Hostelling International´s Big Blog Exhange (#bigblogX) is back!

The wait is over. The Big Blog Exchange (BBE), the world’s biggest blog exchange competition, is back! It’s a new year and a new chance to be one of 16 bloggers swapping places, blogs and lives simultaneously IRL. From experiencing street art in Montreal to tango dancing in Buenos Aires, last year’s bloggers trekked, tasted and triumphed their way around the world. This year we’re doing it all over again.

Mikael Hansson, the chief executive of Hostelling International, said: “The journey for the Big Blog Exchange is really only beginning now, we are looking for bloggers from all over the world to join us in this unique adventure.”

In 2013, the Big Blog Exchange, run by Hostelling International, involved 1,173 great bloggers from 173 countries worldwide and received fantastic recognition from the Travel industry with three prestigious awards – Innovation in Tourism by the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), Best Marketing Innovation campaign by the World Youth Student and Educational Travel Confederation and the British Youth Travel Awards for Best Marketing.

We asked Liesbet Maroye from Belgium, one of the 16 winners of the BBE 2013, why bloggers should join this second edition, as she said; “This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Whatever you blog about, this is your chance to meet like-minded people and to share your thoughts. The Big Blog Exchange is a perfect way to discover the whole network of Hostelling International and the wonderful people powering it: the crew of each hostel and the dedication they put to this worldwide project. “’Changing the world using the power of blogs‘ may sound ambitious but we can. We can change the world one step at a time: by ourselves, our blogs and by inspiring our readers.”

So, whether you’ve just set up your blog or it’s been around for ten years. Whether you have one million readers or just the one. Whether you blog about politics, global warming, travel, fashion, beauty or even cupcakes! Wherever you live, whatever language you blog in… We are looking for 16 passionate and adventurous bloggers to make the Big Blog Exchange 2014 an amazing experience all over again.

Find out when the competition starts and watch the trailer on www.bigblogexchange.org

Join the conversation #bigblogX

P.S. Hostelling International Finland is hoping that there will be (at least!) one Finn in the 16 winning bloggers. Good luck!

The Big Blog Exchange - Let's change the world using the power of blogs!

Hosted by Hostelling International (HI), the Big Blog Exchange is seeking 16 passionate, talented and adventurous bloggers from around the world, who will have the once in a lifetime opportunity to exchange lives, places and blogs with one another for ten days (7th June – 17th June 2013). 

From March 1st until April 15th, bloggers will be able to register their blogs at www.bigblogexchange.org for the exchange, express their motivation for taking part, before then encouraging readers, family and friends to vote for them.

“The winning bloggers will get the chance to swap places with another winner. They will then spend 10 days in each other’s countries learning about the people, culture, food, and environment and of course we will want to share this with them by reading their blog about their experience,” said CEO of Hostelling International, Mikael Hansson.

With the aim of creating a digital blogging global community like no other, which interacts in real life, the competition has already attracted the attention of over 1,000 bloggers worldwide, from more than 100 countries.

“We never expected that we would reach out and inspire so many people in so many countries,” said Mikael Hansson, “The reasons for bloggers wanting to take part have been hugely varied and in some cases have been extremely humbling. The level of interest has just confirmed that people are excited to learn and understand more about different cultures and different ways of life. Hostelling International has always aimed to encourage and promote global interaction so we look forward to watching this exciting project unfold.”

UK blogger Glen Shorey, who writes ‘Adventures of Wheelchair Boy’, has a particularly poignant motivation for taking part, which he wrote about on his blog. Diagnosed with Friedreich’s Ataxia at a young age, he is hoping to be one of the winning bloggers so that he can travel for the first time in seven years.

“As soon as I read about this exciting opportunity, my eyes lit up. Obviously, being able to go abroad without worrying about the cost is a great relief but I also want to change people’s mind-set when it comes to disability.,” Glen explained.

The winning bloggers, who will be announced on April 29th in a live online draw, will have their travel and accommodation expenses paid for by Hostelling International, in addition to a pocket money allowance for their stay.

Will we see Finland represented in the competition?

HI Finland is hoping that there will be (at least!) one Finn in the 16 winning bloggers. Ville Virkki, who owns Dream Hostel in Tampere, thinks the same: "I think it's a great idea and I'm excited to see the results of it. I like the fact that there will be more than one winner. We are encouraging our contacts in Tampere Region to take part in the competition", said Ville.

Hostelling International launches the Big Blog Exchange

What if we could change the world using the power of blogs?
Are you a blogger? Have you ever thought about swapping lives, places, cultures and BLOGS with someone across the globe? We’re offering a unique, once in a lifetime change to do just this. Introducing, The Big Blog Exchange.

With over 170 million of them on the web at the moment, there is no doubt about the fact that blogs are fast becoming a popular news source, a place for everyday inspiration and a social hub. But we want to take the influence of blogs that one step further.

In 2013, Hostelling International is looking for sixteen passionate, talented and adventurous bloggers who will have the chance to swap lives, places, cultures and blogs simultaneously for ten days. Selected bloggers will be flown across the globe by HI, to their exchange destination. There they can explore the area, experience new things and immerse themselves in local traditions and cultures.

Big Blog Exchange

The Big Blog Exchange’s teaser site launches on 4th February 2013, providing those interested in the project with a summary of how bloggers can get involved and a trailer, giving an insight into what the opportunity entails.

The launch of the main competition site for the exchange will take place on 1st March 2013, where potential travellers can log on, create a profile and start encouraging others to vote for them. On this unique site, bloggers will also be able to divulge why they want to take part, or more importantly – how they think they can change the world using the power of their blog. 

100 finalists will then make it through to the final shortlist, which will be narrowed down to just 15 by an international jury. The final ‘sixteenth’ blogger will be a wildcard choice, hand-picked by HI to personally undergo the project, based upon the quality of their content and their reason for taking part. So, even if a blog is brand new and doesn’t gain any votes on the competition site, they are still in with a chance if the inspiration and content is great.

So, whether you’ve just set up your blog. Or whether it’s been around for ten years. Whether you have one million readers, or just the one. Whether you blog about politics, global warming, travel, fashion, beauty or even cupcakes. Wherever you live, whatever language you blog in and no matter what you write about, we are searching for the world’s most passionate bloggers, to help us change the world, using the power of blogs.

Will you help us?