Many students study abroad during their time at Elon University, but they don’t often make traveling the world into a career.
As a stewardess in the yachting industry, 2008 alumna Danica Sands has turned a dream into reality. She’s traveled everywhere from Greece to France as part of her job and she plans to continue her travels, all while aboard some of the world’s most luxurious boats.
Hailing from Spanish Wells in the Bahamas, Sands first heard about Elon when she was in high school because a friend on another island had graduated from the school. Though no one on her island usually took the SAT, Sands said her father convinced her to take it so she could go to college.
“After I took the SAT, I applied to Elon and got in, so my dad took me to visit the school,” Sands said. “I had never been to a U.S. school before and I was like, ‘Wow, this is cool.’ I didn’t even look anywhere else.”
Sands majored in journalism during her time at Elon. Michael Skube, associate professor of communications, taught her in several of his classes, including Media Writing and Feature Writing.
“I always sensed something different about Danica,” Skube said. “I knew she was not from the cookie-cutter mold of Elon students. She had ambitions that were entirely admirable. She wanted to do something different from other people.”
Just as Skube predicted, Sands didn’t follow a traditional path after graduation. She said there weren’t many feasible work opportunities for her in the United States because she isn’t a U.S. citizen, and there weren’t many journalism jobs at home in the Bahamas either.
Luckily, she soon heard about the perfect opportunity.
“I was talking to a friend who lives on a sailboat and his daughter worked as a yacht stewardess,” Sands said. “He said it’s a good opportunity for some extra cash and you don’t need a visa, so I went for it.”
She started her job in September 2008 working aboard a yacht called the Casino Royale. She’s worked on three other private yachts since then, all ranging from 142-163 feet long.
“Depending on the size of the boat, there can be anywhere from one to 12 stewardesses,” she said. “We’re responsible for what goes on in the interior of the boat. I deal with cleaning, laundry, food and bar service, taking care of the guests and managing the crew area.”
Sands said the workload can be challenging, especially when there are guests on the boat. When a yacht lands and guests depart for a few days, it’s the role of the stewardesses to get everything on the boat ready for the guests’ return.
“Sometimes there are 19-hour long days when you’re on a charter and you don’t get time off and you don’t get to get off the boat,” she said.
Still, Sands said the travel opportunities are well worth the work. The yacht industry typically observes two seasons: winter, when the boats travel the Caribbean, and summer, when the boats travel the Mediterranean. This has allowed Sands to visit a variety of countries and work with people from all over the world.
“I love meeting all these people, not just the crew, who are entirely multinational,” she said. “I’ve worked with Australians, Mexicans, Scots — people from all over. You get to meet some people in social spheres who you would’ve never met otherwise.”
Some of her favorite experiences as a stewardess came unexpectedly. Once, guests on a yacht had tickets to a Gucci fashion show in Italy but no longer wanted them, so they gave the tickets to Sands.
“Another crew member and I got to put on dresses and go to the event in Capri,” she said. “Sometimes, something like that happens that makes all the work seem worth it.”
Sands said she can see herself working on yachts for another five years, but she’d eventually like to do something else in guest service, like opening her own restaurant. She said she hopes her career choice can show college students they don’t have to be locked into their major.
“It’s your life,” she said. “Don’t be afraid to take a few years off and travel before settling down and locking yourself into where you’ll be living.”