T&DI Around the World in XX Days in YY Ways
The transportation student competition challenge will be to minimize the number of days to circumnavigate the world/globe using as many modes of transportation as possible. The mode of transportation must be suitable for the terrain (i.e., bicycles cannot traverse across the Mediterranean Sea). In addition, there are a few locations or checkpoints you must travel through on your journey. You are free to choose your route, mode of transportation used along the way and other pertinent details to compile for judging and scoring your adventure.
Developed by the American Society of Civil Engineers, Transportation & Development Institute (ASCE/T&DI)
Inspired by the 1873 adventure novel penned by Jules Verne, where the main character, Phileas Fogg of London, accepts a £20,000 wager (£2,221,600 in 2018) set by his friends to circumnavigate the world in 80 days. It was believed that with the completion of railroads in India and the United States, global travel was possible in 80 days. Phileas accepted the challenge and so the adventure began.
Verne's planned itinerary - 80 days total
| Route | Method | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| London to Suez, Egypt | Rail to Brindisi, Italy, and steamer (the Mongolia) across the Mediterranean Sea | 7 days |
| Suez to Bombay, India | Steamer (the Mongolia) across the Red Sea and the Indian Ocean | 13 days |
| Bombay to Calcutta, India | Rail | 3 days |
| Calcutta to Victoria, Hong Kong | Steamer (the Rangoon) across the South China Sea | 13 days |
| Hong Kong to Yokohama, Japan | Steamer (the Carnatic) across the South China Sea, East China Sea, and the Pacific Ocean | 6 days |
| Yokohama to San Francisco, California | Steamer (the General Grant) across the Pacific Ocean | 22 days |
| San Francisco to New York City, New York | Rail | 7 days |
| New York to London, England | Steamer (the China) across the Atlantic Ocean to Liverpool and rail | 9 days |
My, how times have changed! The automobile hadn’t made its debut yet, and flight hadn’t taken off yet.
Think about how quickly we can span the globe now. The world has truly gotten smaller, and advancements in technology have played a major role. With the industrial revolution first, ushering in automobiles and airplanes in the early 1900s, then the computer revolution followed by the network and communications revolution, there now are many modes of transportation to choose from. Trips can be planned to minimize time, minimize cost, minimize energy consumption, while at the same time maximizing the thrill of the adventure.
The concept for this competition
Your adventure will be similar, and your challenge will be to minimize the number of days to circumnavigate the world/globe using as many modes of transportation as possible. The only restriction you have is the mode of transportation must be suitable for the terrain (i.e., bicycles cannot traverse across the Mediterranean Sea). In addition, there are a few locations or checkpoints you must travel through on your journey. Other than that, you are free to choose your route, mode of transportation used along the way and other pertinent details to compile for judging and scoring your adventure.
This is a planning and logistics competition: You need not physically complete the travel and prove it with a stamped passport! You can work individually or in groups, but if you work in groups, your journey should reflect only 1 person traveling.
How it works
Starting point and ending point
- Space Needle, Seattle, Washington (USA)
Touch points
- Montreal, Canada
- Bangkok, Thailand
- Wellington, New Zealand
- Buenos Aires, Argentina
- Madrid, Spain
- Istanbul, Turkey
Registration
The 2022 registration will open at a date to be determined. Stay tuned.
You must register with ASCE Collaborate to compete.
Not an ASCE Member? Create a new Account. ASCE membership is free for students. Only one member of your team should create a credential if you elect to complete as a team.
Award
3 finalists (individual or team) will be selected from the entry pool, based on a total point scale, as well as any WOW-factor the judging panel considers pertaining to the thrill of the adventure and the creative use of transportation modes integrated into your journey. These finalists will be notified by email of their selection at a later date (TBD). Each of these 3 finalists will be invited to the ASCE T&DI flagship conference (International Conference on Transportation and Development 2022). A special session will be arranged at ICTD 2022 to allow each of the 3 finalists to provide a 15-minute presentation (PowerPoint, Poster or Video) and a final vote will be made for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place. Failure to accept the conference invitation will result in an award made to the next highest scored/rated entry.
Questions?
Refer to the complete rules and instructions for further details and important deadlines, documents and resources.
The 2022 competition details will be posted soon. Stay tuned.