Written while sitting peacefully in the hotel balcony, facing the inviting waves of the Mediterranean Sea. Curating the highlights while waiting for a fresh-brewed Ciocattino coffee from the Nespresso machine. Where the cold breeze stirs the lines of sand that adorn the empty parking lot below. Where seabirds patiently glide through the winds, waiting for another fishing boat to come nearby. It was a fine day.

The team is currently in the middle of the Travel Intern Series Season IV, and it was the first time that I have made a written narrative about this competition since its inception in 2017. However, the uniqueness of the current situation, along with an interesting set of applicants who, at the time of this writing, have already successfully completed the 24-Hour Editor-in-Chief Challenge, brings a whole new meaning to the significance of travel. When the world goes into its room, we move forward toward a hopeful tomorrow where we can explore the world again.

The current semifinalists of The Travel Intern Season IV comprise an amazing mix of returnees and first-timers, and while the usual scenario is that the returnees automatically gain a powerful advantage, this season’s first-time applicants came in prepared, and they are giving a formidable challenge even to the most experienced applicants.

The Editor-in-Chief’s Mini Coffee Bar before scoring the EIC Challenge Submissions.

The season paved a lot of firsts. From Season I to III, a pre-determined winning destination has been set the moment the season has been announced. If you’ve been following our travel website and Facebook page, Season I focused on the Philippines. Season II placed the spotlight on Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan. Season III highlighted the ASEAN Region. Season IV was pegged to be the broadest and most panoramic season so far, with four pre-determined countries to be visited by the season winner after fulfilling his or her local destination assignments. It was set to be the season focusing on East Asia and Oceania because the countries to be covered were supposed to be South Korea, Japan, Palau, and Papua New Guinea.

The original application period was extended for an entire month, but it has been ultimately agreed that only 10 applicants will be enrolled as quarterfinalists. Out of the 10 applicants, nine successfully completed Act II: A Test of Photography with high marks. They were immediately subjected to the 24-Hour EIC Challenge, which has perhaps been the toughest EIC Challenge yet.

And then COVID-19 came into the scene. This completely restricted all immediate travel plans, as well as the original social calendar of The Panoramic Soul. However, this also paved the way to give Season IV the potential to be the longest season ever in the Travel Intern Series history, as Season V will be launched, most likely, in mid-2022. Given this probably (and hopefully) once-in-a-lifetime occurrence where a pandemic hinders our travel plans, The Travel Intern Season IV will be the first where the winning international destinations will be revealed just before the finals and will vary based on travel history, application history, and overall performance up to the semifinals.

The Travel Intern Series Season IV Semifinalists is the strongest and most unpredictable semifinalist set yet since the Travel Intern Series started.

This season’s EIC challenge comprised two questions to gain insight into the opinions of the applicants and to know them better. An integral part of the EIC Challenge every season is the storytelling challenge, in which the semifinalists will be given a musical piece and must then narrate a story out of it. This year’s storytelling challenge is to the harmonious and profound masterpiece of Ivan Torrent called “Aligning Hearts.”

The objective of the EIC challenge is to determine how well an applicant can capture a story. After all, The Panoramic Soul is primarily about experiences, and in the Travel Intern Series, you are fighting to win an experience of a lifetime. It aims to be a mutually beneficial lesson in life, not just with a published article as an outcome but also with our interns learning from the journey and the destinations assigned to them.

Even though The Panoramic Soul family is tens of thousands of miles apart from each other, as some of the core team members are based overseas, this is perhaps the season where everyone is very hands-on because of the ongoing pandemic. It is also the season where the applicants can freely communicate with the team about their concerns about the competition.

As the EIC Challenge was already completed successfully and with flying colors, the nine semifinalists will undergo the final interview before the second to the last public voting, which will determine who and how many will go to the finale. In the tradition of The Travel Intern Series, the Social Media Manager and the Marketing Manager will lead the interviews, which will be the heart of the final deliberation.

To our nine semifinalists, you’ve given us a very rewarding season because, at this point, we have no clear frontrunner. This makes the experience even more unpredictable and exhilarating. You are all winners at this point, but there can only be one. See you in the next round of the competition!