“Hunched over, straight up stuck out the window, and headset always getting in the way.” That’s how 21 year old Canadian Samantha Porter described her and her sister’s best efforts to snap a good picture of Belize’s Great Blue Hole from above. In summer of 2022, Samantha and her family set off on a voyage born from an ambitious goal: to fly around the world in a tiny, single engine aircraft. Since then, the family of five – Samantha, her parents Ian and Michelle, and siblings Sydney and Christopher – has visited about twenty countries and are now halfway done with their trip. One of their most recent stops? None other than Belize.
In a story shared last week on her personal Instagram account, the twenty-one year old wrote that she was feeling “excited and blessed” to be able to spend a little while in Belize. It was accompanied by photos of the deep cobalt magnificence that is the Great Blue Hole and snapshots of Caye Caulker at sunset.
A Feature on CNN
We are going low and slow, and will be making a point of seeking out those hard-to-get-to places that few people get to visit
Making a trip around the world is no easy feat – something which the Porters are quite aware of. In fact, there have only been a few hundred flights around the world since the dawn of flight itself.
This week, in a CNN article highlighting the family’s ambitious exploits, Ian Porter, the family patriarch, told reporters “Finding an airplane that would take five people, survival gear and a reasonable amount of luggage wasn’t necessarily the easiest thing.”
The Porters’ Flight Route (Image © 5inthesky)
Over the past few months, the family has gotten quite comfortable with discomfort, and say that they have learned a great deal along the way. In addition to witnessing some of the world’s wonders, like when they spent Christmas on the Galapagos Islands, they have also gotten a first hand look at more sombering sights, like the Amazon rainforest burning.
A lot of people think when you’re flying around the world by private single engine aircraft, that you’re on a deluxe trip, staying in five-star accommodation and having your bags carried…I mean, you can do that. But we’re doing everything ourselves. Everybody’s kind of pulling together. We get on and get it done.
-Ian Porter
Flying for A Cause
In addition to their trip across the world being a great family adventure, said Ian Porter to CNN, the family also wants it to count for something. And that’s why they’re aiming to raise $1 million for SOS Children’s Villages. The international NGO is focused on supporting children and young people without parental care or those at risk of losing it.
The Next Stage of the Adventure
During their brief stop on land in Belize , the Porters have visited the calm and laidback island of Caye Caulker. Next on their list is Guatemala, followed by Mexico. After that, they’ll fly to the Eastern part of Canada where the second phase of their travels, which involves crossing the North Atlanctic Ocean, will begin. They expect to cross (via Greenland and Iceland) by this April. By the end of their trip in late August, they will have covered around 50,000 Nautical miles or over 90,000 kilometers through more than 50 countries.
The Porters are flying around the world in a Gippsaero GA8 AirVan, a modern aircraft manufactured in Australia that they bought for $500,000 and nicknamed Moose. If you’d like to keep up with their travels, you can follow them on Instagram @fly5inthesky or check out their blog posts here.
Featured Photo by Samantha Porter
