Toronto - 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.
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