If you, like us, have ever watched a competition TV show and thought (or screamed at the screen) ‘You idiot, I could do better than that’, this is for you: Race Across the World is now accepting applications from those who want to take part.
The BBC show, which debuted in 2019, sees pairs of contestants dropped off in one location and given the cash equivalent of a one-way flight ticket to another destination The catch? They can’t actually book that flight, and they’ll have to find alternative transport like buses, trains and ferries.
They won’t be able to Google the route, either, as competitors have no phone or any other mobile electronic devices. The only tools they’ll have in their arsenal include a world map, the cash, and a travel guide with local job adverts (plus a GPS device to track their progress).
There have been four regular seasons of the BBC One show, as well as two celebrity seasons. The 2024 season, which finished in May 2024, saw Alfie and Owen take home the £20,000 prize after travelling from Japan to Indonesia. While they were the youngest competitors, the outcomes over the different series’ have shown that age, experience and gender seem to make little difference to who wins.
Read next: Catch up with Race Across the World’s 2024 winners
Spending 50 days travelling on a budget without your phone sound like your idea of a good time? Applications are open until 6 April, and you can apply on the casting website here.
You must apply as a team of two, and have availability to take part in the programme for up to eight weeks between September and November 2025. You’ll also need to be legally resident in the UK, over 18 years old, and have a passport valid until at least June 2026.
It is has not yet been revealed which destinations this season will begin and end with.
Read next: Celebrity Race Across the World winners: “It’s often a better idea to go off the beaten track”
