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The Adventure, Bratislava or Bust … One beat up old car, a few mates, 7 days, 12 countries and 1300 miles, the ultimate road trip… Bratislava or Bust is an epic road adventure that will take you and your friends on a trip you won’t forget, keeping you in legendary stories to tell down the pub for at least the next 10 years! We have a ladies and gentlemen’s agreement that our chariots should either cost less than £500 to buy or should be older than the oldest team member. With your pride and joy secured you then need to look at decorating your car with a theme to help you stand out from the crowd and make European police cars’ jobs easier to find you! The teams meet for the starting parade, decorated cars are judged and the man in the white coat gives you your first set of challenges. For this is no ordinary journey from A to B, you’ll receive a set of daily challenges that will test your fortitude, your navigation skills and exactly how much chat you have as you attempt to blag your way across Europe! If you make it to Bratislava with the most points gained you will be deemed worthy winners of Bratislava or Bust and not only will you have that claim to fame, but you’ll have a nice big cardboard cheque with some well-earned wonga! You’ll be guaranteed some of the most spectacular scenery as you go, incredible driving roads that will see you take on the infamous Stelvio Pass and many more Alpine passes – how long before your brakes get cooked! There are official rally parties as we go in the stunning area of Lake Garda in Northern Italy and in Bratislava as we conclude our adventure. Your guaranteed to have an unforgettable road trip, see incredible things, do crazy things and all whilst making a difference to charity. So start her up and let’s get this show on the road!
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Bratislava or Bust In a Nutshell … To get your place on the Bratislava or Bust you need to register online to confirm your place before committing to fundraising for one of our incredible charity partners. In a nutshell what you need to know: Registration Fee:
£125 (Or £99 for students)
Fundraising Target: £250 per person Net amount to charity: At least £165 goes to charity Charity supported:
Dementia UK
Duration of Adventure:
7 Days across Europe
Adventure Dates: 31st July – 7th August 2014
Each member of your team needs to register for their own place and commit to fundraising at least £250 for charity. You can have as many members in your team as you can legally have in your vehicle! Get your place on the adventure today by booking online at www.studentadventures.co.uk/london2paris 4
Or call us on 0845 643 9801 to register over the phone with one of the team.
Your Itinerary … DAY 0 Meet in Saint Omer, France What the Dickens?! The cars and team arrive in Saint Omer, near Calais to have a pre-rally beer, meet each other and prepare for the adventure ahead. The rally gathers at the Le Dickens in the main square in Saint Omer on a fine summer’s evening.
DAY 1 Saint Omer, France to Luxembourg City, Luxembourg (227 miles) The Rally Parade starts in the central square under the watchful eye of the Mayor’s office where cars are judged on their merits of how good their themes look. Swiftly followed by the handing out of the first set of daily challenges and a dash to the cars! The route is yours to choose, the destination is Luxembourg City, a beautiful city. Highlights along the way could include a visit to Normandy beaches and WWII sites, champagne country and the delights of Bruges and Brussels!
DAY 2 Luxembourg City to Konstanz, Germany (241 miles) The longest day of driving on this year’s rally is to the stunning town of Konstanz that sides on the side of Lake Constance and the Swiss border. There are no daily challenges today, because of the distance and the opportunity if you’re so willing to take a tour round the infamous Nurburgring! Enjoy the ride and see you on the Lake for a beer.
DAY 3 Konstanz to Stelvio National Park, Italy (147 miles) You are in for an incredible day’s drive and the chance to visit five countries in one day, tick off and see the stunning scenery of Germany, Switzerland, Lichtenstein, Austria and Italy! The cars are moving towards the Alps and they will loom large in your window as you drive towards this towering obstacle that you will have to overcome. Highlight of today will undoubtedly be the Stelvio Pass during the day and the midnight run to the top!
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DAY 4 Stelvio Pass to Verona, Italy (164 miles)
Verona to Ljubljana, Slovenia (218 miles)
Waking up at the foot of the Stelvio Pass, the second highest alpine pass, will give you the most incredible view from the tent door! This is why teams take to Bratislava or Bust, undoubtedly the most incredible day’s drive ahead as you across at least four big mountain passes to reach Lake Garda. The bratwursts at the top of the Stelvio are well worth stopping for, soak in the view and remember your scarf! The drive off Stelvio is incredible as the section dropping down into the northern Lakes opens up before you. By the time you make it to Verona you will be blown away, but you’ll have to recover in time for the official half way there party in Lake Garda… it’s usually a messy night so leave your cars behind and be prepared to party hard with the other rally teams!
After a hard night of clubbing there is undoubtedly a few sore heads, so there are no daily challenges today. Instead it’s a leisurely drive taking in the sights as you go. Whether it’s a dip in Lake Garda to cool off or you can pay a visit to Venice and get out of the car for a while or Trieste on the Italian coast for an incredible ice-cream it’s a decent drive round to Ljubljana, the capital of Slovenia. No doubt there will be a few cheeky beers (Slovenia is renowned for cheap beer and fuel!) in this gorgeous capital in the evening to swap stories from the night before.
Included: Club Entry
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DAY 5
DAY 6 Ljubljana to Keszthely, Hungary (189 miles) Today the rally heads the furthest East we ever been by heading to Hungary. Goulash and Hungarian Florins awaits as you travel through some gorgeous back roads in Slovenia to Keszthely, the ‘capital of Lake Balaton’. A hot summer and a chance to dip in the Lake to cool off will be the perfect way to round off the day.
DAY 7 Keszthely to Bratislava, Slovakia (126 miles) After a hard night of clubbing there is undoubtedly a few sore heads, so there are no daily challenges today. Instead it’s a leisurely drive taking in the sights as you go. Whether it’s a dip in Lake Garda to cool off or you can pay a visit to Venice and get out of the car for a while or Trieste on the Italian coast for an incredible ice-cream it’s a decent drive round to Ljubljana, the capital of Slovenia. No doubt there will be a few cheeky beers (Slovenia is renowned for cheap beer and fuel!) in this gorgeous capital in the evening to swap stories from the night before. Included: End of Rally Party Optional Extra: Go-Karting Championship
DAY 8 Bratislava to who knows where! The rally is over, the stories epic, the hangovers somewhat still there, you now have the choice to carry on and see if the ‘beast’ will make it back to the UK, whichever route you choose or you can scrap your car and get a cheap flight back to the UK. Please note: the itinerary is only an indication and is subject to changed based on group strength, weather, wildlife and other external factors such as your car breaking down! Your Adventure Manager’s decisions are final and we would ask you to be flexible in a result of a change to your itinerary.
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1. Saint Omer Square
2. Nurburgring (off-route)
5. Bratislava Castle
3. Stelvio Pass
4. Venice
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What’s Included: When you sign up to this extension the following is included:
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Entry into the Rally Prizes – (see pg 10 & 11 for details)
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Rally stickers for your car
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Recommended accommodation list; camping, hostel and hotels
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24 hour emergency response line
Entry into mid-rally party in Lake Garda End of rally party in Bratislava Full support crew throughout the rally including First Aid Bratislava or Bust T-shirt All challenge management before, during and post adventure
What’s Not Included:
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Vehicle and Road Tax Motor Insurance Recovery Insurance and Personal Travel Insurance Accommodation Optional extensions: • Arranged Accommodation and Coach Transfer to Lake Garda Club • Go-Karting Championship
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Spending money for meal, drinks, souvenirs and fuel
Remember; each member of the team entering into Bratislava or Bust has to register and commit to fundraising at least £250 for charity.
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Total Prize Fund
£2,200
Winning the Rally! Any fool can drive from here to Bratislava, it’s what you do in between the makes the journey. Bratislava or Bust is no ordinary road trip…. You and your team will be set daily challenges along the way to test your navigation skills, how well you blag and of course how much chat you actually have! All throughout the rally there are prizes to be won i.e. cash based on what you get up to. The money pot and the level of prizes on offer are related to the number of cars in the rally, more cars = more money. We have an expected prize pot of £2200!
Pimp My Ride Your opportunity to go wild and pimp your ride; will you model your car on the Ghostbusters or perhaps the Bat Mobile or maybe a Fire engine? Let your imagination run wild. There is 1st and 2nd prizes for the team with the best pimped vehicle!
Nice Threads Dude Match your team to your pimped car and come dressed in theme – will you be the chaps from Top Gun or a more spirited RAF Biggles type? Perhaps you’ll come as an F1 team complete with your own Pit Lane girls? Sharpest Threads wins!
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Least Likely to Make It When you pull into the square for the Rally Parade there is always one car that has that little bit more rust, the exhaust hanging off already and the occasional back fire! The field will be judged for the car least likely to make it to Bratislava and the car antics experienced en-route – the only trouble is to collect the prize you have to make it there!
Fastest Team – Go-Kart Championship! (Optional Entry) Now we know we have to obey the speed laws driving across Europe, but hey we’re sure you know you’re the fastest driver around, right? Well to scratch that itch you can enter your team in the Bratislava Go-Karting Championship to prove it! Prize money, bragging rights and a Magnum of cheap fizz awaits the team that can whizz round the track quickest. We’ve checked Vettel is not coming this year, so it could be you that’s the fastest driver in Bratislava!
These will vary in type and difficulty to the plain outrageous – have you got what it takes? Each challenge has rally points (RP) attached to them. The better you complete the challenges (With evidence!) the more points you will get. Team with the most points on a daily basis win’s some wonga for their beer consumption!
Winner of the Rally We’re not just on a pleasant Sunday drive this is a mad-cap dash across Europe where pub stories will be gathered at an alarming rate :) The winner of the rally is the car and team who make it to Bratislava with the most accumulated Rally Points from the daily challenges. Not only is there the obvious allure of a big pot of gold at the end of the Bratislava rainbow but you will have the bragging rights to and the title of winner of Bratislava or Bust to take back with you! The prize fund is based on the number of expected entries (125 people) a total of £2,200!
Best Rally Video
Competition
Bratislava or Bust is one epic road trip, so it’s good to capture the moment! Catch the footage of incredible sights, completing the challenges and of course funny moments and breakdowns as they happen. Edit your video post rally and submit it to the judges to see if you have captured the spirit and essence of your road adventure for the reward of some dosh and brilliant memories.
Top Secret Daily Challenges 5 out of the 7 days will see you come face-to-face with the man in the infamous white coat and he will hand you a set of top secret daily challenges.
1st Place
Runner-Up
Winner of the Rally
£500
£200
Daily Challenges (x5)
£80
£40
Pimp My Ride
£150
£75
Nice Threads Dude
£100
Least Likely to Make It!
£150
Best Rally Video
£200
£100
Go-Karting Champs
£100
£50
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What You Really Want To Know (FAQs) Is Bratislava or Bust for me? Absolutely! Bratislava or Bust is an epic road adventure where you’ll discover incredible parts of Europe, have unbelievable stories to tell and meet a raft of new mates as you go. Undoubtedly driving over the Alps and the Stelvio Pass is an incredible highlight along the route and that’s before you find yourself on Lake Garda or Lake Bled chilling out! Bratislava or Bust is for you and your friends… if you have a sense of adventure!
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My car cost more than £500 can I still enter it? It is only a ladies and gentlemen’s agreement that the car should cost less than £500 or be older than the oldest team member. If the car is gifted or costs slightly more it’s not a problem.
What happens if I break down? In true Top Gear style you’ll be left behind! We do have a few chaps who are handy with cars and will assist where we can. Unless you really know what is going on underneath the bonnet we recommend getting recovery insurance just in case!
How many of my friends can I have on my team? However many is road legal for your vehicle. So if you bring a motorbike and sidecar its two in the team, if it’s a limo it’s a lot more! Each person on your team has to register and commit to fundraising the sponsorship target.
I have a car already do I have to buy another
I am worried about fundraising, how would I raise the money?
Yeah absolutely fine to enter a car that you already own; you don’t need to go out and buy another car to enter.
It’s natural to be worried about fundraising; it’s a challenge to raise money for charity. You will have a great support network to help you through the process whether it’s us here are Student Adventures or our great charity partners who have dedicated staff to help you develop a plan
with loads of brilliant ideas and they’re at the end of the phone and email to help. Where its online sponsorship, pub quiz or even selling ‘space’ on your car for corporate support reaching your £250 target is usually no problem at all.
What happens if I don’t reach my fundraising target? If it looks like you’re not going to make your target you can postpone your adventure to a later date to give you longer to reach your fundraising target and take the pressure off.
What do I do about accommodation? We provide you accommodation lists that we have researched and gives you a range of camping, hostels and hotels. Booking in one of these places means it more likely you’ll be hanging out with other drivers in the evening. However do feel free to grab your own berth anywhere – maybe even the backseat!
I have friends at another University, can they take part with me? Absolutely! All you have to do is send them the registration link on our website and get them to join the adventure with you!
Do I have to be a student to take part? No – all you need is a sense of adventure and you can take part in an adventure to Bratislava!
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Gallery …
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What do drivers say? … A few thoughts from students who have driven across Europe in search of themselves and a spare tyre! “A great chance to experience Europe and its culture, well worth the effort whilst the payoff of meeting loads of great people and having a awesome time makes it that much better.” Jack Isaacs
“Eleanor and I had a great time travelling through Europe, we managed 14 countries in 10 days – a different adventure everyday!” Andrew Cutforth
“Unbelievable week! It’s been incredible driving across Europe, partying hard and meeting new people along the way, couldn’t recommend doing the rally enough!” Amy Capello
“Chilling in Wurzberg, had such a mental week on Bratislava or Bust, drove around 3000km through some amazing cities, met some awesome people and won the team spirit award (well chuffed!), but can’t believe we’ll already be back home tomorrow, it’s been amazing!” Tom Watson
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Bratislava or Bust is an awesome adventure across incredible roads through Europe, this is once in a life time stuff that you can experience with your mates, you should definitely do it!
Get Involved and Get Your Place Today! Book today online at:
www.studentadventures.co.uk/bratislava Call to book with one of the team on 0845 643 9801 or ask any questions.