After a dusty 1,600 kilometres of hitchhiking, the lights of Tbilisi followed – and eventually the production of a web series.
The Backseat Rally concluded on July 29th after five young people travelled across Turkey to the Caucasus and met in Tbilisi, Georgia. They spent a total of a week on the roads along the Black Sea coast. With the conclusion of the event, the post-production of the web series and the planning of future events will now begin.
While the organizational team in the field around the lead Leon Weber had plenty of experience and mastered the trip with ease, the participants were faced with new challenges. Not only did they get unexpected challenges from the organizing team every day, they also had to discover hitchhiking for themselves.
This was “unexpectedly difficult, a skill and an art in itself,” reports participant Tanja. Nevertheless, the trip was enriching for the participants. “You explore and feel the cultures much more intensely,” affirms Milos. The countless invitations to typical Turkish cuisine and Georgian wine, which were only too gladly accepted, also helped.
At the same time, the fundraising campaign for the Turkish charity ÇOIS (Çocuklarımız İçin Söylüyoruz (“We Sing for Our Children”)) started. The Backseat Rally has already collected more than €1,400 in donations to support children affected by the earthquake in Turkey. The campaign continues and will be promoted primarily through the publication of a web series based on the trip.
The rigors of travel were followed by a few days of relaxation in Tbilisi, filled with Georgian wine and food. In the meantime the team has returned or is still adventurous on the way back. Although not all participants have arrived home yet, the Expedition Tomorrow association, which is behind the Backseat Rally, is already planning follow-up events. Production has begun on the web series of the race, and aims for release in October.
See some stunning images from the race in our Gallery.
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