Race Across the World

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Travellers race across the world without smartphones, internet access or credit cards.

In a frenetic race across the world, travellers can choose any route they like - but no flights or phones are allowed. On the trip of a lifetime, which pair will finish first?

Series 2

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Race Across the World: Series 2: Episode 1

Episode 1

BBC One - Race Across the World, Series 2, Episode 1

Five teams set off from Mexico City in a race to reach Ushuaia in Argentina.

Five teams set off from Mexico City – a gargantuan metropolis and the largest Spanish speaking city in the world – in a race to reach the most southerly city in the world, Ushuaia in Argentina.

If you were tasked to race across the world with limited cash and nothing in the way of modern technology, how do you think you’d fare?  In Race Across the World, five teams attempt just that.  

This series takes viewers on the trip of a lifetime, following our contestants as they embark on an epic and adrenaline-fuelled adventure, travelling into the unknown without the trappings of modern life.  

The five pairs will race from the top to bottom of Latin America: from Mexico City to the most southernly city in the world, Ushuaia in Argentina. They will leave behind their smartphones, internet access and credit cards, and will be armed with only the cash equivalent of a one-way airfare. 

In a competition that sees our teams travel this extraordinary journey at ground level, their skill, ingenuity and determination will be tested to the extreme as they race through some of the world’s most beautiful scenery, form bonds and friendships across cultural divides and rely on the kindness of strangers in order to stand the best chance of winning.
 
In the first episode, the teams set off from Mexico City – a gargantuan metropolis and the largest Spanish speaking city in the world. Throughout the entire race they must pass through seven checkpoints to reach their final destination. First up: Copan Ruinas in Honduras. 

But the first objective– to escape from chaotic Mexico City. Each team adopts a different strategy: married couple Jen and Rob quickly decide on a route to Honduras via Belize, but confusion on the Metro leads to a delay in leaving the city. 
 
Brother and sister Dom (22) and Lizzie (21) have drifted apart in the last few years and want to recapture the close sibling relationship they enjoyed as children. Things get off to a good start as they make the most of time spent waiting for a bus to reconnect. But as the race intensifies, pressure is put on their relationship and the cracks begin to show…

Couple of three years Michael and Shuntelle have extremely different approaches to travel – ex-army PT instructor Michael has a hankering for adventure, whereas Shuntelle is accustomed to luxury all-inclusive travel. A difference of opinion over accommodation causes issues for the couple early on in the race. 

Jo first went backpacking over 30 years ago. Now in her 50s, she’s introducing her 19-year-old son Sam to travel. As Sam struggles with the language barrier, Jo takes the lead, until an encounter with locals causes them to rethink their route. 

Uncle and nephew Emon and Jamiul have recently reunited after losing touch for the last ten years. It’s straight in at the deep end, as they attempt to balance the race with life changing experiences on a limited budget. Will they find a happy medium between the three?
 
The race is on, and the stakes are high - everyone wants to be first to the finish line and win the cash prize. As the series unfolds we will see chance encounters, cultural revelations, friendships formed, relationships tested and bonds strengthened as the teams experience, and come face-to-face with, some of the most awe-inspiring locations that modern-day travellers seldom get to see. The dramatic scale and thrilling unpredictability of the race is sure to change their lives forever.  The Race Across the World has begun.

Race Across the World: Series 2

BBC One

Pairs of travellers race across Latin America without taking flights or using smartphones.

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