My First International Flight, 1985, Pan Am, and a Life That Took Off - Lou Arêas - The RV Book Fair 2025

In this special episode of Journey Through Culture, Lou Areas invites listeners into a deeply personal story—one that begins with a boarding pass and unfolds into a lifelong passion for aviation, travel, and cultural connection. As an aviation professional, educator, and founder of the student exchange agency Journey Through Culture in the south of France, Lou has spent his life moving between worlds. But every journey has a beginning, and for him, it all started in 1985.

Raised in the vibrant and often overwhelming city of Rio de Janeiro, Lou grew up surrounded by color, sound, and energy. By his early twenties, he had a stable job—good by Brazilian standards—and, for the first time, the means to travel beyond his country’s borders. This was not a bus trip or a domestic hop. This was international travel. The kind that felt glamorous, important, and transformative.

Rio’s Galeão International Airport, known as GIG, was a true gateway to the world. Flights departed daily to cities that sounded like dreams—Paris, New York, London, Tokyo—along with destinations across South America. Lou’s trip took place in February, during Carnival. While he loved Rio, Carnival was intense, euphoric, and exhausting. The idea of escape was irresistible. Ticket in hand, backpack over his shoulder, Lou prepared to fly to Buenos Aires, Argentina.

His airline was the legendary Pan American World Airways—Pan Am—then proudly calling itself “The World’s Most Experienced Airline.” The aircraft was a Boeing 747-121, the iconic Queen of the Skies, named Clipper Voyager. For a young man flying internationally for the first time, the experience felt cinematic. Lou was seated in economy class with an entire row to himself, directly across from the onboard bar. Yes—a bar on an airplane. In economy.

Flying in the mid-1980s was an event. Passengers dressed elegantly, as if attending a formal occasion. The crew moved with precision and grace, their uniforms immaculate. Once airborne, a giant screen lowered from the ceiling. Everyone watched the same movie, listened to the same music, and shared the same experience. There were no personal screens, no playlists—just collective storytelling at 35,000 feet.

Then came the rituals that left a lasting impression: the hot towel, newspapers from the United States, drinks and peanuts that had traveled from New York on that very aircraft. Lunch followed—three choices, even in economy. Lou chose the beef and remembers devouring every bite. Feeding hundreds of passengers with such care and elegance felt extraordinary.

As the flight descended into Buenos Aires, immigration forms were handed out, pens offered with smiles, and anticipation filled the cabin. The landing was what pilots call “buttery”—so smooth it barely registered. When the plane touched down, the cabin erupted in applause, a heartfelt thank-you to the crew for a safe journey. In that moment, something shifted.

That flight didn’t just carry Lou from Rio to Buenos Aires. It carried him into his future. A dream took root—one that would lead to a career in aviation, countless flights across continents, enduring friendships, and stories shaped by movement and discovery.

Today, Lou shares this memory not just as nostalgia, but as an invitation. For readers, writers, and dreamers, he reminds us that our most meaningful stories often begin quietly, hidden in memory, waiting to be written. Sometimes, all it takes is one journey to change everything.

As a contributor to The Relatable Voice Magazine and a participant in the 2025 Book Fair, Lou continues to explore the intersection of aviation, culture, and lifelong learning. And as he signs off from Journey Through Culture, his wish is simple: may your landings be buttery, your luggage arrive with you, and your stories always be ready for takeoff.

Website: Journey Through Culture – Public High School Exchange Program