How This 22-year-old Landed Her Dream Job As a Pilot — and Became Instagram Famous in the Process

Eva Claire Marseille gets paid to follow her dream and travel all over the globe, and she has the Instagram following to prove it. But she's not just another social media influencer — she's a 747 pilot.

“I remember seeing the plane and feeling, ‘Oh my god, this is insane that people can fly that, they must be really special,’” Marseille told the South China Morning Post.

According to Marseille, she instantly fell in love with planes the day her stepfather took her to Amsterdam's Schiphol Airport. However because she was never particularly good at engineering or math, she pushed her dream to the side and pursued a degree in media instead.

But, throughout her life her friends and family took notice of her continued love of aviation and encouraged her to chase her true passion.

Related: This 6-year-old Girl Wants to Be a Pilot so Badly, She Wears a Uniform on Every Flight

“My friends and mother said, ‘Why don’t you do flight school as you made several comments that you are jealous or admire pilots,’ – I didn’t even realize I had said these things,” she said.

And so, she did. Now, at the age of 22, Marseille is deep into her training and is well on her way to becoming a long-haul pilot. Moreover, because of how truly rare female pilots are, Marseille has gained a significant following on Instagram, with nearly 100,000 people following her every adventure.

On her account, as well as on her website, Marseille frequently shares the secrets to her travel success, like how she stays in flight-ready shape, how she beats jet lag, and how she maintains a healthy work-life balance.

On Staying Healthy

“I stepped up my sports activities,” Marseille told the South China Morning Post. “I found a personal trainer who I worked out with once or twice a week. He got me on the right track and established a baseline fitness level. I also did a few boot camps at the beach.”

She further noted that she keeps her body guessing by mixing up her workouts between boot camp in the park, yoga, hiking, and just getting outside.

On Sleeping Off Jet Lag

This is one area where Marseille said she’s still trying to get it all figured out. But one thing she did note is getting rest while in flight is key to overcoming jet lag.

“On longer flights – which I haven’t done yet as I’m in training – if you are with an extra pilot, then one can have a few hours of sleep in the ‘bunk,’” she explained. If you need help figuring out how to sleep on a plane, read this first.

On Keeping a Healthy Work-life Balance

“There’s not a lot of balance, really,” she told the paper. “I enjoy change, so moving to Hong Kong was not stressful. I’ve moved a lot before, having lived in big cities like Rome and Barcelona, so it excites me to learn about a new place.”

On her Instagram account it’s clear she does manage to take time to herself to do the things she loves, however, like surf, explore new places, hike, and dine in new restaurants.

We can't wait to see where her next trip takes her.