Thunberg, the 16-year-old Swedish climate activist, is set to depart from Hampton, Virginia with an Australian couple on their 48-foot catamaran, La Vagabonde. The journey to Spain, where Thunberg plans to attend the next round of UN climate talks, will take about three weeks. Thunberg explained that she chose to sail as a way to emphasize the challenges of living sustainably in today's society and the need to take extreme measures. She avoids flying due to the significant greenhouse gas emissions associated with aviation. Her journey from Europe to the United States was conducted on a racing yacht that departed from Plymouth, England and arrived in New York Harbour in August. Following her arrival, Greta Thunberg traveled across the United States and Canada at a leisurely pace, making appearances on television shows, participating in protests, biking with Arnold Schwarzenegger in California, and joining school strikes from Iowa City to Los Angeles. Originally intending to travel south to Santiago, Chile for the next round of UN-sponsored climate negotiations in December, her plans had to be altered due to street protests in Santiago. Chile announced that they could no longer host the climate talks, so Spain offered Madrid as the new venue. Greta Thunberg, needing a new ride across the ocean, expressed on Twitter that she had unintentionally traveled halfway around the world in the wrong direction and now needed to find a way to cross the Atlantic in November. Riley Whitelum, an Australian sailor who has been sailing with his wife around the world, offered to help Thunberg find transportation for the journey. In a week's time, the trip was planned, with Whitelum, Carausu, and British professional sailor Nikki Henderson joining forces for the voyage. Thunberg's father, Svante, will once again accompany her on the return journey, just as he did on the initial trip. Their 11-month-old son, Lenny, will also be on board, which means Thunberg will not be the youngest person among the group, a rare occurrence for her. "Finally," she remarked. Thunberg's rapid ascension can largely be attributed to her being a child. At the age of 15, she made the decision to protest in front of the Swedish parliament, holding a handmade sign advocating for climate action. Thunberg attributes her unwavering commitment to addressing climate change to her Asperger's syndrome, a condition on the autism spectrum. Her act of civil disobedience gained widespread attention, energizing other young environmental activists and sparking numerous school strikes around the world. Utilizing the internet, young people from various countries joined forces in the millions to advocate for climate action. Their anger, similar to hers, represented the frustration felt by their generation towards the slow progress in taking action despite the clear evidence from science. Thunberg's popularity has increased in the United States, with a new anthology of her speeches being published by Penguin Press. One of her most passionate speeches, given to world leaders at the United Nations in September, has even been remixed into a death-metal version. Additionally, a mural of her face has been painted on the side of a building in San Francisco. Threats of violence and attacks related to her medical condition have been directed towards her. One of her most notable encounters in America was with President Donald Trump at the United Nations, where she saw him but he did not see her. Thunberg expressed her thoughts on the encounter by saying, "It speaks for itself." She expressed her hope that La Vagabonde would safely and punctually bring her to Spain. She was eager to return home to Stockholm and embrace her two dogs after her travels. Although she enjoys traveling, she feels fortunate for the opportunity but is looking forward to getting back to her regular routines.