Globetrotting your way to a degree in worldly education
To get their ‘diploma,’ trio of adventurers aims to set foot in all 195 countries in 60 months
Imagine you could eat-pray-love your way to a degree. No pesky professors or student-loan payments. Instead, travel the world — scuba dive with sharks, and jump off waterfalls.
To graduate, set foot in all195 UN-recognized countries in 60 months.
That’s sort of the dream for Michael Graziano, Alex Hennessy and Natalia Anja, an adventurous trio of millennials who are globetrotting for their “Global Degree.”
Now they’re looking for a fourth travel buddy to join them.
“The most educational thing I’ve ever done is taken off and experienced other cultures,” says Hennessy, a videographer documenting their travels for a web series. “You really break away the layers of what society has taught you. You realize a lot about what’s actually really important in life.”
Before you ditch the books, know there’s no actual “degree” associated with Global Degree, though the team hopes to one day partner with an online institution to incorporate some level of study.
Not everyone can obtain a Global Degree just yet. Right now, you’ll have to compete for the opportunity. The trio is accepting applications on GlobalDegree.TV for a fourth travel companion to join them on a sponsored eight-month, all-expenses-paid adventure to every country in Europe. The Canadian deadline to apply is Jan. 30.
For this trio of travellers, the educational experience has also involved honing their crafts. Anja and Hennessy, a photographer and videographer respectively, have developed international portfolios of work.
Graziano has sharpened his knack for business and marketing by having founded, developed and marketed Global Degree.
The trio are looking for someone who might treat the experience like a job, as well. Whether the fourth traveller has experience on camera or behind it — or neither — the trio is open.
Toronto’s Stephanie Smith, 22, a business consultant with knowledge of video and photo editing, thinks she’s got what it takes. Smith, who recently secured her EU passport, has a mother from Taiwan and a father from England, which she says has informed her love for travel.
“Even being from Toronto; we’re such a multicultural city. Growing up in Toronto allows you to really appreciate different people and cultures,” she says.
For the original trio, one of the biggest educational takeaways has been that many of those different people and cultures around the world are misunderstood. Graziano believes people are good everywhere, and he hopes to prove it with Global Degree. That quest will take him everywhere, even to some of the most war-battered countries on the planet. Yes, the trio has been to North Korea. Sort of:
“We found a loophole where we could step around a conference room table on the borderline in the demilitarized zone,” says Hennessy. “At the moment, we’re not willing to risk our lives. But for the most part, there are a lot of misconceptions.” Still, the trio is saving Syria for last. “I’ve met three people who’ve been to every country in the world. And all of them have told me their outlook on the world has never been more positive,” says Graziano, who sees his team’s mission as threefold:
“We’re trying to have the experience of a lifetime. We’re trying to educate ourselves. We’re trying to inspire people.”