Imagine travelling the world at 16-years-old, visiting top kite spots, experiencing new cultures, and enjoying exciting new food. Well, that’s what this story is all about! Lukas Hanson, a student of the World Class Kiteboard Academy, documented his eight-month journey in this around-the-world article!

After learning how to kiteboard only a few months before, late last year, I found myself in my room packing my kite bag for Greece, a place known for crystal clear water and heavenly pastries. At only 16, a lot was going through my head. "Who am I going to meet?", "How am I going to feel?" and "What about my friends at home?!" I thought about how difficult my new school would be and how different I might be from my classmates from around the world. I went to bed with these thoughts flying through my head, barely able to sleep, but I woke up that next morning with more energy than ever!

After we loaded my bags in the car, we departed to the airport so I could catch my 7 am flight to Europe. I said goodbye to my parents at the airport, realising I wouldn't be seeing them for another four months. I checked in my oversized kite bag, boarded the plane, and settled into seat 14A for the 19-hour journey from California to Greece. The memory of this plane ride is faint, except for one thing, the baby crying on the seat directly behind me! I was already missing home but knew there was no turning back now. Little did I know, these negative thoughts would quickly disappear after meeting the World Class Kiteboard Academy. 

Upon arrival at the airport in Athens, Greece, I received a text from my head coach, saying the team would be waiting by the exit. As soon as I walked out with bags in hand, I saw my coach waving at me and introduced myself as Lukas Hanson. We spent the next few hours waiting for the rest of the crew to arrive. We explored on foot near the airport between scheduled flight arrivals, admiring Athens's unique architecture and design. Just outside the airport, I saw the most beautiful bakery I had ever seen and had my first introduction to Greek pastry!

Once the group was complete and we had all officially met, we continued to Raches and Drepano, where our first kite spots would be. At this point in my kiteboarding journey, I was still learning how to jump and pull downloops in my turns. However, it didn't matter how good you were; the crisp, crystal clear water and the warm sun shining down on your head made the kite sessions that much more incredible. Raches had a beautiful point poking out into the Aegean Sea, and Drepano featured a long white beach near the Gulf of Patras. Both locations offered breathtaking flat water, suitable for all disciplines of kiteboarding. The wind was perfect nearly every day and consistent as could be.

Over the next eight weeks in Greece, I met some of the most amazing people who were completely different from me. Two of these people were from Argentina - my mentor and one of my peers. They introduced me to Mate, a cultural caffeinated drink popular in their home country. Mate is made with specially dried leaves from the paraguariensis plant, a cup and straw, and a thermos of hot water. At first, I was laughed at for cringing the first time I tried it, but I learned to love it throughout the year. The food we were introduced to made me not miss my fast food restaurants back in California so much. Greek food is definitely some of the best I've ever had! As of today, I am now drinking my own Mate back in California and strive to make meals like the ones I enjoyed in Greece almost eight months ago. 

Our next destination was Brazil, where the sun rises at 5:45 am and goes down at 6 pm. Almost immediately after getting off the plane, I felt the intense heat coming from the sun. Here, we had to wear at least SPF50. I am still suffering from a terrible tan line after using a block of sunscreen on my back. Here, I was taught a new discipline in kiteboarding called freestyle. I had never heard of it before, but let me tell you, at the time, it was the most terrifying thing I had ever done. 

In Brazil, we explored different world-class flat water kite spots, including Taiba and Cumbuco, and another beautiful beach with a wave spot called Flecheiras. In Taiba, we kited in the most famous freestyle lagoon, enjoying late sunset sessions and coconuts from the beach bar. Between the blazing hot sun and the warm lagoon, kiting here was almost too warm for boardshorts. Taking advantage of the conditions, I was able to advance my kiting in a different discipline and learned numerous freestyle tricks. 

During the rare no wind days, we made trips into the towns of Taiba and Cumbuco, getting to play soccer with the local kids on their town soccer pitch and enjoy bowls of fresh acai with chilled tropical fruit on top. The acai and kiting here will never be forgotten! With Portuguese being the most used language in Brazil, I was able to take this in and advance my Spanish to a new tier and was even able to communicate with some of the locals. 

After winter break and going home to visit my family and friends, the mother city came along; Cape Town, South Africa. This location had incredible waves, kickers for big air and powerful wind up to 40 knots. As we were on the final approach, we flew over tiny homes packed against each other, which I later found out were called townships. After meeting my team at the airport, we got food and began our next adventure. 

The conditions in Cape Town allowed me to progress rapidly in big air, and I started to throw my first kiteloops. I saw many big air pros, which influenced my riding style and gave me new ideas to try. By the end of this quarter, I was sending backroll kiteloops above 15 metres and pushing my big air abilities to new heights. 

In South Africa, we went on multiple renowned hikes, including the Table Mountain climb and many other peaks along the same mountain range. Another memorable scene was kayaking above kelp forests and making friends with the penguins waddling around on the beach. We also made an appearance at the 9 Miles Project, an organisation where children from townships are brought in to experience surfing and given the opportunity to learn how to read, draw and write. At 9 Miles, we brought food and cooked for the kids. After a solid meal, the kids and the whole WCKA crew went for a beautiful surfing session. Being in this location opened my eyes to how many of the world's population lives and how fortunate we are to be where we are. This trip will always be remembered. 

Finally, our last quarter arrived, and we were off to Sardinia, Italy. After my two-week break in Turkey, it was time to study hard for finals and prepare myself for another beautiful spot on an island southwest of Italy. The spot had choppy water on one side of the peninsula but a shockingly smooth, flat water stretch on the other. This new location was called Punta Trettu. 

Coming from cold, snowy weather in Turkey to the heat of Sardinia was a bit of a shock. However, after a few weeks, the heat quickly changed to clouds, rain, and thunderstorms! We were kiting in the rain and 35 knots when we realised that the rain was getting progressively harder and became hail. The hailstones were coming down so hard that we all had to scramble under our kites for protection. After 10 minutes of hiding under the kites, it was bluebird skies once again, and we continued with our epic big air session. This remains one of my most memorable kiteboarding moments! 

During no wind days in Sardinia, we explored one of the more major cities, Cagliari. We enjoyed fire oven pizza cooked directly in front of us, layered with a meat of choice, mine being local prosciutto. The baked goods here are some of the best I've ever consumed, and this location definitely deserves a revisit in the coming future. 

Kiteboarding has led me to find amazing people and places and has changed my life. Over the past eight months, I have travelled to multiple renowned kite spots scattered all around the world. With the WCKA community, I have witnessed different cultures and environments while advancing my abilities in a sport of a great passion, kiteboarding.

By IKSURFMAG

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