From being led by dogs on a sled along the other-worldly snow plains of Mongolia to exploring Australia’s rugged Kimberley coast aboard the luxurious Orion Expedition cruise ship. Peter Young from Canberra was chosen as the winner of the Luxperience ‘Most Amazing Travel Experience’ competition, his winning image of himself dog sledding in Mongolia’s iconic Terelj National Park earning him a once-in-a-lifetime Orion Expedition Cruise for two exploring Australia’s rugged Kimberley coast valued at AU$25,100.

To promote the inaugural Luxperience gathering of the world’s most exclusive experiential travel providers in Sydney from 10-12 September 2012, the Luxperience ‘Most Amazing Travel Experience’ competition, held from 14 March to 30 May 2012, aimed to showcase some of the most amazing travel experiences throughout the world and share them with the Luxperience community through inspiring images.

Among the incredible entries, Peter’s interesting self-taken shot stood out, showing a close-up of his face, snuggled under layers of fur hat, coat and scarf, eyes covered with a ski mask and a smile of simultaneous trepidation and exhilaration. Reflected on the huge ski mask are packs of dogs pulling Peter on his sled and his outstretched hand, firmly gripping his camera and capturing the moment.

He described his image: “Wind whistling in my ears, ice whizzing beneath my feet… I have stepped into another world, harsh yet beautiful. I am dog sledding in Mongolia’s iconic Terelj National Park. We were treated with a glimpse of traditional life, excited by the experience, inspired by our hosts, reminded of our good fortune and provided with a lifetime of stories.”

Peter said of his win: “I’m thrilled that my image was chosen as the winning entry because that trip to Mongolia was an eye-opening experience, from which I saw and learned a lot. So to have even more come out of it is amazing.”

While the competition attracted a high number of entries, all amazing shots of high caliber and all from amateur photographers, the judging panel agreed that Peter’s entry really exemplified experiential travel and captured his incredible and transformational experience.

Steve McLaughlin, Business Development Manager at Orion Expedition and a member of the judging panel said: “We were delighted with the encouraging number of entries and pleasantly surprised by the quality of them all. Peter’s entry stood out because it not only showed us his incredible experience dog-sledding but also showed his delight and enjoyment, drawing us as viewers to participate in and share his experience.”

Winning himself an amazing cruise of Australia’s Kimberley Coast, Peter is set to embark on an awe-inspiring journey to discover the region’s rugged gorges, spectacular waterfalls, secluded beaches and remote river inlets that can only be explored from the sea, as well as an intriguing world of Aboriginal culture and galleries of ancient artwork through land excursions. For 10 days, Peter will cruise between Darwin in the Northern Territory and the historic pearling town of Broome in West Australia, via Com in East Timor while put up in a Junior Suite aboard the Orion Expedition cruise ship.

Throughout the journey, he will be blogging daily about the Kimberley expedition on the Luxperience website and Facebook page to involve online audiences with his journey.

Luxperience Founder & CEO Rosemarie Sama said: “The ‘Most Amazing Travel Experience’ competition has given us the opportunity to really showcase some of the most amazing travel experiences throughout the world and share these with the Luxperience community. Peter’s incredible shot was one of my personal favourites and it has certainly inspired me to visit this unique part of the world and continue to scour the globe for equally inspiring travel experiences to showcase at Luxperience. We look forward to seeing more of his captivating travel photography on his Orion Expedition cruise.”