• what is jailbreak
• what do i need to know
• how do i take part

This is the fourth ESCA Jailbreak, and we're hoping that it will be our best ever. Last year teams got to a wide variety of locations within the 24 hour limit. Our record destination is still New York, achieved in 2004, so that's your target to beat!

The premise, although it seems simple, can be undertaken in many ways. From rail to road, feet to flight all you need are the clothes on your back and a big smile. Everybody will use their own method, none are guaranteed, but all of them will involve meeting interesting people and sharing experiences that you won't get from a weekend in front of the TV at your parents!

sponsorship

This year we are asking each participant to raise a minimum of £50.00 sponsorship. If you reach the minimum sponsorship level, we will refund your deposit.

£50.00 isn't really a huge amount of money to raise when you think about it, and can be reached quite easily with a few donations. However, that's no reason to stop. Every penny raised can help make a real difference to your chosen charity, so raise as much as you can.

You can download a printed sponsorship form from here, or click here to go to our online sponsorship website and set up your own page.

safety

The safety of everybody taking part is of the utmost importance to us.

Everybody taking part will be supplied with a guide about safe hitchhiking and be in groups of at least two. We will also require everybody taking part to phone the Jailbreak HQ every time they cross a border, reach a new city, change mode of transport, or every hour (which ever is the sooner).

Apart from wanting to know how well you are doing, we need to make sure everybody is OK. However, please remember, once you leave Edinburgh Castle, you are on your own. Short of serious emergencies, getting safely home is completely your responsibility! We have no intention of travelling all over Britain to pick people up on the Sunday.

Remember when you are attempting to blag help from large travel companies, if they are willing to take you a long distance then you can probably get them to guarantee that they will bring you home, but always check just in case the next boat or flight isn't for a while (4 days in Singapore Airport isn't much fun believe me).

If you are hitching with members of the public, please ensure you have enough money to get back on you own, or if you feel like it, you can always spend a few days hitching back to Edinburgh.

Everyone taking part will also be required to carry with them at all times a European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) which gives you free emergency medical treatment in EU member states, as well as their own travel insurance (for ambitious people, Worldwide backpacker level travel insurance is probably best). If you don't already have this then please tell us and we can help sort it out.

Hundreds of people take part in these events each year with no problems whatsoever and go on to have a great time so please don't worry.