The International Travel Game

FOR 2-6 PLAYERS

OBJECTIVE
The objective of the game is to visit as many of the principal cities of the world in as short a time as possible, starting from London; to purchase a souvenir of each place visited, and to return home to London, when an agreed number of souvenirs have been purchased.

Travel may be made by Air, Sea, Rail or Road. Tickets are purchased at any of the appropriate ticket offices, or at Thos. Cook and Son, and money may be changed at a Bureau de Change, the Bank, or at Thos. Cook and Son.

Travellers run all the risks of international travel; they may also have some unexpected luck en route, but must be prepared for complications with customs and local regulations. Like all international travellers, they must acquaint themselves with currency rates of exchange.

EQUIPMENT
A BOARD.
Six pairs of different coloured TOKENS.
MONEY for eleven currency areas.
TRAVELLER’S CHEQUES for £200 each.
Sets of LUCK, RISK and SOUVENIR cards.
Two pads of TRAVEL TICKET FORMS.
A CHART showing International fares.
One DIE.

PREPARATION
Place the RISK and LUCK cards face down on their respective positions on the board.

Each player is given TWO TOKENS of the same colour. One of these ALWAYS travels around the perimeter of the board, and is used to obtain travel tickets, change currency, etc. The other token represents his journeys between countries, and ALWAYS moves about the MAP, along the routes marked (see TRAVELLING).

Each player is given £400 in Sterling.

One player is placed in charge of the BANK, which he operates separately from his own finances (see BANKER).

Another player is placed in charge of the sale of TRAVEL TICKETS, and this player holds the International Fares Chart. It is his duty to quote, upon demand, the prices of all tickets in both Local Currency and Sterling.

A third player is made responsible for the sale of SOUVENIR CARDS.

There is no objection to the BANKER handling all the above tasks, except that it may be found to be a little too much for one person.

ALL MONEY RECEIVED BY THE ABOVE PLAYERS IN CONNECTION WITH THE SALE OF TICKETS OR SOUVENIR. CARDS IS HANDED AT ONCE TO THE BANK.

DURATION OF THE GAME
This largely depends upon the number of souvenirs that have to be collected before one player can return home and be declared the winner. It is suggested that, if TWO people are playing, the winner should arrive home with SIX souvenirs. When FOUR are playing, FOUR souvenirs should be collected, and for SIX players, THREE souvenirs should be sufficient. The number of souvenirs required to win must, however, be decided upon before commencing to play. Obviously, the fewer souvenirs required, the shorter will be the duration of the game.

THE BANKER
The BANKER operates the bank separately from his own finances, and is in charge of ALL CURRENCY and TRAVELLERS’ CHEQUES.

He is responsible for changing currency upon request. He also collects all monies paid for travel tickets, souvenirs, customs dues, penalties, etc.

Each time a player lands on, or passes over, the space marked “Bank”, he receives from the BANK a Travellers’ Cheque for £200.

The BANKER can use for quick reference the CURRENCY RATE CHART printed on the back page of the Rules, which shows the relative values of all currencies. These are the official rates (for the game), and the BANK cannot conduct financial transactions at other than these rates. The BANKER cannot, therefore, become involved (as Banker) in currency transactions with other players, although, of course, he may do so as a player.

TO START THE GAME
Commencing with the Banker, each player in turn throws the die. The player with the highest throw starts the play. Should two or more players throw the same number, the die is thrown again until the winner is decided.

This player then commences play by throwing the die, and moving his Token the number of spaces indicated by the die in a clockwise direction around the perimeter of the board, the move commencing from the “Bank” space. The instructions on the space on which the token finishes the move are then carried out, or tickets may be purchased or money exchanged, etc.

Should the token land on a LUCK space, a LUCK card is taken from the top of the pack (see LUCK CARDS).

When this player has completed his turn, play passes to the player on his left. One or more tokens may rest on the same space of the perimeter at the same time.

PURCHASE OF TICKETS
The object of moving around the board is to endeavour to land on a space to purchase a TRAVEL TICKET. An Air Ticket may be purchased at the B.O.A.C. Ticket Office, a Sea Ticket at a Shipping Agency, etc. Combined tickets may be purchased from each of the appropriate ticket offices, but tickets for ANY ROUTE may be purchased when the token lands on the Thos. Cook and Son space. Money can also be exchanged at Thos. Cook and Son (see CHANGING MONEY). Thus, a player landing on such a space may change his money, and buy a ticket at the same time.

Having arrived at a Ticket Office, a player may purchase a ticket, but is not obliged to do so. Should he wish to travel by AIR, and finds himself at a SHIPPING AGENCY, he may await his next turn, and hope to reach the B.O.A.C. TICKET OFFICE.

ALL TICKETS MUST BE PURCHASED IN LOCAL CURRENCY, i.e., the currency of the country the player is visiting at the time. Prices of tickets are shown on the INTERNATIONAL FARES CHART, both in Sterling and local currency. For this reason, it is necessary (except at the start of the game) to change one’s money BEFORE purchasing a ticket. For example, if a player is in BERLIN, and wishes to buy a ticket to another country, he must pay for it in Marks, and must change as much money as he needs into Marks, although on arrival in Berlin, having needed Marks to purchase his souvenir, he should at the same time have obtained sufficient Marks to cover the fare to his next destination.

At the start of the game, all players will be able to pay for their tickets in the Sterling provided by the BANK.

Upon purchasing a ticket, the player in charge of the INTERNATIONAL FARES CHART will hand the purchaser a ticket made out to the appropriate destination, and showing the method of transport and fare paid. This ticket must be surrendered to the player responsible for the sale of tickets on completion of the journey. (These tickets may be kept and used for future games, in order to conserve the use of the ticket pads, although spare pads may be obtained from John Waddington Limited, Wakefield Road, Leeds 10, at 6d. per pad, plus 3d. postage.)

ROUTES
Once a player has purchased a ticket he is in transit, and, on his next turn, must move his token along the route marked on the map (see TRAVELLING).

It will be noticed that there are only certain routes available between cities; for example, there is only a sea route between San Francisco and Buenos Aires, and it is therefore as well to refer first to the map, to ensure what routes exist. Travel may be made only over routes quoted in the International Fares Chart.

LUCK CARDS
A player landing on one of the spaces on the perimeter marked LUCK takes a LUCK card from the top of the pack. This card may be used at once, or retained for future use. When used (once only) the card must be returned, face down, to the bottom of the pack.

Certain LUCK cards enable a player to advance a specified number of spaces without throwing the die. Such cards can be used in any way the player may consider advantageous, either in conjunction with, or instead of, a throw of the die. He may collect these, and use them individually or all at once. They may be used to avoid landing on a RISK MARKER, or to reach one’s destination without waiting to throw the exact number on the die. Such LUCK cards are available whilst in transit along Air, Sea, Road and Rail routes, OR whilst moving around the perimeter.

There are also several free travel tickets, which entitle a player to travel without landing on a ticket-purchasing space, i.e., Thos. Cook, B.O.A.C., etc. A player wishing to use one of these tickets must declare his intention before throwing the die.

TRAVELLING
Having obtained his Travel Ticket, a player must await his next turn, and then commence his first journey from LONDON. Since it is not possible to pass over any city, the first journey must be to PARIS, BERLIN, MOSCOW, CASABLANCA or NEW YORK.

The die is thrown, and the inner token moved the number of MARKERS indicated by the die. The MARKERS are the small red and white circles along the routes. The red circles are RISK MARKERS (see RISK CARDS).

In order to arrive at his destination, a player must throw EXACTLY the number required. For instance, LONDON to PARIS requires a throw of ONE on the die, no more. Higher numbers are ignored, and the player must await his next turn to throw again. ROME to BOMBAY by AIR requires a throw or throws up to FIVE. This can be made up of any combination of throws, remembering that a player is entitled to only one throw at a time.

When travelling between cities, no two inner tokens may remain on the same MARKER. Thus, if a player’s move should end on a marker already occupied by another player, he must ignore that move, and await his next turn to throw the die again, since the token already on the MARKER has priority of position. It is, however, in order for a player to PASS another player on the same journey, and it is also permitted for two or more players to occupy a city at the same time.

It will be seen that possession of certain LUCK CARDS is advantageous to supplement or replace a throw of the die (see LUCK CARDS).

It is important to remember that, whilst a player is in transit, that is, travelling from one country to another, his token on the perimeter remains untouched. This outer token is moved ONLY when a player is in a town, city or island named. When a player arrives at his destination, and has purchased his souvenir (see SOUVENIRS), on his next turn he moves his outer token around the board to obtain another ticket for his next journey, and, if necessary, to exchange further currency. The same procedure is taken on arrival at each new destination.

It is important to note that, having purchased his souvenir, a player is OBLIGED to move his outer token in accordance with the number thrown on the die. The outer token will, of course, have been left on a Ticket Office or Bureau de Change space prior to the journey, and the next ticket cannot be purchased, nor money exchanged, on this same space. The token MUST be moved, and the transactions for the new journey carried out on arrival at the next appropriate Ticket Office or Bureau de Change.

RISK CARDS
All travel involves a certain amount of risk, and a player in transit, landing on one of the red RISK MARKERS, must take a RISK CARD from the top of the pack, and act in accordance with the instructions printed thereon. Having done so, the card is returned, face down, to the bottom of the pack.

A RISK CARD may require a player to return to his point of embarkation. In this event, he is not required to purchase another ticket, UNLESS SPECIFICALLY STATED ON THE RISK CARD.

Some RISK CARDS involve DIVERSIONS, such as “Plane Diverted”, “Severe Storm”, etc. In these cases the player transfers his inner token immediately to the place mentioned on the card. The travel ticket for his interrupted journey is surrendered, and a new one must be purchased to travel from his new point of departure to any suitable destination he may decide upon. Should he have no local currency, he must obtain this in the usual manner before buying a new ticket.

It is clearly stated on the RISK CARDS whether the diversion applies to Air, Sea, Road or Rail travel, and CARDS that do not apply should be re turned, face down, to the bottom of the pack, and the instructions ignored.

CHANGING MONEY
Local currency can be obtained at a BUREAU DE CHANGE, at the BANK, or at THOS. COOK AND SON, and a player must throw the die, and land on one of the spaces so marked before he can change his money or Travellers’ Cheques. Travellers’ Cheques must be changed to money before being used to purchase a ticket or souvenir.

Currency rates are printed on the back page of the Rules, and these rates must be adhered to for all official transactions. Each currency has a border coloured in accordance with the colour of the currency area on the map.

A player MAY NOT change money into any Currency OTHER THAN THAT OF THE AREA HE IS IN AT THAT TIME. In other words, when in France, he may not purchase Dollars, but only Francs. Similarly, Travellers’ Cheques may be changed only into the LOCAL CURRENCY.

It is not always desirable, or even necessary, to change ALL one’s money into local currency. Usually, it is sufficient to change only enough money to enable the player (a) to purchase a souvenir, (b) to buy a ticket to his next destination, and (c) to have enough local currency in hand to cover possible fines or penalties.

It should be noted that some currencies are worth retaining. STERLING, for instance, is valid in Australia, South Africa, etc. FRANCS are valid in France, Casablanca and Madagascar. It is left to the judgment of the traveller as to how much currency he should accumulate.

N.B. It must be appreciated that the Rates of Exchange quoted are purely for the purpose of this game, and are not intended to represent actual rates. Also, for simplification, in several cases a number of countries having different currencies have been grouped together with one currency.

SOUVENIRS
The main objective of the traveller is to purchase the agreed number of SOUVENIRS, and then begin his journey home.

Upon arrival at a principal city, the first thing the player should do is to purchase his souvenir. SOUVENIRS MUST BE PAID FOR IN LOCAL CURRENCY. The player must, therefore, obtain local currency (see CHANGING MONEY). The cost of each souvenir is £60 Sterling, and the local currency rate is printed on the back of each SOUVENIR CARD.

It is important to note that only one SOUVENIR can be purchased by a player at any one time. He MAY NOT remain in a city, and purchase the second souvenir, but MUST move on to another city. He may, however, if he wishes, return to the city at a later stage, and purchase another souvenir. It should be noted, therefore, that, as only two SOUVENIRS are available for each city, the second player to visit any particular city will purchase the last remaining souvenir, and any further player following on the same route will find no souvenir available, and will have had a wasted journey. Players must, therefore, bear in mind which souvenirs have been purchased, and take alternative routes to avoid futile journeys.

Once a player is in possession of the required number of souvenirs, he should start for home (London) at once, by the shortest or most convenient route. On his return journey, he is still liable to encounter CUSTOMS, who may deprive him of one of his souvenirs. For this reason, it maybe wise to purchase MORE souvenirs than required, as an insurance against loss or confiscation.

CASINO
A player finding himself at the CASINO on the perimeter of the board can gamble, if he wishes, but is not obliged to do so. He may stake ANY AMOUNT, and in ANY CURRENCY. A player is allowed one bet only. The odds are printed on the space marked CASINO, and the player gambles by a throw of the die. (This is an extra throw, and does not constitute a move.) Should the player throw 3 or under, he loses his stake; for a throw of 4 or over he receives 2 to 1.

The BANK is in charge of the CASINO, and pays out all winnings IN THE CURRENCY PUT DOWN BY THE PLAYER; all losses are paid into the BANK. The CASINO is not permitted to change money, or to conduct any other business.

PENALTIES
Customs duties and hotel bills must be paid (to the BANK), before a player may continue on his journey. If he has not sufficient local currency to meet his hotel bill, he must move his outer token around the perimeter (by throwing the die) until he reaches the BANK, THOS. COOK & SON or a BUREAU DE CHANGE, in order to change the necessary amount. During this time the inner token IS NOT MOVED.

All penalties, etc., are paid into the BANK.

DEALINGS BETWEEN PLAYERS
A player may, at any time during the game, transact currency deals with other players. It is left to the discretion and business sense of the players concerned as to what percentages or advantages are to be gained from such transactions, there being no official control of the rates of exchange in such cases.

Thus, a player in need of FRANCS, but in possession of DOLLARS, may exchange currency with another player. It may not, however, be to the advantage of the other player to agree to such an exchange, as this could assist the first player to win the game.

A player may, at any time during the game, make a bid for currency, souvenirs or luck cards held by another player. The other player is not obliged to accept, but may see some advantage in doing so, if he is short of money.

SELLING OR PAWNING SOUVENIRS
To raise funds, a player may sell one or more of his souvenirs or Luck Cards to the highest bidder. Should a player not wish to sell his souvenirs, he may put them in Pawn, the BANK acting as broker. The BANK will pay half the original cost (i.e. £30), and will retain the souvenir until redeemed by the owner by payment of £40 to the BANK (£30 plus £10 commission for the BANK). Such transactions may be carried out in any currency at any time.

BANKRUPTCY
A player, who is unable to raise funds to pay fines or penalties, must declare himself bankrupt, and drop out of the game, in which case, any money he may have is returned to the BANK, and Luck Cards returned to the bottom of the pack. Any souvenirs he possesses or has pawned are returned to the game, and can be purchased by other players at the normal price, on arrival at the respective cities.

WINNING THE GAME
The player who first LANDS exactly on LONDON, being in possession of the agreed number of Souvenir Cards, is declared the winner.

© JOHN WADDINGTON LIMITED 1961.