#215 Learning to Sail (and Love Your Fellow Man), Les Glénans, France

Just want to go along for the ride? Then Les Glénans École de Voile isn't for you. This is a serious sailing school that takes 10,000 land-lubbers every year and turns them into sailors. Solidarity, autonomy, and safety is their motto. If this sounds a bit like a manifesto, it could be because the not-for-profit school was founded by idealistic former resistance fighters in the 1950s. From the moment you set foot on the boat, you are part of the crew and put to work. As you navigate the wild and rocky coast and archipelago of Brittany, you'll learn more than you ever thought possible... their tagline isn't school of sailing, school of the sea, school of life for nothing. There are courses offered in English, but brave language-learners could really get immersed (linguistically, not aquatically) by taking a plunge into the regular French courses.