Posts in “Departure” Category

The 2011 Hands-On Explorer Team is getting ready to leave for the Cayman Islands! We're almost done packing, and we have all received our itineraries and passports, so we're just about ready to go. We've been getting to know each other by email, but we're all excited to finally meet in person. We fly to Grand Cayman this Friday--that's only two days away!

Each team member received an expedition backpack, water bottle, and journal. We have been practicing with our new Nikon cameras, and we're really excited about the great pictures we'll be taking with them.

We plan to post blog entries every day with photos illustrating our adventures. Follow the blog to live the adventure with us!

Photograph by Margaret Jackson, My Shot

The 2009 Hands-On Explorer Team leaves for Peru in a couple of days. We've gotten our vaccinations and itineraries (and passports, too!). We're busy packing, and getting to know each other by e-mail. Soon we'll say hello to our fellow explorers in person!

Each member of the team received a cool book about the Inca and a journal. Here's a picture.

























We're also practicing with our new cameras. On Friday we'll board our planes, and then it's off to our incredible adventure in Peru. We'll be really busy exploring new places, including some spots that may not have Internet access, so we may not be able to post a blog entry every single day. But don't worry--there WILL be an entry for every day we're on the trip.

So watch this site, check back often, and live the adventure with us!

The Great Barrier Reef from the air, approaching Cairns

The plane was delayed!!! :(

Hi, I'm Adam DeSerio. It was great getting to meet the other kids at LAX in an awesome Private lounge! We had free food, and received a gift bag containing Aussie leather hats, and an Australian dictionary. Everything was going great till one of the hosts told us that our plane had been delayed till 2:30 a.m., and originally we were going to leave at 11:20 p.m. Most of us slept right there in the airport. When we finally got on the plane at 1:30 we were notified that we ONLY had 13 hours till we would land in Brisbane! It is really funny because the leather hats were made in Australia, were shipped to Los Angeles, then were taken back Down Under, and will eventually end up back in Los Angeles! Ha, ha--it's great!

Welcome to the Hands-On Explorer Challenge trip blog! The departure date for the Kids Expedition team is around the corner, on July 16. That's when 15 kids and two teachers, all winners of the contest, fly to Australia. During their 13-day expedition to Queensland and Tasmania, they'll snorkel in the Great Barrier Reef, get up close and personal with koalas, learn about Aboriginal peoples and their culture, talk with Aussie cowboys, meet Tasmanian students and plant trees for their joint project to save the Tasmanian devil, and more.