If you could travel anywhere in the world for 10 days and $15,000...

As a practical person and one on whom luxury is lost, I'd choose a place that's hard to visit on the cheap, where the extra funds would buy something comparatively substantive. So most likely I'd choose something relatively prosaic like a photo safari to Africa. I'd have to come up with something a lot more creative if I were actually participating in your contest, obviously.

With $15k I could put together a really nice 3 week trip--- do you really have the blow the $15k in just 10 days?

I like acravens thinking to do something "out$ide the box"

First choice - Antarctica cruise (National Geographic)
http://www.nationalgeographicexpeditions.com/expeditions/antarctica-cruise/

It would have to be just for me since I'd need another 15k for the guest....LOL.

There are actually a lot of wonderful and very expensive National Geographic trips I would take. The Galapagos would be a second choice, then Africa (safari), and then Japan. I love photography, so any kind of spectacular landscapes and wildlife appeal to me most. The most expensive places to get to in the world are the most remote or have some other major constraints (e.g. limits on travelers to the Galapagos, etc.). With 15k, I'd love to tour some of them with a Nat Geo guide.

Antarctica.

Because I'm rather careful financially and always look for value (without being 'cheap'), I'd be tempted to do something I wouldn't do with my own money.

Just off the top of my head, it might be ten days on the South Island of New Zealand. This is a short flight for Uz Auzzies, so the bulk of the money would go on a properly wonderful holiday home on the side of a mountain, probably overlooking Queenstown or one of the fjords.

We've been to Enzed a few times, it being 'on the doorstep' for us, and it is a truly lovely destination with wonderful people.

Ummm, just had another thought. Mrs Wife has for years wanted to do the Kimberley region here in Oz which, strangely, would be a pretty expensive holiday for us, especially in terms of 'opportunity cost'. The best way to see the Kimberly is on a flashy, all-inclusive and guided safari cruise. This is not something we have so far felt reckless enough to pay for but, as I said, if somebody else was paying ...

Also Antarctica. It would never happen if I have to pay for it myself.

Australia or New Zealand and fly business class, which would use up most of the 15,000 but on a trip that far, worth it.

I'd want to go to Iceland and take part in their yearly round-up of their horses. Unique, fun, and pricey. What ever time is left there, go exploring, take a ride inside of a volcano, see as much as possible. It is all expensive.

I'd want to do a bucket list trip, for sure. Not that much left in the bucket, but I'd probably go for an African (photography) Safari. Except I don't think $15000 would be enough.

Antarctica. All the way to the South Pole!

Africa. Photo safari. Camp out among the wildlife.

Back to Bhutan, no doubt.

My "adventure" wouldn't be unique enough to win the contest. I would use it for our next trip to Europe - which right now is focused on WWI and WWII sites in Belgium and Northern France - plus champagne. The money and miles set aside for that trip would be used to cover the trip after that - which would be happening a whole lot sooner as opposed to later!

1) Visit wine areas in the world that aren't France or Italy. $15,000 would be a nice down payment since the OP doesn't say you can't add to the $15,000 - maybe South Africa & Chile.

2) Snorkel the places I would not be able to afford without the $15,000 - like Papua New Guinea, Cook Islands, Thailand or Fiji

3) Maybe hit a couple of the Great Lodges in National Parks in Canada and/or the US including the train transport....

wait a minute - for sure it wouldn't cover the whole expense but travel the Orient Express or Siberian Railway or travel the silk road through China

Definitely an African safari.

Another vote for a photo adventure to either a)Torres del Paine National Park in Chile (can it be extended to Antartica?) or b)Africa for the wildlife!

Good luck to you, vin.

If this was my company doing something like this, I would say that the finalists would be those who submitted something that somehow ties in with what the company heavily promotes - whether it was our logo, our "mission statement", enterprise goals and objectives, or our philanthropic efforts, etc. They would want winners who would have an adventure that might be inspiring to others and could be featured on our internal website so employees would want to follow along on the "adventure".

So for me, as much as I'd love to just blow $15K staying in a posh hotel I'd never normally want to pay for on my own, like the Plaza Athenee in Paris, and spending my time getting spa treatments at The Dior Institute while drinking bottles of wine, that wouldn't be the winning entry.

My company is big on talking about how its our mission to help our clients overcome obstacles and prevail - they use that a lot in their marketing materials. So I'd base my entry on something where I would demonstrate that same philosophy - how you can rise to the challenge and overcome an obstacle and prevail. Like maybe doing a multi-day through hike in some mountainous region (like in the South Island of New Zealand). Or if I wanted to go somewhere in Europe, maybe I'd tell them I'm going to walk part of The Camino in Spain (can't walk the entire thing in just 10 days) - except with my $15K I'm cheating a little by hiring one of those companies that will transport my backpack from one town to the next so I don't have to lug 20 lbs of gear - and instead of staying in hostels with dozens of other snoring "pilgrims", I'm using one of those companies that books me a private room with a comfy bed that I can lay in each night when I am done walking for the day. Naturally, my travel partner would have to be up for that kind of an adventure.

And yes, I'd love to take photos of cute animals like penguins or lions, but I just think a bunch of other people would propose that same exact idea so it wouldn't stand out enough to win a contest like that.

An 8 day journey through Rajasthan in India on board the luxury train, Palace on Wheels.
USD 6300 per person for a super deluxe cabin during peak season. Add airfares and you are at about USD 15000.
https://www.thepalaceonwheels.org/train.html

Galapagos Islands for sure.

What an awesome company!

Having seen pictures from a relatives recent trip to S. Africa and the few places she stayed made me want to go. Looked to be very luxurious at the places and wineries where they stayed. Having flown first class from LA to Sydney then on to Queenstown NZ I second that suggestion. It is a long flight and Queenstown and the surrounding area are beautiful. We just happened to spend 10 days there. We stayed at the Hilton. You can take side trips to the Milford sound and to Dunedin for a few suggestions. My wife would like to go to Bora Bora and stay in one of those rooms over the water. If someone gave us $15k I would do that. Please keep us updated. What a great work sponsored contest.

No question for me, Japan

This would be so hard for me.. I hate the idea of blowing 15,000 dollars on only 10 day trip.. we spend that for a 4-5 week trip.. and no we aren't hosteling and eating peanut butter and crackers either.. lol

I would not choose Africa for two reasons.. not that interested. .but more importantly you only have 10 days.. and travel there and back can eat two days each way.. leaving you 6 days and jet lagged.. to me to go that far I would want at minimum of 2 weeks.

I think the idea of building a cool theme in.. something that perhaps speaks to your company in a way .. is a good idea.

You obviously work for a very cool company.. lucky you.. good luck on contest.

Vin,
I also encourage you to submit Antarctica (and yes, w/ National Geographic), but $15K would only cover one person. But, only do that if Antarctica would be of interest to you. If you need any why's, you can search on this forum and find one of my old trip reports, or you can send me a PM. But, it would be a trip like none other, and if you are like us, when people ask what was your favorite trip of all time, you will likely say Antarctica. And (for Mark) while you would not make it all the way to the South Pole, you would likely cross over the Antarctic Circle (although there are no guarantees on an expedition...alll depends on weather).

Then after Antarctica, you will no doubt add the Artic Circle to your bucket list, and National Geo offers a Iceland/Greenland expedition, which is also awesome (and not as expensive...could come closer to squeezing in two people for your $15K prize. I can give you some good why's on that one, as we also took it a few years later.

But, what interests you? Where do you want to go? Do you know your heritage, where you could visit the country of your ancestors...meet present-day relatives there? (I did that in Ireland, and it was truly awesome finding a distant cousin I had never met, and she took us to the standing ruins of the cottage in which my grandmother and her multiple siblings were raised (I only had an old black/white photo from my childhood), saw family graves, church, school, and walk on the fields that were farmed by my great grandparents. That really was sort of spiritual. Different from Antarctica, but truly neat. Then add a night or two at Ashford Castle and do the Hawk Walk (Google if you have not seen that activity).

But, your best submission will truly be somewhere YOU really want to go for all the reasons YOU really want to go there. If you are motivated by your personal desires, likely your submission will be from the heart.

I'd love to go to Nepal, but that's just me.

My husband would love to see the Terra Cotta soldiers and the Great Wall in China (but I don't think we will be doing back to Asia, based solely on the really poor air quality we experienced last month in Vietnam and Hong Kong....it was really bad).

But, what is on YOUR list, and maybe some of us who may have been to those places can help you with some of the awesome things.

Hawaii was also somewhere we had never been, but oh my gosh....helicopter trips over a valcano and looking down into hot lava, then flying over the Napoli (sp?) Coast and seeing waterfalls that are 3500 feet high........that was awesome. You could definitely enjoy a lot of Hawaii for two on $15K and see some fun things. Walking thru an inactive lava tube (Thurston Lava Tube).

There are soooo many places to go see.

Buy the book "National Geographic's 500 Journeys of a Lifetime" or check it out of the library...........LOTS of inspiration in there. Mine is filled with sticky notes of places I've visited.

What a fun and wonderful thing your company is doing!!! Seriously wonderful.

I hope you win.

What a great thing for your company to do..but I just have to ask... Is this a "Sales Contest" and is the second prize a set of steak knives? :)

My choices: The Safari (but make it Tanzania)

A river boat trip Down the Amazon

The Trans Siberian Express: Moscow to Beijing by train (Read Paul Theroux The great Railway Bazaar)

That ten days is a brutal restriction if it has to include travel time to and from. That would have to eliminate most of the world up front, I'm not wasting endless time in transit.

I'd look at Hawaii or perhaps Buenos Aires, Argentina.

I like this "thought exercise" just for kicks and it was fun to play along for a while, but seriously...this company and contest is purely fictional, no? What kind of company would give their employees 15k for travel? Some kind of high-end hospitality business? Frankly, I'd rather have a 15k cash bonus with no strings attached.

Seeing as you are in Las vegas, Vin, I'd place a hefty wager that your company does not hire at all.