Celebrity Race Across the World

Pinhão, Portugal

Having checked in at Medersa Ben Yousseff, the race started in earnest at 2 pm from Jemaa el-Fnaa in Marrakesh, Morroco with the first leg finishing 2,000 kilometres (1,200 mi) north at Quinta De La Rosa, outside the town of Pinhão, in the heart of Portugal's Douro Valley.[6]

To reach Europe all the teams had to first plan their way to the port city of Tangier and then cross the Strait of Gibraltar. Whilst the other teams walked to Bab Doukkala bus station, Melanie and Helene got off to a head start by taking a taxi and catching the first bus to Tangier, a journey of almost nine hours.

Billy and Bonny, wanting to experience something of North Africa decided to travel to Fez by bus to work in the Sidi Moussa tannery. Harry and Emma also elected to experience local culture and selected a homestay with a Jebala family, working at their apiary in the city of Chefchaouen in the Rif mountains in exchange for free food and lodgings.

With differing opinions on the best strategy, Alex and Noel were the last to leave Marrakesh having spent the first day exploring the city and eventually took an overnight bus to Tangier some seven hours behind Melanie and Helene. They reached Tangier and took the first ferry across to Algeciras in Andalusia, Spain only to discover they had caught up with Melanie and Helene who were also on the same sailing.

One by one all the teams made landfall in Spain and all decided to travel onward to Seville. Whilst most of the teams took the bus, Melanie once again opted to splash out on a taxi having failed to secure a bus. She and Helene then took a train to Lisbon where they worked a shift in a Fado bar before taking another train to Porto. Harry and Emma later followed in their footsteps taking the same route. From Seville, the other two teams struck out for Madrid. On arrival in the Spanish capital, Alex and Noel immediately headed to Salamanca by bus and found that the onward bus through the Serra de Estrela mountains and into Viseu the next day was coming from Madrid; a bus on which Billy and Bonny were already on board. In Viseu, Bonny tried unsuccessfully to make contact with an old friend, in the meantime, confused by the one hour time difference between Spain and Portugal, Alex and Noel forwent the first available bus under the impression it had already departed and waited two hours for the next service. Once again the two teams found themselves on the same bus, this time to Pinhão. In an effort to beat Alex and Noel to the checkpoint, Billy and Bonny alighted the bus short of Viseu and took a taxi to the town, only to find the other pair already heading to the checkpoint, but a mistake by Alex and Noel allowed Billy and Bonny to just pip them to the post.

Melanie and Helene travelled from Porto to Pinhão by train, but Harry and Emma took a cab as they stood to gain two hours by not waiting for the next service. Upon arrival they discovered they were the last team to check in, some 4 hours behind the race leaders, Melanie and Helene.

Order	Teams	Route	Time behind leaders	Money left
1	Melanie & Helene	Marrakech → Tangier → Algeciras → Seville → Lisbon → Porto → Pinhão	—	85%
2	Billy & Bonny	Marrakech → Fez → Tangier → Algeciras → Seville → Madrid → Viseu → Pinhão	59 minutes	86%
3	Alex & Noel	Marrakech → Tangier → Algeciras → Seville → Madrid → Salamanca → Viseu → Pinhão	61 minutes	82%
4	Harry & Emma	Marrakech → Chefchaouen → Tangier → Algeciras → Seville → Lisbon → Porto → Pinhão	4 hours	81%

Bonifacio, Corsica

The race continued on day 6 from Pinhão in Portugal's Douro Valley to the coastal town of Bonifacio, over 2,000 kilometres (1,200 mi) east on the southern tip of the island of Corsica in the Mediterranean.

Melanie and Helene were the first to leave, at 6.15am. They hitched a lift to the bus station with the intent of getting the first bus to Vila Real but having missed the morning service they decided not to wait and once again opted for a taxi. From there they took a bus to Donostia-San Sebastian in the Basque Country close to the border with France where they found work on a sheep farm during lambing season.

The other three teams all headed west to Porto by train, where Harry and Emma found the time to take in the sights of Porto Cathedral. They then travelled directly to Madrid as did Billy and Bonny, albeit on different bus services; however, Alex and Noel detoured to Santiago de Compostela in Galicia first for a work opportunity in a seafood restaurant. From Madrid, Harry and Emma headed straight to Barcelona via the Madrid-Barcelona high-speed train in an attempt to make up some time, whilst Billy and Bonny detoured to Tarragona via train where they accompanied a squid fisherman in an effort to replenish their funds subject to the size of their catch.

Still in the Basque country, Melanie and Helene crossed the border into France at Hendaye from where they took multiple trains to reach the ferry port at Toulon. En route they met some fellow brits who made a contribution to their race funds.

Having failed to catch any squid and therefore with no extra funds, Billy and Bonny decided on economy over speed and took a bus from Barcelona to Marseille, instead of the much quicker but much costlier train which Harry and Emma had utilised after taking in the city's Gaudi buildings including the Sagrada Familia. Alex and Noel also found themselves taking the bus from Barcelona to Marseille as all train services were fully booked for two days by the time of their arrival at Barcelona Sants railway station. The other three teams caught the same overnight ferry crossing from Toulon to Ajaccio on Corsica and once on board tried to secure lifts to Bonifacio from fellow passengers, with only Billy and Bonny unsuccessful, forcing them to hitch multiple lifts.

Whilst three teams reached the second checkpoint on day 9, Alex and Noel were lagging behind by twenty-six hours.

Order	Teams	Route	Time behind leaders	Money left
1	Harry & Emma	Pinhão → Porto → Madrid → Barcelona → Toulon → Ajaccio → Bonifacio	—	63%
2	Melanie & Helene	Pinhão → Vila Real → Donostia-San Sebastian → Hendaye → Toulon → Ajaccio → Bonifacio	30 minutes	64%
3	Billy & Bonny	Pinhão → Porto → Madrid → Tarragona → Barcelona → Marseille → Toulon → Ajaccio → Bonifacio	3 hours	68%
4	Alex & Noel	Pinhão → Porto → Santiago de Compostela → Madrid → Barcelona → Marseille → Toulon → Ajaccio	26 hours	61%

Zermatt, Switzerland

The race continued on day 11 from the coastal town of Bonifacio on the southern tip of the island of Corsica in the Mediterranean to car-free Zermatt, high in the Swiss Alps situated 900 kilometres (560 mi) to the north.

With three teams leaving on the rest day of Sunday, the lack of public transport forced Billy & Bonny and Harry & Emma to each take taxis to the port of Bastia, whilst Melanie and Helene eventually hitched a lift. With an option to either traverse through Italy or France, Harry and Emma decided on the former, whilst Melanie and Helene opted for the latter due to their fluency in the language and a friend in Nice who might prove useful. Billy and Bonny also opted for France and found themselves on the same ferry service to Nice on the Côte d'Azur as Melanie and Helene.

On arrival in Livorno, Harry and Emma decided to press on to Tuscany were they had lined up a job opportunity in a Carrara marble sculpting studio. After what seemed a fruitless search, Helene successfully located her friend's apartment and she and Melanie were offered shelter for the night. The next day they spent some time with her and visited Castle Hill to witness the cannon being fired at noon. Whilst there, mother and daughter reflected on the period of their lives when they moved to France for Melanie's Scoliosis treatment.

After departing Bonifacio a day later than the other three teams, Alex and Noel also opted for a cab to Bastia to make up time and took the first ferry available to the European mainland, which made port in Livorno. From there they headed by train to Riomaggiore, one of the Cinque Terre where they worked in a vineyard for bed and board.

Billy and Bonny took a trip to explore the Grotte de Choranche cave system in the Vercors Massif before heading onward to Annecy, where they discovered there were no trains to Geneva that day due to industrial action, a predicament that Melanie and Helene also found themselves facing. Whilst the former team whiled away the hours to the next bus service by exploring the town, the latter took the opportunity to work in an eco camp in the Semnoz forest for free board with a view to catching a train the next morning. That evening when Billy and Bonny eventually arrived in Geneva they were faced with more problems with the trains, this time cancellations, so were only able to travel as far as Brig.

Having finished in Carrara with lunch consisting of Lardo, Harry & Emma took a train to Milan and then detoured to the Italian lakes and to Lake Como where they had lined up another job opportunity, this time as stablehands in exchange for a horseback tour of the area, before coming back into the city in an attempt to reach Zermatt that same night. They too, however, ran into engineering works on the Brig–Zermatt railway line when attempting to get an onward train from Visp.

Alex and Noel arrived in Milan that evening, too late for the last train. The next day Melanie and Helene missed the first train from Annecy, delaying them a few hours. Unbeknownst to either team, Harry and Emma had already reached the checkpoint the night before, on day 13.

Order	Teams	Route	Time behind leaders	Money left
1	Harry & Emma	Bonifacio → Bastia → Livorno → Carrara → Milan → Lake Como → Milan → Visp → Zermatt	—	47%
2	Alex & Noel	Bonifacio → Bastia → Livorno → Riomaggiore → Milan → Zermatt	12 hours	45%
3	Billy & Bonny	Bonifacio → Bastia → Nice → Vercors → Annecy → Geneva → Brig → Visp → Tasch → Zermatt	13.5 hours	43%
4	Melanie & Helene	Bonifacio → Bastia → Nice → Annecy → Zermatt	17.5 hours	49%

Hotel Isa Begov, Sarajevo

The race continued on day 15 from Zermatt in the shadow of the Matterhorn to Sarajevo, capital of Bosnia and Herzegovina, over 1,200 kilometres (750 mi) away in former Yugoslavia.

Harry and Emma decided on a route that initially took them through Austria and they booked a direct train to Innsbruck in the Tyrol. Despite only a 12 hour difference between race restart for the first and second placed teams, it was dawn the next day before Alex and Noel could actually depart Zermatt due to a lack of transport in the evenings. They settled on a route by rail and road through Italy and Slovenia that eventually took them to Lake Bled via the Slovenian capital, Ljubljana.

With an eye on their budget, Billy and Bonny decided to head to Italy where they hoped the high frequency and low cost of rail transport would give them an advantage, both in making up time and preserving their remaining funds. They spotted a lucrative work opportunity, weeding at the Giusti Gardens in Verona and boarded a train headed for the Italian city, but a late arrival meant they earned less than anticipated. Italy was also the first port of call for Melanie and Helene who took a train to Milan and then another to the border with Slovenia at Trieste where they found work at a coffee roasters.

Having reached Innsbruck with ease, but on a relatively expensive train, Harry and Emma worked a shift in a street food kitchen, both preparing the food and subsequently manning the food cart. With Harry feeling under the weather, the pair embarked on a 19 hour, overnight coach ride to the Split on the Adriatic coast of Croatia, which was prolonged due to a punctured tyre. With no buses onward to Sarajevo that same day, they opted to work as deckhands on a superyacht before crossing the Dinaric Alps into Bosnia and Herzegovina by coach the following morning, but not before Emma had a word with her son about his timekeeping.

In Slovenia, at the foot of the Julian Alps, Alex and Noel cleaned boats on Lake Bled in return for a free excursion, whilst in Lipica, Billy and Bonny worked at a stud farm that reared white Lipizzans in exchange for a free night's bed and board. Alex and Noel then took an overnight coach to the Croatian capital of Zagreb, from where they intended to take an onward coach straight to Sarajevo. In the morning they bumped into Billy and Bonny and the two teams found themselves on the same service.

Melanie and Helene travelled down the Adriatic coast on a coach, first to Rijeka and then to Zadar, before opting for a taxi inland all the way to Sarajevo in an effort to make up time.

On arrival in Sarajevo, Harry and Emma were surprised to find themselves first at the checkpoint. Eight hours later, Billy, Bonny, Alex and Noel arrived in the city on the same coach. Seeing the extreme discomfort Billy was in, Alex's paternal instincts kicked in and he and his father decided not to abandon the younger pair. Joining forces, both teams arrived at the fourth checkpoint simultaneously and were rewarded with joint second place.

Order	Teams	Route	Time behind leaders	Money left
1	Harry & Emma	Zermatt → Innsbruck → Split → Sarajevo	—	31%
=2	Alex & Noel	Zermatt → Ljubljana → Lake Bled → Zagreb → Sarajevo	8 hours	33%
=2	Billy & Bonny	Zermatt → Verona → Lipica → Zagreb → Sarajevo	8 hours	31%
4	Melanie & Helene	Zermatt → Milan → Trieste → Rijeka → Zadar → Sarajevo	10.5 hours	33%

Hotel Adlon, Berlin

The penultimate leg of the race commenced on day 20 from Sarajevo in the Balkans to Berlin, capital of Germany, over 1,500 kilometres (930 mi) to the north.

First to leave Sarajevo, Harry and Emma planned a route through Eastern Europe, anticipating costs would be lower and headed first for the Serbian capital of Belgrade by coach en route to Budapest where they hoped to indulge in the city’s famous thermal baths. Leaving simultaneously, Billy, Bonny, Alex and Noel parted ways, with the younger duo taking a 15-hour night bus directly to Germany and the Bavarian city of Munich for a job opportunity in a bierkeller, whilst the senior pair struck out for a village called Pusztaszer on the Southern Great Plain of Hungary to work as farm hands in exchange for bed and board.

Last to leave Sarajevo, Melanie and Helene, followed in the footsteps of the race leaders Harry and Emma by selecting the road route to Budapest via Belgrade, albeit some ten and a half hours later, but with the minor bonus of not incurring accommodation costs that night.

All teams undertook some sort of work on this leg to either top up their cash reserves or cover bed and board. On the organic farm in Pusztaszer, Alex and Noel tended the animals including some Mangalica pigs and worked in the fields. In Munich, Billy and Bonny headed to the Augustiner-Keller, where they had roles behind the bar and serving customers, respectively. In Budapest, Harry and Emma worked at the Széchenyi thermal bath complex in exchange for free use of the facilities, whilst Melanie and Helene become housekeeping staff in a hostel. The former pair later visited Heroe's Square whilst the latter took the opportunity to explore family history in Budapest’s Jewish Quarter.

From Budapest, Harry and Emma opted to continue through Eastern Europe and forged onward to Krakow in Poland, whilst Melanie and Helene made for Munich, but not before becoming separated in Budapest Keleti train station. Convinced Melanie had departed on the train without her, Helene purchased a ticket to the next stop along the line hoping that her daughter might be there and fortunately the pair were reunited. Once in Munich itself they departed straight for Berlin by high-speed rail, whereas Billy and Bonny had strategically decided to head out of Germany and into the Czech Republic to its capital Prague in an attempt to preserve funds; a city that also featured as a waypoint in the travel plans of Alex and Noel once they had reached Budapest from the farm.  

At Praha hlavní nádraží, Billy and Bonny bought train tickets direct to Berlin unsure of their position in the race. On arrival at Berlin Hauptbahnhof, they were first instructed to take the S-Bahn to Alexanderplatz and then on alighting, to head past the Reichstag, through the Brandenberg Gate to the Hotel Adlon. On arrival they were delighted to discover they were the first team to reach checkpoint five. Harry and Emma, race leaders for several previous legs, arrived approximately nine hours later and found themselves relegated to last place.

Order	Teams	Route	Time behind leaders	Money left
1	Billy & Bonny	Sarajevo → Munich → Prague → Berlin	—	21%
2	Alex & Noel	Sarajevo → Pusztaszer → Kistelek → Budapest → Prague → Berlin	6 hours	19%
3	Melanie & Helene	Sarajevo → Belgrade → Budapest → Munich → Berlin	7.5 hours	15%
4	Harry & Emma	Sarajevo → Belgrade → Budapest → Krakow → Berlin	9 hours	19%