424-Day Global Adventure on Princess Cruises

SANTA CLARITA, Calif. (February 13, 2012) – For the next 14 months, the globetrotting team of Darren and Sandy Van Soye will be trekking the planet on a global adventure to raise awareness about world geography and make the subject more accessible to children around the globe.

The Southern California couple has just begun the first leg of their more than year-long journey by boarding Pacific Princess for a cruise across the Pacific bound for Sydney, Australia.

Princess
Darren and Sandy Van Soye have started their round-the-world adventure aboard Pacific Princess. (c)SusanGoldmanPhotography

The couple, who are chronicling their journey at www.TrekkingthePlanet.net, were inspired to plan their trek after they saw first-hand what a positive impact a previous family trip around the globe had on their two daughters’ lives.

Their full travel itinerary incorporates five different Princess Cruises voyages, totaling 96 days at sea. Both the first and last legs of their journey, plus three legs in between, will be aboard a Princess cruise ship.

Our dream is to educate children about geography and world cultures, so we’ve planned the ultimate trek around the world to do just that,” said Sandy Van Soye.

We wanted to use cruise ships as part of our travel method because they offer an efficient way to reach all the different stops on our voyage while minimizing our global footprint. Once we decided to cruise for part of our trip, it only made sense to book our sea travel with Princess Cruises based on our previous travel experience with them and the fact that their ships go everywhere in the world. Our five cruise itineraries will enable us to reach all the destinations on our list while also giving us the opportunity to relax onboard between our land treks.”

In total, the Van Soyes’ journey will cover 50 countries on six continents over the course of the 424-day world tour. Throughout their travels, the couple will share 60 different geography education modules they have created, as well as pictures and videos of their travels for anyone in the world to use.

So far, more than 700 classrooms around the world will be following their travels, representing 50,000 students.

“We frequently hear stories from travelers who cruise to accomplish a goal – from celebrating milestones with family members to crossing something off their bucket list,” said Jan Swartz, Princess Cruises executive vice president.

“Sandy and Darren are a great example of how cruise travel can be both relaxing and rewarding. We’re inspired by their story and we’re honored they’ve chosen Princess to help them achieve their trekking goals.”

In addition to creating educational materials and providing live updates from their travels, the Van Soyes will also be presenting lectures for Princess Cruises passengers interested in geography.

Like any world traveler, they’re looking forward to visiting some “bucket list” worthy destinations, including The Great Barrier Reef in Australia, Bali in Indonesia, Casablanca in Morocco, and The Amazon River in Brazil.

The Van Soyes’ cruising plans include:

  • January 28 to February 27, 2012: San Diego to Sydney aboard Pacific Princess
  • March 17 to April 6, 2012: Sydney to Singapore aboard Ocean Princess
  • Dec. 2-20, 2012: Rome to Fort Lauderdale aboard Pacific Princess
  • December 20, 2012 to January 4, 2013: Fort Lauderdale to Manaus aboard Pacific Princess
  • March 10-26, 2013: Santiago to Los Angeles aboard Star Princess

Their full 424-day itinerary is available on their website, where they will be journaling their trip (www.trekkingtheplanet.net), and fans can also follow them onFacebook.com/TrekkingPlanet. Princess will also be providing updates on Facebook.com/PrincessCruises.

Van Soyes will complete its global journey in March 2013.

Source: Princess Cruises

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