Entrepreneur Chris Whittle experiences the adventure of his life

At 21, Chris Whittle, Chairman and CEO of Whittle School & Studios, embarked on the journey of a lifetime. He had just been accepted into the hallowed halls of Columbia Law School in New York after graduating from the University of Tennessee.

But just a week into law school, Whittle knew he had to take a less traveled path. In his case, that meant dropping out of college and traveling the world alone.

Initially staying close to home, he drove 5,000 miles across America and parts of Mexico, then joined a friend who was a former Air Force pilot and owned a small plane to fly over a series of World War II air bases in the subarctic on what was informally known as the Bomber Ferry route.

On the third leg of his journey, he set out to explore the rest of the world. His only preparation for the trip was to send books to specific places where he thought he would land.

Over the next few months he travelled across the islands of the South Atlantic, through North Africa and Morocco before joining the “hippie trail” that began in Istanbul, passed through Turkey, Iran, Afghanistan and India, and ended in Nepal.

“I still remember my first night in India,” says the dashing seventy-year-old in an interview with HELLO! on a fleeting visit to Delhi in November. “I flew over the Khyber and landed in Amritsar just as it was getting dark. For some reason there were no taxis available so I persuaded a military jeep to take me into the city. I had to find a place to sleep on that hot summer night and I remember this fascinating sight – people had put their beds on the street to sleep!”

From Amritsar he made his way to Kashmir, where he spent a month on a houseboat in Srinagar and trekking along the Himalayas.

The great adventure of his youth has become the basis of his latest life adventure, which he calls Baret Scholars, a global gap year program. It brings together 180 worthy students from around the world to spend a year traveling and learning about life in a well-curated, well-designed and highly secure program before entering university.

This ambitious project is set to launch in 2024, but Whittle is perhaps best suited to lead it, with his extensive experience in the education and media sectors – he has opened some of the most progressive and successful educational institutions in the world, including five branches of Avenues the World School.

“These students work for years to apply to highly competitive universities and many of them burn out during the application process. This year they can reflect and be inspired by what they see. It will be a magical year because they will get to university before their peers,” explains Whittle.

The Baret Scholars program offers a mix of structure and freedom, as select students live in eight countries over the course of the year, attending organized talks similar to those at TEDx, while also having the freedom to chart their own path. Traveling with them are “Fellows,” or experienced experts from various fields who guide them in selected career fields and prepare them for their future. Accommodation, meals, medical care, and security are all included in the fee, so parents don’t have to worry about their precious charges.

It’s an educational year at its finest. Whittle explains: “Because of my travel experiences, I feel like I can be on my own anywhere in the world and still feel very comfortable. These students will benefit from being offered similar opportunities.”

After this incredible experience, they will have learned so much about the world that they will never read a newspaper the same way again.”

Although education has been Whittle’s passion for decades, he is also a man of numerous creative interests. In addition to being an avid reader and an astute and humorous writer, Whittle is also a gifted musician. In his younger days, he traveled with a large baritone recorder as part of high school and college bands. Today, the piano is his favorite instrument.

“I miss playing the piano when I travel. Sometimes I play in empty hotel ballrooms,” he admits.

Another long-standing passion of his is architecture. “Even as a child, I loved building things and throughout my career I have met some phenomenal architects. If I had known when I was young what I know now about architecture, this is certainly the path I would have taken.”

Had he done so, however, the world would have missed out on a visionary educator. With this gap year program, Whittle shares his biggest hurrah yet. He ends with a poignant remark: “A number of nationalist movements have sprung up all over the world that run counter to the promotion of an international perspective. This program is one way of connecting the world.”