Around The World For Free starts casting for 2027 reboot

The original creators of Around The World For Free have begun searching for new travelers for a 2027 reboot, while re-releasing Season 1 in daily vertical episodes across social platforms. The relaunch aims to revive one of the earliest audience-driven travel series as a new generation of creators and viewers join in.

Why it matters: - Around The World For Free helped define audience-powered travel storytelling before creator economy platforms made the format mainstream. - The reboot could expand the concept from a single traveler to multiple adventures happening at once, with viewers again helping shape the journey. - The project also puts a 2007-era internet experiment back in front of a social-first audience that now expects interactive video.

What happened: - The original creators have started casting for a 2027 reboot of Around The World For Free. - Aspiring travelers can audition by posting a one-minute-or-shorter video on Instagram or TikTok explaining why they should be selected and tagging @ATWFF20 or #ATWFF20. - The team is re-releasing Season 1 as one-minute vertical episodes each day across social media ahead of the series' 20th anniversary. - The relaunch is centered in Los Angeles and timed to mark nearly two decades since the series first launched in September 2007.

The details: - Around The World For Free debuted in September 2007 with Survivor alum Burton Roberts, digital media pioneer Zsolt Luka, The Amazing Race winner Alex Boylan and college intern Ashley Spence. - The premise asked whether a traveler could circle the globe without money by relying on the internet and local connections. - Anne O'Grady, then vice president of marketing at CBS, connected the team with The CBS Early Show. - Boylan launched the journey live on national television and checked in weekly as viewers guided the trip. - The production used more than $100,000 to build a custom website and relied on satellite technology to stay connected from remote locations. - The project was built by a team of four people and became an early example of audience-powered storytelling. - AroundTheWorldForFree.com crashed moments after the live launch because viewers rushed online to help. - A viewer eventually offered Boylan a train ticket to South Carolina, and the trip began. - Over six months, the journey stretched 45,000 miles across 16 countries and four continents. - Viewers suggested destinations, arranged transportation, offered places to stay and helped shape the story in real time. - The series produced 129 original webisodes and was later repackaged into 11 one-hour episodes for WGN America. - The franchise was licensed in more than 50 countries and later expanded with seasons featuring Jeff Schroeder and Parvati Shallow. - The current re-release is running on YouTube, Instagram, Facebook and TikTok. - The reboot is being developed as a larger project for today's connected world, with multiple adventurers in different parts of the globe. - Original travelers Alex Boylan and Jeff Schroeder are expected to host a weekly half-hour series that follows and connects the adventures. - Four-time Emmy Award-winning producer Shane Farley has joined as executive producer. - Farley previously recognized the original concept and later hired the team for a similar audience-driven travel project on The Rachael Ray Show. - More information is available at the official website. - The project is also using @ATWFF20 across social platforms.

Between the lines: - The reboot leans into a nostalgia play, but the format is clearly being updated for short-form video and multi-platform discovery. - The casting call doubles as engagement marketing, turning fans into part of the launch campaign before the new show is fully announced. - Bringing back original faces like Boylan, Schroeder and Farley signals continuity with the franchise's roots while trying to make the format feel current.

What's next: - The team will continue releasing Season 1 in daily vertical clips as it builds toward the reboot. - Auditions will determine the next traveler or travelers for the 2027 series. - Additional details on the reboot format, participants and launch timing are expected as development continues.