A core part of the A+ World Academy My 5 to Global Leadership is the incorporation of Global Studies. Sailing the world gives our students the opportunity to experience new cultures, meet new people, try new language skills, and actualize our aim of Global Studies. This upcoming school year our students will travel to some fantastic destinations from Europe to Africa and across the Atlantic Ocean… twice.

Here is our voyage plan for the 2023-2024 school year: 2023 - 2024 Voyage Plan

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Kristiansand, Norway - Departure Day August 20th - 21st.

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Kristiansand is our home-port. It is a beautiful city on the southern coast of Norway. Our families gather the third week of August for the official departure of our 2024 class of A+ Students. This is where the students start their maritime training which lasts for three weeks at sea and in port.

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Saint Malo, France - September 28th - October 4th.

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Our first official stop on the 2023-2024 voyage plan is the city of St. Malo. This charming city is located on the northern coastline of France. Incorporating the locations we visit with learning opportunities is a hallmark of our program. Here our students will travel to Normandy Beach where they will receive a guided tour and visit the museums here. Additionally, the proximity to Mont Saint-Michel gives our students the ability to visit one of the most unique places on earth. And of course while in France we will take advantage of the culinary opportunities that exist and enjoy some French cuisine.

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‍Setúbal, Portugal - October 14th - October 18th

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Our arrival in Portugal aligns with Setúbal’s week of the sea where Portuguese tall ships from around the country join in a showcase. We are fortunate enough to be included and our students get to tour other tall ships that are here. Last year we went Coasteering, which is a combination of hiking/swimming/exploring that is done along the coastline. During some of their shore leave, our students might even take a quick trip to Lisbon to visit the home of Fernando Pessoa, a famous Portuguese writer. We also visit the UNESCO World Heritage site Sintra.

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Cartagena, Spain - October 25th - October 29th

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On the way to this destination, our students pass through the Straight of Gibraltar. It’s an incredible feeling looking left and right to see both Europe and Africa. The students who are taking Spanish as a second language in our program are in for a treat with this destination. They are going to get the opportunity to put their language skills to the test in the city of Cartagena. The river rafting field experience, is a highlight of the year. Not only are we river rafting but we also learn about cave art- through the ¨Cañon de Almedenes¨ These are caves with paintings from 8.000 year ago, that are of humans and animals.

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Funchal-Madeira, Portugal - November 10th - November 15th

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Known for its immaculate gardens, our students are getting the opportunity to spend time in one of the most beautiful places on earth. hiking and walking through the gardens is a highlight of this port but our Diving Cllub also takes advantage of this location by going on an excellent diving trip while other students might participate in an art meditation workshop in Madeira's art center.

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Las Palmas, Gran Canaria, Spain - November 18th - December 3rd

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Our arrival in Las Palmas marks one of the high points of the year. This port is our first Parent Port of the year. Here students will have two weeks away from the program and have the opportunity to see their families for the first time in a few months. Upon arrival, there is bound to be laughter, tears, and a lot of joy after completing the first portion of the year with A+.

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‍Mindelo Ilha de Sao Vincente, Cabo Verde - December 15th - December 21st

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Our students will visit 3 continents during their time with A+ World Academy. This port represents our school's visit to Africa. Our stay here is fantastic and our service learning project is truly meaningful. We partner with a local organization in cleaning the beaches of trash that float to the island from Europe. That trash is then used to make products that are sold and that income helps facilitate growth on the island. We also visit a music atelier on the island, to learn about traditional music. While here we'll also visit a local neighborhood called Ribeira de Bote where we are welcomed with traditional African dance, visit artisans homes, and even share a meal in with locals in their homes.

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Saint George’s, Grenada - January 8th - January 12th

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We did it! We made it across the Atlantic Ocean to the Western Hemisphere. Grenada is our first stop in the Caribbean and is a beautiful island. One of our student’s favorite places to visit here is the House of Chocolate, which is a chocolate museum! Another important resource of the island we learn about is nutmeg. Our students will get to go to an Underwater Sculpture Park where they will snorkel and see underwater monuments, this was the first of its kind in the world.

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Pointe á Pitre, Guadeloupe - January 20th - January 27th

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We’ll spend about a week in Guadeloupe. This is the first time we will have an extended stay in this location.

San Juan, Puerto Rico - February 5th - February 18th 

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This is the second and final parent port of the year. Our students will get another two weeks to spend away from the program. We couldn’t ask for a better place to have the time off than Puerto Rico.

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St. George, Bermuda - March 2nd - March 8th

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This is our last stop before crossing the Atlantic back to Europe. Bermuda is a great stop for our students. We’ve established a great relationship with Bermuda and our students have a really cool opportunity for their service learning project here. Our students will visit Trunk Island where they will work on helping restore the ecological environment through work with the conservationist group there. They also can visit some incredible caves, ones you can even swim in.

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Azores, Portugal - March 24th - March 28th

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I know we said that a lot of the other stops on our voyage plan were “one of the most beautiful places on earth” but this time I mean it. The Azores has a rich maritime history and our students will spend their time here hiking, exploring, and enjoying the islands.

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Scheveningen, Netherlands - April 27th - May 11th

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The Netherlands provides us with some really cool opportunities for our students. We’ll travel through the canals where we pick up plastic and trash to help beautify the city. We’ll visit the Anne Frank House and learn more about an important time in world history. We also have the opportunity to visit the castle that was immortalized in the Shakespeare play Hamlet. Our students will also have their PROM here.

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We will also visit a series of art museums while here, of course we'll see some Rembrandt paintings at the Rijksmuseum. We take a detour to the present with a visit to the MOCO museum where we see modern art, Banksys, and immersive art rooms. Then we cap off the port by visiting the Van Gogh museum. This is an action-packed port stay for us.

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Surprise Stay - May 15th - June 1st

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Yep, you guessed it, this is a surprise that we are planning for the students. No, giving away secrets now, but we promise it will be an excellent experience for the students. We'll be on land for these two weeks before returning to Kristiansand for our graduation ceremony.

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Kristiansand, Norway - Graduation - June 1st

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This concludes a transformational voyage unlike any other on Earth. We return home to spend the day in celebration with our family and friends at the conclusion of a year of purpose and adventure. Thank you class of 2024!

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