20 Feb #task4today – defining traveling differently

We all travel. Whether the destination takes us a short or a long distance away from home, there is one thing most travelers have in common: we want to document the moments, our experiences so that we can share them with our friends, family, or possibly even the entire world. Oftentimes a set itinerary for each individual day exists even before the actual start of the trip. What do I want to see? What sights can I definitely not miss?

However, often it is exactly because of such an approach to traveling that the original idea of it gets lost. Instead of relaxing, getting to know the country and its people, or just being spontaneous and open to whatever may occur, we chose an approach to our travels that very much resembles how we live our life back home.

Our experiences / accomplishments are documented, almost meticulously, in several different ways – photos, videos, journal entries and collected souvenirs. These are supposed to enable us to reconnect, even years later, with the blissful state. Unfortunately these rather large collections of information and images oftentimes seem to lack true soul.

THE IDEA

I want to change that. I want to change it by creating a new format of experiencing/documenting traveling. In this format elements from games and TV series will be included. As a result travel will not any longer just be a about what the individual traveler is experiencing by him/herself, but instead the experience will be formed interactively and as a dialogue with others.

This format is supposed to be universally applicable for every person in every location. It is not important WHO is traveling and WHERE this person is located.

The traveler will receive one task per day, which was created by friends and/or even complete strangers. This task will only be revealed on the specific day. The person then has the entire day to fulfill and document the task. There are three levels of documentation. The first level is real-time (via twitter) and serves to inform about the new task. The second level is the summary (via blog) and the final level will be published in the form of a book.

As part of my travels during the following days I will be completing one task per day and publishing the summaries on this blog. Each #task4today was created by coworkers/family/friends.