luck!