Education is a top priority, so how do we stay on top of it while travelling around the world?
We learn so much everyday flying through new countries everyday, meeting new people and just observing the world around us. Everyday poses new challenges and it's up to us to find and create solutions. Unfortunately, this is not a substitution for traditional school, so here's how we are managing our educations!
Samantha (21 years old)
Samantha is a student at the University of British Colombia (UBC) in Vancouver, Canada studying Geography with a minor in GIS and computational systems. Our expedition started after the end of her 3ryd year, so she is in the middle of a gap year, getting some more "hands on" experience while travelling before heading home and continuing her 4th year. Her degree ties in nicely with what were doing and provides insight to the subjects she has been studying.
Sydney (18 years old)
I graduated high school right before the expedition started (well, kind of during because I had to stay back to finish exams then met up with everyone in Newfoundland, Canada). Currently I am in a gap year between high school and university, where I plan to study something in the sciences (although I am still unsure of what area in science). This meant that I had fun of doing all my university applications while on the road (or in the air I guess). Now all that's left is pick which offer to accept!
Chris (15 years old)
Chris is currently in grade 10 of French immersion high school. Because he cannot take a gap year or put it on pause, he is taking his classes online. To prepare for this he did a few classes in advance to lighten the load but he still has to manage the core curriculum. This isn't easy. Besides the constant distraction of wanting to explore, a major problem for online school is that we have no idea where we're going to be or if there will be strong enough wifi for Chris to take a test or watch the required videos. If we are travelling through areas with weak or no wifi we do set aside days for Chris to schedule tests when we know we're going to be somewhere with stable wifi or where he can do the test on mobile data. It is a challenge dealing with it all, but Chris is doing phenomenal at managing it all and is learning so much outside of school while travelling.
Pilot Education
Myself and Samantha are both baby private pilots. By that I mean we officially got our licenses in 2021, so we're still fairly new. The expedition is a great way of not only building time for a commercial license, but it offers a unique way of learning. Everyday we are flying through new airspace, with different rules and regulations. We get practice on the radio talking SO MUCH and dealing with ATC. Additionally we get the logistical practice of planning flights through diverse terrain and varying climates. this is all without mentioning the paperwork and planning we do to cross borders and fly in other countries without using a handler or FBO. We get the pleasure of filling out papers, filing for permits, contacting local authorities and more! While it can be a pain, we're thankful for the opportunity to learn and sharpen our communication skills!
