- Publisher(s) : Underdog Games
- Designer(s) : Nick Bentley, Charlie Bink
- Artist(s) : Csaba Bernáth, Marta Danecka, Sebastian Koziner, Aleksey Shirokikh, Alexey Shirokikh
- Players : 1–5
- Playing time : 30 - 60 Min
- Weight BGG : 1.94
What's this?
Trekking the World is a strategic board game in which players take on the roles of globetrotters traveling the planet to visit iconic destinations.
How do you play?
In your turn, you must move and perform a main action.
1. Choose a map Route
- You select a Route map.
- She states:
- by how many trips
- and the associated bonus (money, souvenir…)
2. Moving around the map
- You move your pawn to a connected destination.
- Movement is mandatory on each turn
3. Gain resources
Depending on the map chosen and your location:
- 💰 Earn money
- 🎒 Collect souvenirs related to the target continent.
These souvenirs will be used for: - score points
- activate bonuses during the game
🧩 Additional actions
📍 Get a Discovery Card
- If you are on a matching location: you collect a discovery card which has immediate effects or end-game points.
🏛️ Buy a Business Card
- If you are in the right place and have enough money: you buy a destination (tour)
- These cards are worth a lot of points at the end of the game.
🎯 Memory management (suitcase)
- You store your memories in your suitcase
- Certain combinations or majorities award bonuses during the game and additional points.
🏁 End of game
The game ends according to an ending condition
Is it good?
Trekking the World is a racing and collecting game that remains accessible, while offering a little strategic depth.
The materials, and particularly the illustrations on the cards, are sumptuous.
The rules are simple, but behind this simplicity lies a game of optimization: choosing the right route at the right time, managing your timing, and anticipating other players to acquire cards before them. You also need to manage your money to buy Visit cards, while trying to collect Discovery cards to take advantage of their powers that modify the rules. And let’s not forget managing your memories, which adds a significant layer of collectability.
All this optimization depends on the cards available on the market, which can become frustrating if the ones you need never appear. It could also be criticized for a certain lack of variety, with strategies becoming quite similar after several games.
But Trekking the World remains a game worth trying for those looking for a family-friendly and educational game (each destination includes a short cultural text on the back of the cards), enhanced by sumptuous components. It’s an excellent title for introducing players to the genre, even if it lacks a certain “wow” factor to become a must-have for expert gamers.
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Trekking the World: Second Edition review
Positives
- Travel theme
- Simple rules that are quick to explain
- Shallow depth for a family game
- The materials and illustrations are very well done.
Negatives
- Limited renewal
- Element of chance
- There's a bit of a lack of tension for the big players
