If all goes according to plan, 17-year-old Melinda Elias will make her first visit to the United Kingdom and France next year.
She is expecting her first steps onto European soil to be "surreal."
"I've never been out of Canada before, so it's going to be a big, a big change," she said during her lunch break at Tuktoyaktuk's Mangilaluk School. "I'm really excited to experience the different cultures and learn about how things work over there."
Elias, Mangilaluk School's student council president, is part of a cohort of youth from the school who are planning a trip to London and Paris for April of next year.
The purpose of the trip will simply be to learn about the world and other cultures, by visiting museums and other attractions.
"I'm excited to travel and learn about the culture," said student council vice president 15-year-old Zion Adam, who will also be on the trip.
It's not cheap to fly to Europe — even less so for a big group. For the Tuktoyaktuk students, the 2026 trip is expected to cost about $78,000, according to Michele Tomasino, who's a teacher and vice-principal at the school.
The students have already started working to meet that goal. On the weekend of Feb. 1, they hosted a pancake breakfast and family games afternoon to begin fundraising.
Student council "got a lot done" at a Jan. 28 planning session for the weekend events, according to Elias, who is expecting the early fundraising push to be a success.
There will be "other big fundraisers" ahead of the planned departure, Tomasino said, including a Chase the Ace that she hopes will cover "a good portion" of their goal.
There are other preparations to make too. While some students, like 16-year-old Sophie Ross-Saunders have travelled "all over" already, others in the group, like Elias, will be having their first overseas travel experiences, and will have to contend with long flights and jet lag.
"I've been thinking about how exhausting it would be be to try to sleep on the plane," said Elias, while Adam admitted he's expecting some pre-trip nerves.
The group also plans to brush up on their French for the Paris leg of their journey so they have no trouble buying the fresh bread, pastries and souvenirs they come across in "The City of Light."
Tomasino, a French speaker herself, will help in that effort by teaching a French language course in the fall.
"I'm hoping to learn more of myself while I'm there because I'm part French and I'm hoping to learn more about it," said Ross-Saunders.
Anybody who has travelled before knows it can be a transformative experience, particularly when you're young. Elias, Adam, and Ross-Saunders are all hoping to grow as people during their time in Europe.
"I hope that I come back home with a with a newfound passion for travelling and for learning about cultures all over the world," said Elias. "I mean, I'm already interested, but I hope I become more passionate."
