Zoom across Canada by VIA Rail with gapyear.com

Gapyear.com, UK’s largest online portal for gap travellers, has announced that they are teaming up with friends at Zoom Airlines, the leading low-fare transatlantic carrier and VIA Rail, Canada’s national passenger rail service to launch 'Challenge Canada' - a multimedia travel competition targeted at creative students and backpackers.

‘Challenge Canada’ is looking for talented students interested in a career in film, TV, travel or journalism to enter into this competition and put their studies to the test.

Entries are being invited from students across the country that are able to prove they are creative, entertaining and have a passion for all that Canada has to offer. You must create a profile on gapyear.com and create a sample travel blog and video diary of a UK location of your choice, to be in with a chance of winning. Three entrants will be short listed and invited down to London for the exciting grand finale which is being kept top secret until the day.

The winner, plus a friend, will be provided with flights on Zoom Airlines, flying into Halifax and returning from Vancouver, £2,000 worth of spending money and rail passes courtesy of VIA Rail, to travel across Canada in four weeks. A series of challenges will have to be undertaken along the way and in return, the student will produce an imaginative and entertaining travel blog and promotional short film.

Lori Burke, Marketing Manager of Zoom Airlines comments,
"This is a very exciting challenge and one which will provide outstanding work experience for budding students. Canada offers an array of stunning outdoor scenery, varied wildlife and city attractions. The challenges set will cover all of Canada’s iconic offerings and test even the most enthusiastic traveller. What better way to gain media experience and enjoy a truly fantastic trip."

Lee George, Sales & Marketing Manager of VIA Rail comments,
"This is the most exciting prize and opportunity we have given any student in the past ten years. We would like to thank our friends at Zoom Airlines & VIA Rail because without them this would not have been possible. Not only is this an amazing trip, but it’s the perfect opportunity to showcase your writing, video and presenting talents to future employers. Ultimately we are looking for someone who is dedicated, creative and can be trusted to deliver a regular well-written travel blog & short promotional film."

Tom Griffiths, founder of Gapyear.com says
"Challenge Canada was a superb project from day one for us. We are always looking for ways to improve the perception of rail travel amongst independent travellers and Challenge Canada enables rail travel to truly shine. We are a Great Train Journey of the World, Canada was created and developed along our tracks. We capture the essence of what it is to experience the whole country and to leave Canada feeling fulfilled that you’ve experienced the whole country and not just popped in for a visit. It has been a pleasure to take part in and develop an initiative like this with so many complementary partners".

Closing date for all entries is 9am on Friday 29th February 2008.

For further information on the competition and to enter please visit www.gapyear.com/challenge_canada

Ends

About GapYear.com
Established in 1998, www.gapyear.com provides independent travellers with the opportunity to belong to an online community, share their experiences, seek good advice and purchase their travel items from a one-stop-shop.

Gapyear.com continues to be the world’s largest gap year information source and community with over one and a half million users annually.

About VIA Rail Canada
VIA Rail Canada is an independent Crown corporation established in 1978. VIA operates trains in all regions of Canada over a network spanning the country from the Atlantic to the Pacific, and from the Great Lakes to Hudson Bay.

As Canada's national passenger rail service, VIA Rail Canada's mandate is to provide efficient and cost effective passenger transportation services, both in Canada's busiest corridor and in remote and rural regions of the country. Serving more than 450 communities across Canada, demand for rail services continues to grow as more Canadians turn to train travel as a safe and convenient travel choice. www.gapyear.com/via_rail

About Zoom Airlines
Zoom Airlines offers low-cost full scheduled flights from five UK hubs - Gatwick, Manchester, Glasgow, Cardiff and Belfast to seven Canadian destinations - Vancouver, Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal, Winnipeg, Calgary and Halifax.

Zoom expanded its operations from the UK to non-Canadian destinations in June 2007 with the introduction of direct flights from London Gatwick to New York JFK and Bermuda. New direct routes from London Gatwick to Fort Lauderdale and San Diego will commence in summer 2008. All Zoom Airlines fares can be booked on line www.flyzoom.com or by phone on 0870 240 0055

For further info on Challenge Canada
www.gapyear.com/challenge_canada

For media enquires, please contact:

gapyear.com
Vicky Lee, Communications Manager
Tel: 01473 230 766
vlee@gapyear.com

VIA Rail:
Lee George, Sales & Marketing Manager
Tel: 01778 349 208
info@viarail.co.uk

Zoom
Lorna Inglis at Media House
Tel: 0141 220 6040
lorna@mediahouse.co.uk