The first round of the competition would a Web-based test. This would be followed by a proctored, written test for the top students in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. Top scorers on the written exam would be invited to Universal Studios in Florida for a final, game-show-style playoff. The first place team of three winners would garner $25,000 in scholarships, with second place team members receiving $10,000 each.

In order to run the competition, the AAA needed to find testing and assessment software with which to create a thousand questions, which would then be chosen at random to create

The AAA initially did not plan on purchasing an assessment software product. Instead, they sought a company to host the competition. But with average costs quoted at $1 per test, and without being certain of how many students would participate, it was impossible to budget for the project.

Nearly 8,000 students registered for the first travel challenge in 2003, which met with such an enthusiastic response that even more students are expected to take part in the 2004 competition.