For those who did graduate from US colleges, returning home to China has not been easy either.
Emon Choudhury, who won the second series with his nephew Jamiul,that Sam was "pure sunshine in human form" whose "kindness was a beacon for anyone lucky enough to cross his path".
He added that Sam and his mother "showed us what it truly means to live fully, love fiercely, and embrace every moment with an open heart".In a statement, a Race Across the World spokeswoman said: "Everyone who worked with him and indeed everyone who watched Sam could see just how precious and transformative the trip was for both him and his mum, Jo."Sam embraced the seven-week trip with an energy, love and a determination that saw the pair enjoy adventures across Mexico to Argentina making audiences fall in love with them and their special bond as a result.
"Since filming, both Sam and Jo have been an integral part of the Race Across the World cast family and on behalf of us all from the BBC, production and the rest of the cast, we would like to extend our deepest condolences to his parents, Andrew and Jo; his brothers, William and Charlie; his step mum Justine; his family and friends."Sam had been recently working on the west coast of Scotland and travelled down to Stockport in Greater Manchester to attend a family birthday celebration earlier this week, according to his uncle.
The family have asked for privacy to grieve for his death.
Almost 40 years on, it seems surprising there are still new stories to tell about the Lockerbie disaster."Before we started having this exceptional weather this spring, the waters were already in a hotter state," says Dr Berthou.
In the North Atlantic, sea surface temperatures have been increasing by around 0.3C per decade over the last 40 years, according to the Met Office.The long spell of warm, dry weather is expected to break slightly this weekend.
"The ocean lags behind the atmosphere by at least a few days, so it might be that into next week we might start to see the ocean cooling off," says Dr Jacobs.But she says that this might be just a "temporary dip" as the longer-range forecast suggests the weather will warm up again.