10 Ways World-schooling Has Ruined My Childhood
Hey folks! Just a quick note before you dive in – this article was written tongue-in-cheek back in 2013 when my teenage self was being sincerely, regularly told by strangers how traveling with my family would essentially screw up my entire life. ;) Be sure to scroll to the end for a more recent update!
Schooling on the road, with textbooks or without them. Letting the world be your teacher. Everyone has their own definition of world-schooling. Some people love it. Others are skeptical. I’ve been world-schooling for most of my life. Has it ruined my childhood? Oh yes, it most certainly has, in a few ways:
1: I’ve become a world-class snob.
The first Shakespeare play I ever attended was at Stratford Upon Avon. I experienced my first live opera, La Traviata, at the Sydney Opera house. I’ve played gladiators in the colosseum of Rome as well as at a lesser known one in Tunisia. I’ve ridden elephants in Northern Thailand and eaten tropical fruits and delicacies in their home countries. Naturally, I’ve become a bit of a snob – or so they tell me. No church is quite as fantastic as the Sistine Chapel. No cheese is quite as delectable as freshly made mozzarella bought from a vendor in Italy. No combination of colors can be quite as vibrant as those found in the highlands of Guatemala. No ruin as fantastic as Angkor Wat. Clearly, I’m ruined for life.
2: I’ve never attended a “proper” school.
Isn’t it terrible? How can anyone possibly expect me to cope in a social environment? How do I LEARN anything? Naturally, I must be awkward and uncomfortable around other people! But in reality,
3: I have more friends than I can keep up with.
I’ve met so many incredible people over the course of our travels that I have a hard time staying in contact with all of them and spend a lot of time Skyping with everyone when I can. Even worse, not all of them are teens. Many of my friends are either adults or younger kids. Worldschooling allows me to make friends with people of all ages – and yep, I’m good with that! I don’t feel lonely. Read more about that here.
4: Castles don’t always WOW me.
You know travel has ruined you when you see a castle and regard it as a normal part of the landscape. Don’t get me wrong, I adore exploring new places and I’m always up for another castle day or wildlife adventure. But after seeing dozens, if not hundreds of castles in Europe, I’ve stopped taking pictures of them for the most part. Even worse, this sometimes extends to incredible third world markets, the occasional pyramid, and even (for a while, in Tunisia and Thailand) creatures like camels or elephants. I constantly have to remind myself to take photos of the things I’m experiencing. I’m a terrible tourist! On the flip side, my home country now feels magical to me as well. I take the different in stride, but I see the unusual in the familiar as well.
5: I must explore to live!
After having spent most of my childhood on the road, I find that staying in one spot for much more than a few months can be really difficult. I’m always on the hunt for a new adventure, I love seeing and experiencing new things (especially weird foods!), and while I can stay in one place for a while without too much discomfort, I’d much rather be outdoors exploring the world around me. Some people would definitely consider that a problem, based on how often I’m asked if I’ll settle down as an adult. Why settle when you can be open to the world? And who says that needs to be massively international? Adventure is a mindset. We can all start at home… but eventually, I end up wanting to reach further.
6: I’ve had to learn more than most.
Rather unavoidable, that. You can’t spend years immersed in other cultures without learning more than you could ever learn from within the walls of a classroom. My family are not un-schoolers. We’ve taken our schoolbooks with us as we’ve wandered the world. But there’s no better way to learn geography, history, art, or music than by experiencing them first-hand. And those don’t even cover the other things traveling kids learn, like how to interact with people whose language I didn’t speak or understand, or how to deal with being outside of your comfort zone. As a result of our travel (and a lot of work on my part and that of my mom, I might add), I actually finished my high school years early, and had to fill in the gap between high school and college with a bunch of extras. Kids, don’t travel! It’s too good for your brains! Too much of a good thing can’t be healthy, right? That’s what they keep telling me about cake, anyway.
7: I travel more than I game.
I can calculate time zone differences faster than I can kill a zombie in a video game, and can pack a backpack with all the essentials faster than my friends can beat a level on Portal 2. Is that good or bad? Depends on who you’re asking! Doesn’t matter much to me, but most of my friends think I’m crazy for not caring.
8: I only have one pair of shoes.
Girls, this is your queue to gasp and take traveling off of your bucket list. I only have the one pair of that much loved accessory, and they are less than glamorous. Think close toed heavy duty sandals, caked with the dirt of a dozen or more countries and at least a hundred adventures. Isn’t it awful? But I have a thousand memories to go with them.
9: I LOVE my teachers!
I’ve listened to my friends complain about the teachers at their schools. Mean ones, shrimpy ones, ones with peculiar resemblances to cows, strict ones… I’m a bit boring in those conversations, as all my teachers have been fantastic. My parents are the first to come to mind, of course. But there have been so many others! Guatemalan boys to teach me soccer tricks, countless hippies to trade songs and star signs with, cooking lessons by locals, loom weaving – courtesy of a Mayan woman we befriended, and endless others! You don’t have to be a certified teacher to have an incredible wealth of knowledge to share. As humans, learning ought to be one of our greatest joys in life. Travel has exposed me to so many things that have changed the way I see the world and those in it. My teachers have been so varied and amazing that I can never find anything bad to say about them.
10: I don’t have a house.
The upside to that is that a house isn’t necessarily a home. The entire world is my home! Not tied down to a single location, I can be perfectly satisfied wherever I am, thanks to my strong family! The downside to not having a house is that I can’t figure out where my “favorite place” is. Italy? Belize? Guatemala? New Zealand? The States? Canada? I honestly don’t know. I spent the first eleven years of my life in New England, so there’s definitely a sense of connection to that region. But then there’s Guatemala, with its volcanoes, crystal blue lakes, and wonderful people. There’s Italy, with the incredible architecture, and unbelievably delicious food. There’s Belize, with its luscious jungles and colorful reefs. New Zealand, with its indescribable scenery. And Canada, with its maple leaf cookies (not a good example, I know, but they taste like home!) and gorgeous forests. Not to mention all the other countries there are on this spectacular planet. How could I decide? Strangely enough, I find that I’m home wherever I’m at, but that I’m never “home” as everyone else knows it.
So, choose for yourself! How terrible for kids is world-schooling, really? Does all that time away from home, a school environment, and regular routine really make us unsociable and uneducated? Well, it’s certainly not for everyone, but it’s been amazing for me! I’ve learned tons about other cultures, about how the world can be seen from more than one perspective, and how the world is a lot bigger than just North America. I have deep, real friendships all over the world and we stay in touch almost daily via email & Skype. I’m strongly connected to my parents and brothers. I’ve already started earning money as a freelancer with all my free time, and I’ve done high school all the way through calculus. Sure, I’m a total snob when it comes to cheese and architecture, but in the end, I think that’s a pretty good tradeoff, don’t you?
2019 Update:
A few ways worldschooling has benefited my life since I first wrote this in 2013:
- I’m still traveling, still pursuing my passions, still in love with learning and the world around me.
- I built my own online income stream starting at age 15 and became fully location independent and independent from the “bank of mom and dad” at age 20.
- I built my first business, VA Without Borders, helping digital nomads and work-from-home entrepreneurs take their work to the next level.
- I’ve now traveled to 6 continents and am still going on my own.
- I easily got into one of Canada’s most competitive universities, made Dean’s List twice, and graduated with honours and a GPA of 3.75 (out of 4.0).
- My international experience and ability to network with adults landed me an internship working in Guatemala’s top research library for a summer and then an exchange opportunity to study geography for a year in the Netherlands.
- I’m still good friends with most of the teens I met on the road and was in a long-term relationship with one of them. :)
- I now take every opportunity to lead and mentor traveling teens around the world and am thinking about getting into the gap year industry as a trip leader.
I say this not to brag, but as evidence that worldschooling DIDN’T cripple me – instead, it set me up for success as an adult and student. There’s no one right way to do school. Education is a life-long process we’re all still working on. But if you’re a kid or a parent considering worldschooling, I hope I’ve encouraged you to face any fears you might have and give it a try! Feel free to shoot me any questions you might have. I’m happy to help.
While you’re here, I really recommend reading more recent sections of my blog to see where my life on the road eventually led me. Go on! Explore a little bit. :)
Think I’m an uneducated snob? That’s ok, you’re not alone. Read this!
Want to know more about my worldschooling experience? Good news – I have a whole section on what to expect from world schooling.
Here’s how I got into university after worldschooling. Honestly, it was easy! But was going to university worth it?
210 Comments
Aleah | SolitaryWanderer.com
Lovely post! Wish all the kids in the world are given a choice to world-school too.
Charles
Like many others, I’ve traveled and lived abroad, and I agree that travel is a great learning experience. Different cultures and situations provide perspective, skills, knowledge, many other good qualities.
But it’s important to realize that world travel – especially world travel as a substitute for a standard “school” education – is logistically not available to most people. It does take the parents’ money. And to those uber-enthusiasts who say it doesn’t take money, that it can be done cheaply, maybe so, but instead, then, it takes a certain pre-existing level of enlightenment, mindset, perspective, education – whatever you want to call it.
So, great to keep on extolling the virtue of travel, but remember that as a practical reality, you’re preaching to a quite narrow audience.
I felt strongly enough to write this because it’s easy to gaze in awe at world travel as a panglossian cure-all, but it’s just as possible – if you have a broad perspective, possibly gained through travel and life experience – to view “world schooling” as yet another experience only available to those who are already well off relative to the majority – another example of the division of society into haves and gave-nots.
Couann Benner
yes indeed it could be the more well off who can world school through travel but many people I have met while we were traveling were doing it on virtually no funds, they were living hand to mouth etc……it just talks all sorts! In general I would agree that it is the more well type of families off that do realise that they can do this but not always. Unfortunatly society will always be divided no matter what! …good comment Charles.
micheller7794
I don’t think she’s ‘preaching’ as you call it. She’s excitedly recalling her many adventures and proving how she hasn’t lost out by not attending a mainstream school. You reduce this to a comment on
money?
Couann Benner
unfortunatly many many people do reduce it to cost/money, so much so that it is plain boring etc
Heather
It is a very interesting concept. But realistically can you explain if the parents are not working how do you find money just to live on to eat and sleep. You did not mention that in your dialogue. As a travel nurse I could potentially do this in the states but not sure about international. Your thoughts would be appreciated😃
EdventureGirl
I would not recommend any parent choose this lifestyle without figuring out how to make money on the road in a responsible manner. Most world schooling parents are entrepreneurs. If you can’t provide for your family on the road, you should stick to traveling whenever you can. Certainly work towards becoming location independent, but I highly encourage you to do it as responsibly as possible!
Jordan Brighton
I am sorry you feel worldschooling is out of reach. I don’t think money is the barrier, it is a mindset. It is difficult to contemplate travelling and leaving everything behind. After saving for years and selling everything we owned, we initially thought we would only be able to travel (moneywise) with our family for 3 years – yet that has turned into over 8 years. We do live cheaply, travel cheaply and prioritize differently than most families. Without mortgages and bills to “work for”, and a multitude of ways to earn money even if you are living week to week, it is totally possible. I think it does sound more glamorous than it is, it is a fulltime job just figuring the basics in foreign countries. But it is an experience that, if you have the guts to do it, is an amazing one, and opens your and your kids minds to a global understanding.
Laura Ajayi
Money *is* a barrier, but for most folks in wealthy nations with access to a little bit of cash, it is more a mindset thing and an attachment to comfort and security. However, the ability to travel easily and freely through many countries in the world is DEFINITELY a privilege simply because not everyone has an easy time obtaining VISAs, etc. This is an area where citizens of Canada, USA, UK, Australia, etc. often don’t realize how much of an advantage we have in world travel, simply because of where our passport was issued.
That said, I don’t think this post is at all suggesting that Worldschooling is the best way of life, or that everyone should aspire to it. It is just pointing out the many advantages to be gained from a lifestyle that many are critical of.
EdventureGirl
Oh my goodness, is this ever true. I have friends in Guatemala that can’t visit the US, even after doing all of the (very expensive) paperwork correctly and being 100% in the right. I have friends from Cameroon who, when trying to travel to Peru to meet up with me for a conference, were stopped, delayed, and disrespected at every turn just because they’re from a country that doesn’t have a respected passport. Meanwhile, I can get in pretty much anywhere in the world, just because of where I was born. Crazy.
Grace Conyers
I’d like to make a post about the “multitudes of ways to earn money” for this sort of endeavour. Can you and other expound on how you make it work? I’d LOVE to see my homeschool students travel!
EdventureGirl
I’d be interested in reading this! I’d love to contribute as well. I’m fully supporting myself off of my online work now (YAY). :)
Cheryl
Wonderfully written! I started traveling MUCH older than you and agree with all those things you point out, even as an adult. We should all open our boundaries a bit more to explore and LEARN about ourselves and this world! Maybe we will see you out there on some adventure! Safe travels and keep learning..
Jen
Go Hannah! You could be a poster girl! x
Mr Wood
I love the article little cheese snob!!!
Hester
Tell us how to do live this life!!!
EdventureGirl
Hester, I don’t think anyone can tell you a step by step procedure to living this way. Every world-schooling family does it differently, and you have to find your own ways to do it. However, there are some pretty good resources out there for people who are looking to start traveling with their kids, either full-time or part-time. -edited to delete a downed link-
alison
I travel and you only become a snob by your choice, you are giving an awful perception of what living life really is. You’re a child and when you become an adult you will look at your experiences in the right way….hopefully.
voteforpuppies
Allison….
“you will look at your experiences in the right way…hopefully.”
I struggle with your tone in this comment. As someone who says she travels, I’m surprised you would use a statement like “the right way”.
The way I see it, Edventure girl is not only a student, but, (as proven by this successful blog) she’s also a working young woman and she’s learned that you have to make some bold statements in the blog world to catch the attention of internet browsers. This shows impressive knowledge of the industry.
In my opinion she has done an excellent job in this article. And I’d wait to make statements (or judgements) about whether she looks at her life “in the right way” or not until you get a chance to meet her in person.
EdventureGirl
Thank you. :) It does get a little frustrating when people are so negative about my life and actions when, as you say, they’ve never met me in person. Thanks for the encouragement!
Harald
“…she’s learned that you have to make some bold statements in the blog world to catch the attention of internet browsers. This shows impressive knowledge of the industry.”
and out the window goes your credibility
Nicole
Perhaps you are missing the tongue in check nature of this article?
restless
I don’t understand this response. Someone clue me in…. ! What is the “awful perception”. I only read an articulate, well written, spirited 16 year old girl sharing her experiences with the world.
Couann Benner
I agree restless….:)
micheller7794
She’s a child, that’s right. Show some respect and maturity.
Raf
I’ve been on the move for over 20 years. She’s got the right idea. There’s nothing wrong with what she’s saying or doing. The right idea is to live in a way where you can adapt and enjoy your life at every moment. That’s freedom. She’s not a snob, she’s a third culture kid and that’s just the way we are. This is not arrogance, snobb-izm or any other -izm. There’s a difference between traveling and living the life. She’s embraced her life and that’s pretty amazing. A lot of people whom I’ve met over the years struggle with this lifestyle.
Couann Benner
they certainly do Raf…..Hannah has embraced her life and is weathering the ups and downs with great spirit……many people are just jealous so they have to ‘define’ people in a negative way instead of enjoying their own life…..
RootofGood
I’m with Tony. I was all “cool this is neat!” after coming here from Millennial Revolution’s link to your blog in their article today. Then I clicked on dreamreboot and quickly figured out it’s a worthless blog. Glad to hear it’s not your mom’s current efforts at explaining this whole travel around the world thing :)
Vanessa
Love love love this! I don’t have kids, but as a 20-something, I feel that I’ve learned more about life in my few years traveling than in the (too) many years of schooling. I’m so glad I found your blog–and someday when I have kids, I can’t wait to travel with them. So fun!
Sindy
I am in favor of World-Schooling but not Un-Schooling really. So let me ask you, do you have a good grasp on college level Algebra or sciences? I know you can calculate time differences very easily but do you know how to work Polynomials or what a chemical compound is?
By following your families blog it seem that your parents may have insisted you become educated in the “normal” fashion as well as the fantastic education the world has taught you and I hope this is true. If you did want to go to college you would be able to do so with the “education foundation” necessary where as Un-Schooling they believe that the child only need to learn what ever the child WANTS to learn, and really who wants to learn Algebra or chemical reactions, and I feel this will greatly hamper any effort of the child ever wanting to go to college or succeeding in college.
I am really just curious if you have a solid foundation in college level Math and Sciences in case you would like to go to college one day.
Thanks a ton and BTW, I think you are a fantastic young lady, have a wonderful family and I know you succeed in anything you choose to do in the future.
Couann
one can enter university or 3rd level education throug a foundation course, interview, taking exams as an adult or just go on teaching themselves…..there is lots of choice after childhood!
Paula
does it really matter if she knows “polynomials” or “chemical reactions”??? If your definition of success is a Bussiness Degree and an income of 100k+ per year then maybe she’d need those things. But I have found out that, after going to college for some 20 years, I have learned more by interacting with people and learning about different cultures, than by memorizing the periodic table. It seemed like it was a factor in my succeeding in med school and now I see that it was as inconsequential as everything else. In my opinion, this girl has had the best education anyone could have asked for and I wish more children would have these kind of opportunities so they wouldn’t grow up with a culturally-tied-up definition of success or with programmed ethnocentrism.
This girl has the world at her fingertips, so she can be whatever she wants to, on top of which she has so many options it’s insane :) Never stop learning, girl, and never allow others to define success for you!!!!
kaycee
Well said Paula
Julie
Of course, being able to PAY for it all is rather important. Oh, and food, clothing, medical care etc. For all of these things one needs income. For income, one needs some sort of job. For a job, one needs some sort of education – because low paid jobs for uneducated workers doesn’t fund airfares at today’s prices. So..I guess the real question is how are you planning to sustain your lifestyle? The bank of Mom and Dad tends to close in your twenties.
Nancy Sathre-Vogel
I really, REALLY hate the term unschooling, but think you have a bit of a confused notion about what unschooling is. Like Hannah’s family, we spent many years traveling with our children. In fact, together with our children, we pedaled a total of 27,000 miles, including riding our bikes from Alaska to Argentina. We unschooled along the way.
While we were traveling on our bicycles, unschooling, one son completed Algebra, Geometry, and Algebra 2. Our other son was just behind him. They did that because they were truly fascinated by mathematics and they wanted to learn it. Did we help? You bet! Does that mean it’s not unschooling? Nope, not at all.
We are now back “home” and my boys are currently taking AP classes at the age of 15. Last year, at age 14, one of my boys was the youngest child in our city to take the AP Calculus and Physics exams, and he scored as high as possible to score. I don’t say this to brag (although, yes, I am a proud mom) but to say that just because somebody is unschooling does NOT mean they don’t know how to work polynomials or know what a chemical compound is.
All this is to say that this assertion: “where as Un-Schooling they believe that the child only need to learn what ever the child WANTS to learn, and really who wants to learn Algebra or chemical reactions, and I feel this will greatly hamper any effort of the child ever wanting to go to college or succeeding in college.” simply is not true. Some kids DO WANT to learn Algebra (and Vector Calculus and Discrete Mathematics, by the way) and advanced Physics. Don’t discount them.
Jay Bee
Must agree with you here. My kid is only 5.
My kid loves the math and sciences. He spends a ton of time on lego — which is a lot of math — and he also loves online math games — he’s currently working on one that is algebra based.
My son also loves to cook. Through watching various cooking shows with us and learning to cook (which of course is an on-going process), and in particular, learning to *bake* (which is really detailed work), DS has started to take an interest in the chemistry aspect. How does heat break down foods? How does ice cream get made — not just technique, but what is happening?
Luckily, a friend of ours is a chemist, and went through what happens in cooking and what happens in freezing. DS ran experiments with various types of recipes — noting that the ones with alcohol either take longer to freeze or require more cold to freeze quickly as compared to water, juice, and so on.
He’s *5*.
I’m seriously not at all concerned about his interest in or ability to learn math and science.
Catherine Forest
Where’s the like button when you need it!! Well said, Nancy!!
Gwendolyn
Hi Nancy I am not sure if you will get this seeing your post is well over a year old. We are in the process of investigating our schooling options for our children and would love to ask for your thoughts and perspective.
Looking forward to hearing from you
Kind regards
Gwendolyn
EdventureGirl
Hi Gwendolyn,
I happen to personally know Nancy, and would be happy to put you in touch with her. You should definitely check out her blog: http://familyonbikes.org/blog/
Couann
This weird thing that a home schooled/unschooled child needs a standard of maths for uni is rot……..why on earth does a homeschooled/unschooled child need to have a perfect understanding / standard of maths when 99% of kids in school don’t? As a homeschooled / unschooled child you enter uni in a different way, the criteria is different and does not always include Algebra,chemical reactions etc. Most homeschooled/unschooled kids study the subjects that interest them if at all possible…if a child is mathematically minded or has a bent for science then that is encouraged and studied. These kids actually get the choice whereas institutionalised education doe not allow for this…For many uni courses the required level of maths is very low…maths studies or standard maths. Incidentally there are kids that like maths. The choices in many schools hamper the chances of kids going to uni. So this is not a real worry for home schooled / unschooled kids no more than any other type of education!
cass
What child WANTS to learn Algebra? Me!!!. I found an ancient Algebra textbook when I was in primary school and worked my way through it on my school holidays…. for fun.
As a math teacher, having been through two university degrees, I can tell you that you don’t need to know anything higher than primary level mathematics to succeed at university. In fact I often argue that a person can learn every bit of mathematics that they need while traveling in a car (and it is really an interesting list when you start to consider it)… even up to beginning calculus concepts as a person (okay me!) sits in the back seat watching the speedometer, the clock, and the distance signs.
How long will it take to reach our destination (90km away) if we are traveling at 60kph (I just covered a huge amount of math in that equation alone), What about if the destination is 85km away, or we are really traveling at 65kph, still too easy how about 83km traveling at 61kph.
To this day I still do these mental calculations to occupy the time as I drive along. What about the rate of change (someone say calculus!!) as the car accelerates… how could I calculate that I ponder as I sit in the backseat on a long roadtrip.
My point. Yes, you can learn these concepts just by being curious, and people who are in the habit of being curious are going to enjoy being curious about it.
Michelle C.
Unfortunately, the only instances of unschooling that are ever presented to the world are people who basically believe in doing nothing. No setting rules. No setting bedtimes. No doing anything. That is NOT unschooling. What you’ve described above is not “unschooling.” Some of my kids were unschooled. They’re currently in college (one a freshman and one a senior). I’m not unschooling these dys. Rather I’m using Charlotte Mason. Still, almost any homeschool method could fall under the definition of “unschooling” because it’s not in a school nor does it follow the restrictions of a school.
EdventureGirl
Hi Michelle,
I actually know a few unschooling families, and I know that they do have routines and family rules. Don’t get me wrong here. I’m not one to point fingers and say that anyone is “doing it wrong.” I’ve seen that there are many different ways to live, and I believe that there is no one “right” way to do things. In fact, if you read above you’ll see that I hardly mentioned unschooling, except to say that, “My family are certainly not un-schoolers. We’ve taken our schoolbooks with us as we’ve wandered the world.” My point in saying that was to make clear that we follow specific educational guidelines and are expected to take the main courses: English, higher maths, geography, sciences, history, and more. I would not say that I “described” unschooling as anything in particular, and if that’s what you took from it, I apologize for the confusion! This article is not about unschooling. It’s about world-schooling. There is, in fact, a difference.
Hope this clears things up for you. :)
julien
Just to throw this idea out there: I went to public school in CA k-12, then onto college where I graduated with honors and distinction in my major (Journalism and Media Studies). I have no idea what “Polynomials or what a chemical compound[s]” are. Because I slipped under the radar doing just enough to graduate and then moved into a degree path that didn’t require any math. I don’t think traditional school guarantees a solid background in anything. It only guarantees that you will log hours of your life sitting inside of a classroom.
EdventureGirl
Interesting point. Thank you for sharing!
Sindy
I must say I am so sorry because I went back and re-read some posts by your mom and realized that you are being taught the foundations of education as well as attending college online! I thought so but just really could not remember so I went back and looked. Sorry! I do think you have an amazing family!
EdventureGirl
No worries Sindy! It was a perfectly legitimate question!
Jenn Miller
Sindy, thanks for going back and having another look. There is a lot of value to be gleaned from the Unschooling movement, but we are not unschoolers by definition. We have a well formed educational philosophy that does not limit itself to “public school standards” (I view those as a bare minimum, actually) and yes, our children will attend university (Hannah is doing so now) and we will pay for that as our final gift to them. I have written a few posts about education on our blog, if you are interested in our particular brand of “schooling,” and I’d be happy to answer any questions you have!
Nevine, England
I am currently Home Educating my youngest child and dream of being able to world-educate both my children. In fact I promised them only 2 weeks ago that we would move school onto the road should I ever win the lottery! That’s the thing I struggle with, how on earth do you fund such an experience?
checiegirl
I’m 13 and I so want to travel the world, and not having a house or only having one pairs of shoes doesn’t sound bad when you can travel the world and experience new amazing things. sometimes I wish I was a world-schooling kid.
voteforpuppies
You can be a world-schooling adult too! :) If your parents are not in a position to take to the road, no fear! You can take up the dream at any age!
Monica Salazar
Thanks for the great post! My son is 8yo and have never gone to school. We travel a lot and I believe traveling is among our best educational tools. We don’t carry books or educational material (we travel light!), but the world is full of them (and those are free, most of the time). I’m 35 and in many ways I have learnt a lot from my well-travelled and well-experienced son. He also has more friends than he can keep up with. Hope to meet you on the road sometime!!
curleyistops
Love it. My son is 8 and we have been traveling for a year already. We so agree with you. We have done 10 countries so far. You are an inspiration.
Rebecca
Loved reading this post from your perspective! As parents sometimes we wonder and worry if we are doing the right thing for our kids as we live our lives as global nomads. I hope my three will love it like you have. Thanks for writing.
Jeska
This is a fantastic article and I really enjoyed reading it. I always wondered how kids who grew up travelling felt about their “schooling.” Though I have heard from some people who traveled just a tad that they learned so much in that short time period. I hope my son has the same great experience as you did once I start traveling out of the country.
kala
Brilliant. You, one shoe wonderer, will do amazing things in this life. Keep up the good work ie: vast protective, adaptability, and a refreshing lack of self indulgence. Well done!
Clover
How do your parents fund your trips? Are they travel bloggers or work on the computer?
EdventureGirl
Hi Clover!
My Mom is a freelance travel writer, and my Dad does programming and database development. Both of those can be done from anywhere, and they’ve worked to make their jobs that way for years. Also, not having a house or a car means that we can use the money we would’ve spent on those things on travel instead. :)
Bill
How did your dad get started working that way? I’ve wanted to get into that for ages. I’ve found finding a job or jobs where I could work anywhere I could get an internet connection fairly difficult. All of these companies demanding you be at a desk in their office at 8AM to work are infuriating…
EdventureGirl
Hi Bill. I can put you in contact with him if you’d like! The truth: my dad is a pretty brilliant guy by all measurable standards who went through university and then had to spend about 10 years doing the whole office thing. He worked really hard during that time and built up the contacts and resume needed to take the job online. He would often be on business trips that went up to three weeks long. He was able to transfer to working from home for the last few years, from what I remember, but he went back to office work for a few months after we came back from Europe to set everything up. I don’t have all the details. Let me know if you want to get in touch with him! Feel free to check out my parents’ blog here: http://www.edventureproject.com.
Jenn Miller
Clover, I’m happy to talk to you about that if you are interested! We have a couple of posts about location independence on our blog that might be helpful to you. Shoot me a note through our website if you have questions… it is very doable, we know hundreds of families who’ve figured it out in really creative ways!
Clover
Thanks for replying. I just started schooling my daughter at home. She will be 16, and I am interested in doing more travel with her. Right now we are doing “virtual” trips, and using imagination.
peacepipea
I was raised in a very similar fashion, although I did attend “school” in Germany, while we traveled all over Europe during my formative years… and while I agree wholeheartedly with your experiences, I have also experienced many difficulties when I came back to America to live.
I never felt “stable” growing up, always having to leave friends and change school every time we moved. As an adult, I agree, I can’t help but be seen as a snob sometimes, by people who don’t understand.
Now, I have been in the same place (same actual house) for 7 years, the longest I have been any one place, ever. I love it, and have utter terror at the thought of having to move again someday. I can move in my sleep, that’s not the problem. This is the first place I’ve ever actually MISSED when I leave. I crave stability now, so for me, it had the opposite effect.
Michael
I’m the same. Travel and independence was a big part of my life in my 20s as i grew up ‘trapped’ in the suburbs, but well cared for, I longed to spread my wings. So for 15 years I did that. Now i am 37 and have found a place where I also miss when I leave and cannot wait to go back to, along with a partner and child, and animals. Everyones different and the timing and what drives our priorities in life are different for everyone. Its like the void of freedom that was created when I a kid, has been largely fulfilled for now, and stability is something now I value at this stage in my life. Even though i still travel for work, balancing the whole lot is the challenge now.
Couann
Everyone is different…….when we traveled we always got a van or pickup to ‘live’ in wen possible. This offered a stability to our son as he had ‘his spot’. I remember one time the engine blew up and we had to leave it on the side of the road until it could be towed away….he was devastated! He was so happy when we got a new engine block 6 months later……….it was great experience for us all but that’s another story! And as a young adult he is often to be found reading a book and listening to music in the back of the car………and he loves traveling ‘wild’ from his home base.:)
Angela
Oh man, sounds like such a rough life ;)
natalia
Beautiful!
thaseasonedtraveler
This is awesome glad Im not the only one.
indindpendentmind
Who pays for all this?
edventuremama
We do! We’re her parents and it’s our privilege to provide her with the best education we know how. She works too, and is working on building her life and career already.
indindpendentmind
Congratulations to you. Hannah (I gather that is her name) is very fortunate to be receiving this experience.
This blog contains an odd mix of the self-admitted snob with an apparent need to justify and/or validate having a non-mainstream education. Interestingly, it leaves this reader feeling inadequate, and ashamed that I was not able to provide a similar experience for my kids. (I could elaborate but that is off-point.)
My own life experience tells me that it is highly unlikely for a minor to simply wander off and attain a “world schooling” experience without some kind of sponsorship. Which is what piqued my curiosity.
The two cents worth from my side of the table is that I hope (for the good of the planet) that Hannah truly appreciates the experiences she is having, and how it is, for the most part, pretty well impossible for the rest of us to have that kind of experience.
It is the kind of experience that would make a great ambassador or other statesperson. Maybe that is not in the plans right now, but it is pretty obvious that the makings are there.
From some of the other comments I read on this page, I take it that she is also acquiring an otherwise well-rounded, more traditional education. First, my sincerest admiration, and again, as two cents’ worth, regardless of how much ‘hard science’ she studies, I hope she will learn to appreciate the deeper value of critical thinking, good research, and good statistical analysis. These skills have seen much disparaging within our culture currently; even if this is warranted, understanding their use is even more critical.
Couann
well done Mom and Dad……..
kaycee
i am guessing they pay for their own education, since the law states it is the legal duty of the parents to ensure a suitable education not the state,
Please remember the fact schools are there to facilitate the parents to ensure a suitable education not the other way around.
School is not compulsory
I am dyslexic parent and took a similar approach to this for education,
however my child is educated well and in work herself loads of reference and always offered work and now launching her own business as we speak.
PS if you question was asking if they were scrounging from the state,my I state a simple fact
Since they did not scrounge of the state for a school place for their children,
if you use a free school place, a GP or Hospital or even library or ambulance, fire service or even police service, local parks and did not pay privately then you would of had to so called ” scrounge of the state” for them too, so do not get funny about how it was funded,
this family have for filled their legal duties as parents to ensure a suitable education and successfully doing so,
I do not see why your question was relevant to the article,
Remember you educate your child the moment they were born, so why stop for a school system that is a business running for profit to help facilitate your child in education.
Also remember if you disagree with home education then you disagree with good parenting as it comes hand in hand.
They are an inspiration, they are doing a marvelous job in education of their family,try being supportive of the situation,
try educating yourself on home education before prejudging their educational life choices.
Couann
lovely reply to a silly immature comment!
suzannah
It was a legitimate question, not a “silly, immature comment.” I think that is a question most people would have. The response seemed condescending, to me, and assumes that the questioner disagrees with “home education.” Additionally, it’s a bit silly to say that disagreeing with home education means you disagree with good parenting.
Sounds like the writer of this blog is more open-minded than some of the commenters, who are adults and should really know better.
indindpendentmind
Wow, that is an extreme response to a simple question.
There was nothing implied about “scrounging from the State”,
Nor any of the other assumed ill will about parenting or alternate schooling.
I congratulate you for your success in providing a fair education outside the public school system, and I think it is marvelous that this family has found a way to offer these experiences to their child.
I am also dyslexic, and a parent, and a human being who had to dig my own way up from an unresponsive public education system. I spent better than 24 hours per week helping my kids with their education on top of carrying a 60 hour per week career of my own, and rheumatic myalgia. My two sons have assumed leadership positions in their respective “career” paths in spite of a lousy public education, and my daughter is running her own business “as we speak”.
I suppose if you do not see how the question was relevant, that is your problem.
Part of what I did eventually learn while receiving a liberal science degree was the need to ask critical questions before I make any judgement calls about another person’s point of view, especially on the web.
For what it is worth, the $6,500.00 I paid out of pocked last year for ambulance services was not paid for by the state. Nor were nearly $200,000.00 in hospital costs.
Oh, and by the way, the term is ‘fulfilled’, not ‘for filled’.
EdventureGirl
Hi everyone,
I can see that there’s been a lot of back and forth commenting on whether or not my parents are the ones paying for our travels, how educated/uneducated I am, etc.
I appreciate that you’re all very open in sharing your opinions.
However, I think we should probably leave this conversation where it lies, if you all don’t mind. And in answer to some of the opinions and questions stated here, I’d like to say that I consider myself fairly well educated, am capable of thinking critically about the situations I’m placed in and the things I see around me, and I am extremely grateful for the experiences I’ve had. Also, yes, I know most people don’t travel nearly as often as we do. I apologize if any of the stories or experiences I’ve shared on this blog offend you or make you feel uncomfortable with your own lifestyle. That was never my intention. I’m not out to point fingers at people or judge others. And I would appreciate if the readers of this blog would respect that and maybe follow suit.
Thank you.
Jenn R.
It seems your response to this situation is a fine example of what kind of person you are. You are well spoken. You are reasonable, You are kind. You are leading by example. Well done. Thank you for your post. I for one enjoyed reading and seeing what is possible in education outside of the classroom.
sattvicfamily
It’s just HORRIBLE Hannah lol!! Horrible how cultured you are. Ah, the life of global citizens right? ;)
EdventureGirl
Awful, isn’t it. ;)
Lesli Peterson
Great article. I love how you are so appreciative of this life while you are young. That;s a lesson in and of itself.
Catherine Forest
I love reading you, Hannah! As a homeschooling and traveling family of 3 girls (9 yo twins and an almost 8 yo), I love to hear about your experience. And by the way, I am Canadian and the only real fear I had of leaving home was not to sell my house and become homeless, not have enough translation contracts to pay for our food or lodging or be bitten to death by a Fer-de-Lance snake in Costa Rica… it was to not be able to survive without real mapple butter… and I barely do! Lol!
EdventureGirl
Haha! Awesome! I actually laughed aloud at that. Sigh. The problems that only traveling Canadians have. ;)
Grammy
Wonderful article, Hannah! Loved it! Love YOU! You go girl!
Pedro
Hej Edventure girl. Loved your article and writting style. Stay away from schools, they turn you into zombiesss*
Stephanie
We are currently in month 7 of a one year around-the-world trip with our 4 kids (ages 8, 6, 4 and 1 1/2). So far we’ve been to 12 countries and we have about another 11 or 12 more to go. Although we are also carrying on with conventional studies for them as we travel (ie. math, language arts, etc.) we think that they are receiving an incomparably high quality education because of the places they’ve been, the people they’ve met, the experiences they’ve had, the challenges they’ve had to overcome, etc. You cannot overestimate the value of what you learn through world schooling!
One example just happened the other day… we are currently in Turkey and we’ve visited a TON of ancient sites and ruins (I totally get what you’re saying about being a bad tourist and not taking pictures– we counted that we’ve seen 9 ruined Greek or Roman theatres in the past 4 months). But this time we went to Laodicea, a much less visited ruins site than many, and we had it almost to ourselves. We could walk right up to see the stacks and piles that the archaeologists were making and see how they were piecing the broken fragments together. It was all so raw and in-process right before our eyes.
Then, my daughter realized that she could actually find pottery shards in the dirt under her feet, so she began digging around and putting pieces together to see how many she could match and soon she had her own stack of pieces that were being sorted according to color and texture and thickness. Who needs to learn about archaeology from a book or video? Why not just see it being done and then do it yourself (in a 2000 year old city, I might add)? :)
I think you and your snobbish cultured ways are fantastic (not to mention your shoes… I think my Keens are the same but in a different color), and huge kudos to your parents for what they are doing. We’ve just begun our life of being location independent and traveling abroad with our children, and hope that this year is just the beginning of many, many trips to come! Maybe we’ll see you on the road. ;)
Ka Sundance
This is awesome!
Thanks so much for writing it. We will share this far and wide!
Ka Sundance from the world-traveling Rawfoodfamily
Here is us travling long-term with our 5 kids
Mike
we live at the time in Thailand, soon it goes on. Have a nice trip
Giampiero Monaca
hi i’m an italian primary school teacher (pupils from 6 to 11), my name is Giampiero or Jump or Giampy as my pupils call me…. well’ i really like your post and experience.
I’m compelled to work in a building … BUT with my pupils, we find as many as possible to escape from it and go discovering, measuring, sensing the world outside, in the woods, in the mountains or just in our neighborhood.
Even indoor as we enter the classroom , we immediately free our feet taking off shoes, and several times sitting in a circle on the floor or on the desk.
We also try to have a empathic glance of the world so we say : i’s never too early to discover as the world is… so ve discuss and try to understand palestinian crisis, why greedy people cuts trees from dhe mountains , causing floods, other acceprs bribing, multinational pollute, stealk and poison everything, everyone, everywhere…
we also try to discover and witness delicate beauto of natural balance and beauto of sincere and solidal relationship
Our only rule is this: when you want to do sometning , ask yourself : “is it good and useful for me AND also good and usefl for others?
Well if the answer is YES in both parts… ok … don’t eve ask me… do it… it’s good.
works great!!
We also have a blog almost completely run by pupils. http://www.bimbisvegli.net
have a look if you like and, feel free , in you are around our area Asti Pedmont, to come and share a little of our paths together!!!
Good luck anyway!!!!
Turtle
We traveled for a year with our 4 kids in the States…. LOVED IT. I never knew we had a Petrified forest or that the Northeast is so beautiful. The stars in Arizona look like car headlights coming straight toward you. We camped at some of the most remote places here in the States yet still connected via wifi card to the rest of the world. It was a great experience and can’t wait to do it again… this time around the world. Traditional “school” here is the States is a joke…. they don’t teach kids to think … they teach kids to follow. You are very blessed to have parents that want to give you a great life experience! By the way… how many are in your family? Is there another family traveling with you?
EdventureGirl
Hi there! Wow, your trip sounds like it was a lot of fun! We don’t usually travel with other families as a group, but we once took a roadtrip across the States with some friends. You can read about that at http://www.themamabus.com. It was a blast! Also, if you’d like to learn more about our family, check out my About page!
becky person
Just the greatest! I’m saving it….and written so well, considering your ‘handicap’ hahah…. Thank you!
Emily Shea
I’m moved to tears with the thought that this could be my daughter’s views in twenty years.. she is only one, but has spent most of her life living a vagabond lifestyle like yours. Thank you! Will share with my fellow family travelers!
Rebecca Hall (@AdventureGreece)
Great post! And so true. You become open-minded and more emotionally intelligent – really valuable skills.
:0)
majacoreamie
thanks you made my childhood sound a lot better
Bakoyma
I always did well in school, I prefer learning by doing – much easier. This world-schooling doesn’t sound half bad ;-) (I’m being facetious, it sounds awesome!)
Also: “I only have one pair of shoes” doesn’t sound awful, it sounds fantastically liberating!
Homeschool Planet
Just discovered your post. Love it! I’m so glad to see you successfully hacking together an education that works for you and makes you happy! We’ve done a bit of traveling, have settled down somewhat, but are eying it again in the not-too-distant future. Thanks for sharing. Love the pix!
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Amanda
Quite honestly, though I know you come from a place of wanting to both celebrate and defend your lifestyle, this sort of reads like something by a privileged brat. It’s great that you get to have these experiences, and I understand the frustration that you must feel when people question your choices, but you are incredibly fortunate to get to have these experiences. No matter how few pairs of shoes you have, your lifestyle is one almost now one in the world can afford. But good luck to you, and enjoy it! I’m sure you do learn an amazing amount.
EdventureGirl
I’m sorry you took it that way. This post was mostly written from my quirky sense of humor, by the way, and I suppose it can be taken literally if you don’t know me. :) I in no way feel “ruined” by our lifestyle, and honestly, I couldn’t care less about how many shoes I have or don’t have. Lol. I’m not that kind of girl.
And actually, we spend less on the road than we would if we were living in the States as middle class Americans with a house and a car. We know many families, with widely varying incomes, who make the choice to travel. Oftentimes, it’s not the money that’s a problem, it’s the choice to use the money differently.
Nancy Sathre-Vogel
That is so very true Hannah! We spent four years traveling with our kids, and those four years were HEAPS cheaper than living in our house now. And our house is paid for so we aren’t paying a mortgage!! If you have your income stream set up so that you don’t have to be in one place, then you can live way cheaper traveling than you can at home. No question about it.
Couann
We did the same with our son and discovered our nomadic way of life much cheaper and so much cheaper than ‘free’ public school. I cannot understand people who think it is unaffordable to travel or be nomadic…its all choice, what you choose to do with your money or how you choose to make your money etc etc. we got this all the time and we had nothing…we busked and put on concerts in small villages sometimes for money and sometimes in exchange for something and sometimes just because…..its all about taking the world by its horns………but travelling or being nomadic with or without a cash flow is just not for everybody. You write well Hannah and you certainly do not come across as a ‘ privileged brat’ and who can wear more than one pair of shoes at a time anyway….the freedom of little clothing etc is wonderfull! Well done in not being rattled by the writers with the ‘poor mouth’
Charles
Of course you spend less on the road, but it’s disingenuous to imply that that’s the whole picture. It’s not. The other half of a family’s financial requirements is income. Without funds coming in, no matter how little you spend, your resources will all be gone soon. Food, health care, lodging, airfare to all the fabulous places you mention, all cost money. Every family needs either regular income or a trust fund sitting in a bank. People earn money by working, usually in one general geographic region. Most families have no choice about this fact. Most families simply cannot achieve a sustaining income at the same time they’re traveling the world. Not everyone can be a writer or international consultant.
EdventureGirl
Thank you for your comment. You’re absolutely right. Income is important to a traveling lifestyle, as with all but the most extreme lifestyles. What many people don’t realize is that there are many alternative ways to generate income while on the road. My parents are not financially independent, they spend many hours every day working remotely from cafes, the kitchen table, the Walmart parking lot, etc. There is a lot that goes on behind the scenes to make this happen, but it IS possible.
We are not above average financially from a Western perspective. It was especially difficult when my parents first decided to make this our lifestyle, as up until that point my dad did have a “proper job” in the States; but there are resources out there that almost anyone can take advantage of. It IS an option for the average middle-class American, it’s just not an option that many people realize or are willing to commit to putting in the work for.
In response to your other comment, of course you are also right that I’m young and perhaps lack perspective. In my defense, I’d like to add that many of the people who’ve posted defensive and criticizing comments on this particular post have been adult, earning members of society, and yet perhaps taking my article a bit too personally and lashing out as a result of that.
I may be young and I may lack perspective, but I never attacked your lifestyle or personal choices. I see nothing wrong with living in Toledo, Ohio. I’ve spent a good deal of time living a “normal” life in rural areas and participating in those communities. I’ve also spent time as a member of many different communities around the world, some of which have very different lifestyles than those we enjoy in the States, and I wouldn’t say any one of them is “better” or “worse” than another; just different.
Charles
Thank you for your detailed and thoughtful reply.
Your post seems to be implying that it is within the realistic means of more than a tiny percentage of the world’s population to live a country-hopping global lifestyle, not tied down to a specific physical location. That anyone, if he or she simply makes the unconventional-but-smart decision to choose this lifestyle, can do it.
I believe that is not correct.
Many people would love to live without geographical restrictions. But the majority cannot. Most people in this world lack the necessary resources – financial, social, psychological, and career resources.
Your mother’s business helps some of those in the TINY MINORITY who are lucky enough to be in a position to take advantage of this option. But most people can’t even consider it. They have ties, obligations, to family, friends and peer groups; debts; family members who depend on them; and they don’t have skills that could translate into an income without a traditional job.
In short, most of us are members of the real world of the early 21st century.
Here’s just the smallest of examples: say I want to go spend a year or two living in the English countryside. With the exception of very unusual circumstances that do not apply to the vast majority of people, as a US citizen I legally cannot.
I legally cannot simply go live in England. The UK doesn’t allow it. Full stop.
I would also have to abandon friends and groups, and not be available to my elderly parents. In addition, I would have to give up the financial and social benefits of the career I have spent years training for.
Of course some people do earn much more in a geography-free manner. Consultants, writers, a tiny group of people with unusual jobs and hard-to-get visas. And some people are professional baseball players and live rich and carefree lives. This doesn’t mean we should all think our best option is to try to become a professional baseball player.
Your exhorting the benefits of your lifestyle misses the point. Is it a great lifestyle? Of course. it’s obvious. Do many people want to live this way? Of course again. A truism.
But it’s incorrect to presuppose that more than a tiny percentage of people can cast off their ties and travel the world for fun and 24-7 live edutainment.
Thus I think that this kind of writing – look how wonderful my life is! – comes across as rubbing it in the faces of the many people who want to live this way but cannot. There are ways to write about our wonderful world without coming across as a simplistic and careless expression of lucky superiority.
Charity
I think it often boils down to perspective. Im a single parent home educating mum to my 15 year old son. Im a cleaner by trade at the moment and have no familial support. However we still manage to travel lots in short bursts. 3months here, 4 weeks there or 5 days even. Whenever we can. We love planning and learning bits of language and saving, searching for good deals. I remember once thinking travelling was for other people and wishing we could and then one day I realised we could and booked a flight. We off to Croatia next month and planning to do Transiberian route next May. Its great to have something to look forward to, and if you want travel to be a priority in your life, you need to make it so. It is easier than you would think. Half of the barriers are in your head! I have found ;)
EdventureGirl
Awesome story! Thanks for sharing your experience! You seem like an incredible woman, a SuperMom. Safe travels to you!
Couann Benner
Charles ..you just don’t get it….money is not the object, life is. Our income went like this, oh dear we have about 20Euros left better do something if we want to move and its getting close to winter so we pick apples, grapes or potatoes depending where we are, we busk if in a place that allows this or we put on concerts in small villages …touch and feel concerts aimed at families where the whole family can come, no one is left out, we have a question and answer session and an opportunity for kids or parents to try the instruments, we only accept donations so everyone can come. When we busk we just busk untill we have enough for a bag of food and a fuel fill for the camper.As our son became a teen he make ‘guy’ jewelery and wooden toys for children ;he is now 24 and still does this to supplement his uni income infact he organises conserts for small unknown bands and his local uni job! If we calculate our income per year it came out roughly at around 6,000 max a year….a lot of people spend that on cigarettes or booze!! We never wanted for anything, we were never hungry and we raised a child that is at uni without a bursary supporting himself and a straight A student who was awarded student of the year last year because of how he behaves towards others although he does not see that he should have gotten it as he is just being himself! No if you have the correct mindset you can do and life how you want!
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Willy P
Thanks for sharing your experiences! I appreciate you taking time to expose some of this to the outside world rather than just keeping it all to yourself and your wonderful times with your family. 3,4, and 5 did kind of rub me the wrong way though, and I wanted to hear what you had to say to maybe understand your actual intentions and also let you know how your writing is being perceived by at least one reader, because I think you might have just come off differently than you wished in your writing. Since this is a post about the benefits (or “struggles”) of world-schooling, you’re automatically juxtaposing these things against other schooling options in some sense. Because of that, sometimes it read like you were saying “Look at these things that are only possible through world schooling and not any other venue.” and I’m fairly sure that’s not what you meant. It felt kind of like you were saying I’m supposed to have fewer friends because I haven’t traveled quite as much as you. Again, I know this probably wasn’t your intent. Also, the idea that castles somehow lose value the more you see them is sad to me. Castles are INCREDIBLE to me, no matter how much I’ve traveled or how many I’ve seen. Thanks so much again for sharing!
Couann
I fail to see why one could be rubbed up the wrong way by any of these comments……as adults we should be reading this travelogue in an adult fashion! by that I mean we should realise that this is a young person writing , heading out into the world and realizing what a great upbringing she had! She writes well and if she was to explain each comment she makes it would make for boring reading. As adults we should know that.
Sarah
Awesome! I wish we had the money to world travel. We do home school but feeling the limits of even that!
Izzy
My kids were unschooled. The oldest is in college majoring in computer science and currently along linear analysis. The second is 17 and taking college algebra at the local community college. The third is the age of a high school freshman and taking algebra online. They WANT to take math either because they enjoy it or because the know it will help them reach their goals or both. Same reason a lot if people take those subjects.
Kim Green (@kgreenaz)
This is a world-class education, for sure! We home educate our three boys and can barely afford to. However, I am now overly inspired to explore our state (Arizona) in lieu of the entire world. Then, perhaps, our situation may change and we can explore more. For now we explore a lot in our little rv trailer and yes, it’s the best education of all. My kids appreciate being home educated so much and it sounds like you do as well. That’s truly such a blessing. God bless!
Gabi
Wish I could figure out how to live like this. It was always my dream when I was young that if I had children, I would raise them this way. But that also involved winning the lottery or marrying an independently wealthy man.
This wish to see the world and raise my children with these sorts of experiences was one of my motivations for becoming a teacher. Teaching has allowed me to work in international schools and travel to neighboring countries in my holidays, but it is not the life you’ve had. I do wish I could figure out a way to afford this sort of life.
I now have a young daughter and I can’t imagine a better education for her than the one you’ve had, but I’m a single mother and I guess I feel I need some sort of security – health insurance, future retirement so I don’t become a burden to her, etc. I’ll have to settle for “settling” in one country at a time.
Itching to go abroad again as we’ve been back in my home state for the last 5 years since she was 18 months. I’m working on being certified in another area and then packing up and shipping out again. Reading this makes it feel urgent.
Couann
oh Gabi don’t be afraid ….many people do this on a shoe string or less, like we did. if you really feel the need for security could you do a teacher swop every now and again? and if you really cannot see your way to doing it nomadic style how about using every holiday for an adventure even if it is only wandering your own country, how about a camper van and just wander off each hols?? its a start………its so sad that you want to do this and can’t see your way there………courage …its fun
dnk
Ah, the joys of poverty.
shaneschumacher
This is the best post I have seen all year. It really has the wheels churning in my head. Most people say they want to travel with a home base… which really means to vacation a lot, some (like me) try to decide on what they thing is the perfect place and make arrangements to move there and live. I traveled so much as a kid in the USA moving from place to place, that when I became an adult I told myself, “Where ever I end up, I am growing roots”. But now I have the charge to go about the planet and explore this way. thanks for the inspiration!
Captain QWERTY
It seems to me that the attitude of learning by experiencing the world is what is being taught by unschooling.Too many teachers in public schools are teaching to the test and stopping with minimal performance as satisfactory. Public schools are training the masses to fit into time schedules, but they are also killing the creative, problem solving spirit that entrepreneurs often exhibit.
However, it seems that unschooling relies on mentors. Who trains and supports the mentors? certainly not tax payers. I want to become such a mentor. Where do I begin?
In graduate philosophy of education classes we theorized about Constructivism as a healthy alternative to Skinnerian Behaviorism. I tried to apply it to Language Arts but got slammed by state standards. I believe that with the proper attitude we cab use the computer word processor as a tool for making sense of English language. Who’s with me?
Lyndsay Cabildo
That really made me jealous, but coming from a third world country that is just a dream come true. Gorget about the REAL snobs of life, the righteous ones, they’re missing out a lot.
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Stephanie
Hi Hannah! A friend had a link on her Facebook page to this blog post. As a mother, I loved hearing your perspective. Although I do hope to set down some roots for the next few years (I am from Newfoundland and my husband is from Cornwall, UK) with our two young boys (ages 2 and 4), travelling the world with our kids and “worldschooling” is what I have always wanted to do, at least for a couple of years when the boys are a bit older. I often wonder how we’ll fund it, though, and suppose we would have to work as we go. I’m a teacher and a writer and my husband has his own business as a community wellness trainer/therapist. We’re in a better position than many for working on the road, and we don’t need much posh comfort to get by (a tent is cool with us!) but I wonder if you or your parents might have any advice? Thanks for writing!
EdventureGirl
Hi Stephanie!
Sorry it’s taken me so long to get back to you. Re-entry is really kicking my butt! My Mom is currently running a few websites, but her longest running one is: http://edventureproject.com. Feel free to get in touch with her through that!
Hannah
Penny Laurel CaptaincrunchMontgomery Schlanser
Good for you and your money!
Way to make HARDWORKING wives of skeptical homeschool husbands look even worse that we shouldn’t be homeschooling because “we can’t possibly give our children that type of an education.” According to the husband.
Jennifer Miller
Um… wow… we’re also hard working over here… sorry your husband is skeptical… quite sure this isn’t designed to make anyone look “worse” or “better”… and isn’t the beauty of alternative education that we all get to do it our own way?
Vikki
My husband and I have lived on our boat for 11 years and we island hop. I can work remotely and so I do. We run across many families that are sailing with kids. We have found these kids to be mature, intelligent and appreciative of the opportunity and experience their parents are giving them. My kids attended a regular school but I used to drag them on business trips, vacations and sailing with us when they weren’t at school. Both travel extensively now…my eldest (22) is actually fairly obsessed with not being in one spot too long and has started structuring her career so that it is remote-friendly and allows her to keep moving! Technology has allowed many of us the opportunity to go to remote working so this kind of life can become a reality!
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Universal Values
May your travels in 2014 bring you more worldliness indeed, and also humility and gratitude.
All lives, no matter where they are lived (jungle, desert, or even “Middle class America with a house and a car”), are opportunities to be vessels of peace, patience, kindness and goodness. You have much to be grateful for, and must be very wise from your varied life experiences. Snobbiness and glibness should be far beneath you.
There is an undeniable tone here of “my life is better than yours”, which may be out of defensiveness, but I think you would project your life in a much more positive, uplifting light if you had a less boastful tone, and a more grateful one.
Sincere best wishes to you and your family in 2014!
Couann
I have been browing these comments and find the judgements mindboggling…..name calling, snobbiness, you are a child, etc etc ….who do you people think you are to be speaking to someone like this, are you so perfect? Edventuregirl is doing just fine so please have a little respect……
Charles
There are probably good intentions in this article – many of the replies communicate simple genuine goodwill – but it is very obviously built on a foundation of of what we kids used to call “bragging.”
She is implying, if not explicitly stating, that her life is better than all those other “traditional” people. She is also implying that if other people are not traveling the world in a never-ending fun filled adventure like she is, it’s only because they are too stupid or cowardly.
There are many paths to a happy and fulfilled life. it is beneath us as good humans to criticize others for their fundamental life choices, for we have not walked in their shoes.
EdventureGirl
Hi Charles,
Just letting you know that from here out I will be deleting any further replies of a negative nature you post on my blog. You’ve been stalking here for at least a year, more like two, but you never contribute anything positive (or even in the tone of respectful debate). Your comments incite arguments here. That’s what we kids call “trolling.” I can’t understand why you apparently so enjoy wasting your time critiquing my life when it’s obvious you don’t approve of it. You would be better off taking your comments elsewhere, or better yet, using that energy to accomplish something useful or positive. Thank you, and goodbye, sir.
Drae
Charles was not critiquing your life, he was critiquing your blog post. Isn’t that what the comments section of a blog post is designed for?
So anyone posting here MUST include a positive comment or they will be deleted? :) And no comments allowed that anyone would disagree with (would “incite arguments”)? Awesome!
Fantastic way to artificially control communication and feedback!
Does that count as a positive comment? :)
EdventureGirl
Hi Drae. As you can see on this and other blog posts, I do not generally mediate these things. People are welcome to post negative (preferably constructive) feedback. People are allowed to disagree and discuss. If you’ve read through this comments section, you’ve seen a lot of that already. But as you’ll also see on this and other blog posts… Charles obviously has no interest in the community here, and has contributed nothing of value for the past two or three years. He is not here for discussion or debate. He is not even here for a rational critique of this blog post. He’s wasting his time and there’s no benefit and a lot of harm in his interactions. For the first time in the five years that I’ve had this blog, I’m pulling the trump card and deleting his inputs. Thank you for your vote. :)
Couann Benner
In all fairness I was getting the impression that Charles has started harping on in a negetive fashion just for the sake of it! so I would tend to agree with Hannahs stance. As it is her blog and a friendly lighted blog at that it is unnecessary for the latest comments made by Charles…..maybe he is unaware that his comments are negative , maybe he is tongue in cheek and this is just his way, maybe he forgets he is talking to a young person…..who knows. I really like some of his earlier comments. Blogs are for sharing ideas they are not to badger people, be sarcastic or rude. Hannah is not ‘artificially controlling communicatation or feedback’ by finally addressing her issue with whatever has upset her in Charles’s posts, she is saying ‘I do not like what you are saying, your posts have become inappriopiate for this blog etc etc …or something like that. By your comment it would appear that Hannah must accept whatever anyone says……well no nobody is a doormat, nobody has to accept everything everyone says! There is a fine line in dealing with peoples opinions and emotions and this must be respected.
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Elfy
Nice article! Small thing: No. 8: It’s cue, not queue.
russnelson
I’m sorry for your loss.
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Sharon
What a fabulous post. As a parent with young children who is thinking about making the plunge to travelling full time, it is really interesting to read your perspective on much of your childhood. I am incredibly impressed, both at your post and the responses you give to people who are being quite rude. I am not sure why you and your family’s choices are being questioned like they are here, and I commend you for keeping your cool and showing just what a great person you are. I hear no judgement in this post. I am bookmarking it as something to show my friends and family who think that a traditional schooling is the only way to go. I don’t understand why it is ok for the majority of people to preach how essential schooling, but if someone says something different, then they are a brat, too privileged or judgmental.
Jennay
Well written article! I especially like your mature replies to people’s comments which show a lot of self-esteem.
katherine
Such a fantastic and well written article. Makes me confident to take my children on epic adventure travels.
katherine
im amazed to find no books on world schooling on amazon, I hope you write one!
Kyle
Awesome post, I love the tongue-and-cheek headline! Clearly, the education you got through worldschooling is far superior to the one-size-fits-all mess that we call public schooling.
EdventureGirl
Thanks, Kyle! I don’t believe that there is any “right” way to be educated. Obviously, it depends on the individual, and world-schooling isn’t necessarily the best way to go for everyone. That said, it was a perfect fit for me, and I’ve enjoyed it!
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Sarah
Wow! First of all I would like to apologize for my fellow “adults” and their closed minds and rudeness.
Their comments read like a jealous group of high school girls! Pathetic!
(Even world school kids have to deal with that? Who knew?)
Anyway… This article popped up when I was researching world school trips to send my 12 year old daughter on next year.
I found you to be engaging, funny and extremely articulate….obviously well traveled and therefore well rounded! Kudos to Mom and Dad, and to you as well!
I home school and we travel for my husbands job here in the states. We have taken our daughter out of the country and have plans to do more of that in the future. You’re article inspires me to keep going on that path! So, thank you for writing it so eloquently!
***To all the adults who brought up their own fears and short comings, I’m going to tell you something somebody should have told you when you were a child……. You CAN do anything you set your mind to!!!!***
Happy Travels!
EdventureGirl
Hi Sarah, thanks for your kind comment! I hope your daughter has a fantastic trip, and kudos to you for sending her on one. Enjoy your adventures!
Hannah
Charles
The scholastic benefits of global edu-tourism are obvious. The problem, for the parents of children who think it sounds neato-cool to skip school and bounce around the world instead, is achieving the financial resources to leave it all behind and just take off, rather than engage in that boring old un-enlightened, but usually necessary, activity of building and maintaining a career within the bounds of a relatively constrained geographic region.
The parents who are paying for the upbringing of most kids don’t have the financial resources to be able to “school” their kids at the Sydney Opera house, the Sistine Chapel, and Stratford upon Avon.
You are young, so you can be forgiven for a lack of perspective. However you should know that your post reads just like an adult posting “10 Ways Traveling To All The Continents (With Evidently No External-Imposed Responsibilities) Has Ruined My Social Life In My Hometown of Toledo, Ohio.” Do we think this person has made a better choice than those of us still stuck in Toledo’s West End neighborhood, or, do we think they have different resources? Would we choose to simply travel the world and soak in the educational experiences along the way if that were an option for us?
It’s almost a biological truism that we humans enjoy and are enriched by travel. That’s not the hard part. The hard part for most people is achieving the simple financial ability to visit all those wonderful and educational places without getting laid off after missing work for a few days.
Janet
I found my way here from Pinterest. First, I love the name of your blog. How creative is that! And I love your post here! :)
I’m sharing your blog in the Google+ Roadschooling community. I’m sure the group will enjoy it and share it with their kids! :)
This is the link to the community, if you want to take a look around at the group. There are a lot of great shares there from roadschoolers and worldschoolers. https://plus.google.com/communities/107292018870634537157
EdventureGirl
Thanks for the share! I’ll check that out. :)
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Kim
I’m all for world travel and learning experiences, but this article appears to have been written by an overprivileged, self-admitted snob looking down her nose at other people (children?) who could only dream of having the means to go where she has gone. Thanks for the cautionary tale. I plan to take my daughter as many places as we can, but will keep a close eye on her attitude so that this entitled snobbery doesn’t take over her personality.
Couann Benner
What a rude and hurtful attack on a teenage girl of 16……..you should be ashamed of yourself Kim. You can of course have an opinion but you do not have the right to be so very rude and unpleasant! If you think that this is overprivileged or snobbish behaviour you obviously have not met many real snobs or overprivileged people/teenagers. It appears to me that you need to have a small bit of empathy towards others and learn that you can disagree without being cruel , nasty or rude. I certainly do not see this kid as looking down on other people or children …. if you think this kid as a snob, overprivileged and looking down on others then maybe you should look inside yourself to discover why you would think this. This is a great kid trying to find her way in life like all the others, learning how to express herself through the written word, sharing the wonder of her life and taking the time to answer peoples questions etc. She certainly does not deserve this sort of cruelty …….you should be ashamed of yourself.
Charles
Kim is right, The tone of this article is one of pride and looking down on other “normal” people. The author is young so it can be forgiven
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Couann Benner
You should not have to explain what age you were when you wrote that post but of course you feel you must defend yourself ….these people that post nasty rude comments should be ashamed of themselves; there is a right way and a wrong way of doing everything, they could have voiced their opinion without cruelty, rudeness, unpleasantness etc. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion but they are not entitled to attack people because their opinion/actions/posts are different …how very sad for them. These people need to heal their own selves as obviously they are hurting but nevertheless I am appalled at what they have posted, they need to apologise, to you and to all the other readers. You are a great Lass and we wish you well, we love your posts xxxxx
Shiva
Bolix! U may be an educated snob but still a snob. What’s wrong with giving kids purpose and a secure environment? I have been and lived (probably longer than u) in every place u talk about but I still have a place to call home. The place I grew up, met friends, learned to read and write. Learned discipline and acceptance of others. All u prove is that unless u have a rich daddy that pays for ur entrance to a theatre ply at Stratford upon Avon u will not amount to anything! U perplex me more than provide wisdom. Have some shame please. The fact I have to fill in my details to post this might surprise u to know, probably is the reason u don’t gave more comments like this. People can’t be bothered with people like u.
EdventureGirl
I created a post for people who think I’m a snob. You should check it out! https://edventuregirl.com/on-hate-mail-and-general-snobbery/
Couann Benner
Shame on you Shiva……apply your comment to your self ‘learn discipline and acceptance of others’.Your comment is nasty, so very rude and way off centre. That you would speak to anyone like this let alone a 16 year old teen that has never done anything to you in any way is just appaling, shocking….unbelivable. You should note that this young girl has already amounted to a lot…how dare you pass nasty comments which are meant to wound……You know Shiva your ego needs some work……..this teenage lass never spoke down other peoples way of life etc, if you feel she did then the problem lies within yourself. You should be so ashamed of yourself…..
Charles
Shiva is right, and Couann is wrong. The tone of this blog is boastful and proud, and “snobbish” is definitely a word that could accurately be applied to it. Shiva did not attack Edventuregirl, and Edventurelgirl did open herself up to constructive criticism by writing and posting her blog.
Couann Benner
well Charles each person is entitled to their own opinion…but right or wrong Shivas comment was outrageously rude and nasty. Having said that I don’t know her age, maybe she too is a teenager so can be forgiven and maybe learn that it is unacceptable to speak like that towards others. Shiva most certainly did attack adventure girl …quote ‘people can’t be bothered with people like u’ and calling her a snob then going on with the snarky comment that she too has lived in all the same places etc and probably for longer etc etc etc. Constructive criticism is a good thing, Shivas was not constructive, it was angry, rude and nasty . It was very upsetting and more so if it was from an adult. I did not find the article snobby nor as someone looking down on others…..maybe adventure girl was a little full of herself at that time but thats a normal teen rite of passage which most grow out of very quickly and hardly worth a mention.
travel007
Hi EdventureGirl,
Thanks for your blog! My husband emailed this to me tounge-and-cheek as I had a very similar upbringing to yourself. My mum and dad traveled the world for nine years together before I was born (traveling on money they made through cleaning hotel rooms and other odd jobs) and didn’t stop after they had me. We just lived simply, and saved all money for travel. Like you, I often traveled with textbooks. Interestingly the Australian school system was only interested in me keeping up with my maths plus bits of other curriculum. I went to school in the UK for 6 months aged 11 and I was two years in front of the rest of the class. This was before internet and online learning, so no doubt education on the road would be made a little easier these days. Unlike yourself I remember vividly being a little ‘over’ the alternative traveling lifestyle. I just wanted to be ‘normal’ – have a nice normal suburban house with a pool and have bbqs in the backyard. When we traveled I wanted to be the family going to a nice hotel via a air conditioned taxi, not going to a family room in a backpackers via an old public bus; staying in a nice hotel looking at a cool mountain rather than slogging up it with a backpack then camping at the top. My parents always said that one day I would be thankful, and I most certainly am.
The years traveling taught me to be resilient, adaptable, to have empathy, to be thankful. Like yourself, it I have grown very social and can relate to people of all ages, under many different circumstances. I can be put in most situations and not feel out of my comfort zone. Being put in challenging situations allows you to face your fears and gain confidence. I strongly feel that even driving to a national park two hours from your home and letting children explore and interact with others in the campground can achieve similar benefits – one doesn’t always have to be overseas. I have found though, the longer one is in a space, the more ‘stuff’ is accumulated, the less feasible long-term travel feels. When you are traveling you are actually spending less than in day to day life. No car repayments, daily take-out lunches and coffees, fuel, gym memberships, clothes, homewares etc. You are less tempted to open your wallet for random purchases. It is a painful process to detach from these, but once it happens, economic travel is surprisingly easy.
In this instance, travel did not hinder education and I completed a PhD in physical sciences and consult for government and industry which allows me to travel. Like yourself I am exceptionally motivated and need to be constantly inspired and have my senses awakened. This can be challenging at times. I love to travel and feel more comfortable on the road and moving at a fast clip than settling down in once space. Like yourself I also have a wonderful relationship with my parents, whom I have a great deal of respect for.
Good on you for doing what you love, remaining to travel and communicating via your blog. It is healthy to get mixed reviews and to learn from them all – even top scientists publish journal papers (which have been reviewed by other top scientists) which frequently get negative feedback by the science community in regard to opinions on method, sample size, analysis, study area etc. Look forward to hearing more! Cheers,
EdventureGirl
Hi there,
Wow! It’s incredible to hear from an adult who was raised on the road and is able to look back on those experiences after successfully completing a PhD and going on to travel as an adult! Thank you for commenting and sharing your experience. It’s good for people to see that while some who’ve been raised on the road are passionate about travel and wouldn’t choose another way of life, others would sincerely be more comfortable staying rooted in a community. Again, thanks for sharing!
Couann Benner
Yes its a funny ol’ world for sure……nothing is for everybody!
micheller7794
You know what, I think this girl and this family and also the article are enlightening and fantastic. You know what else? I’m shocked and appalled by the comments of ‘adults’ left on this blog: sarcastic, caustic, bitter and downright rude.
Edventuregirl, please don’t take these comments to heart, these people very obviously, it saddens me to say, are jealous of what you have achieved at a young age which equals and surpasses what they have achieved in their so-called maturity. Please know there are people like me and my family who think what you and your family are doing is great, impressive and above all else inspiring!!! Take care :)
EdventureGirl
Thanks for your reply and support! As to the other comments, it’s ok. :) The things I have experienced (up until the point where I started asserting my independence a bit more) HAVE primarily been a blessing and a gift, not something that I myself have achieved. My parents were raised on the road by my grandparents, so I come from a long line of adventurers who’ve figured out how to make life on the road happen. It’s a heritage I intend to pass on to my own kids, in time. I think most of the negative comments on this post come from a place of not understanding that this was written tongue-in-cheek, not from a place of truly knowing my character/story. As such, I haven’t taken too much of it to heart. You shouldn’t either. :)
Thanks for the kind words! I’m constantly amazed by the incredible people who go out of their way to support and encourage me. You rock!
Couann Benner
hear hear Michelle …very well said ……..I totally agree! We applaud you , your family and what you are and have done………xxxx
madmo
Thank you for this wonderful post. I am about to head out to Europe with my 14yo daughter for half of her 8th grade studies. Middle school has felt like warehousing; waiting for high school. We decided to turn this problem into an opportunity and we are lucky enough to be able to swing it, both financially and take the time off.
Couann Benner
Hi Madmo …..if in france you are very welcome at our place…..We travel schooled our lad for 16 years so are open to aiding anyone doing the same. …post me your email and I will give you info etc if you want….Best of luck, have a great time.
Delia
E girl, are you naturally a bold person? I have traveled extensively and would love to do the same with my kids. However, my 13 yr old daughter is reluctant to try anything new (I think she is a little afraid). Is this lifestyle something that you had to get used to, or did you immediately embrace it?
Couann Benner
Really good question….people are different , some are just stay in one place people, some don’t like change etc. But often with kids they are afraid of loosing their friends, their place in their society, their comfort zone, their things around them, their place on a team etc……most important is to try to discover what makes her hesitant, afraid etc…..maybe she just does not like not having a definite plan……once you discover what it is then you can usually work around that etc…….I am courious as to E.G.’s reply :)
EdventureGirl
Hi there! Life on the road is definitely something that took adjusting. We were all excited about it, but the reality ended up being that the first few weeks were miserable as we experienced homesickness and found a groove. After that, it was all good. That said, I’ve always been one to try new things. I’m not sure if it’s something I learned or was born with. Hope this helps!
Couann Benner
must ask our son what it was like for him!
gooseyontheloosey
I think this is the most amazing idea, to world school. I love all the photos of all the amazing places you went, and all the things that you did. You said that traveling made you a snob, but I don’t think so. I mean, it’s really hard if you’re talking to someone about a subject you know front and back, to refrain from being “No, that’s not right, it’s this…” or adding profusely, and maybe unnecessarily, about every single tiny fact you know about the subject. We, my family and I, are thinking of taking a trip to somewhere around the world and we were considering world schooling for me and my sisters. I love what you did, and I don’t think world schooling ruined your life, or can ruin anybody’s life. (Unless they get pooped on by an elephant, and smell like poo for the rest of their life. That might ruin their life. :) ) And also replying to what EdventureGirl said above, I think that the love for travel, and trying new things is something that everybody is born with, but it takes a certain person, or a good challenge to draw it out of them. You, EdventureGirl, were raised in New England, and the traveled for the rest of you life(or as far as I know you did), so obviously, the love of travel came naturally to you, as it was a big thing in your life. But for someone who grew up somewhere like the middle of the USA, with no coast or anything, and the only trips they had to make was a half-hour trip to Grandma’s house, and if they had never flown on a plan, so they wouldn’t know the love and thrill of what it is to travel, and I think that, the difference of a love, hate, or ignorance of travel, is how world-schooling can, maybe ruin a childhood.
brakemanslova
Actually un-schoolers DO have schoolbooks! My kids read LOTS of books, I just didn’t make them read particular ones.
Couann Benner
ours too ….. and our son is and was very instrumental in encouraging lots of kids to read…….when he went to school at 17 he was the only child in the class that read for pleasure!!!! ……but he soon changed that!
Tiffany Hoover
I love this post! Thank you! This pretty much described everything I was worried about.
I’m a single mom and in 6 months my 2and a half year old and I are taking off to start touring the world.
I’ve been worried and scared about how he is going to adjust/ like the nomadic lifestyle (fortunately, we’ve already moved 8 times since he was born) and it’s a very scary thought as a parent to actually take this somewhere so far on my own. No one seems to think I can do it, I get the crazy looks and told it’s not good for him.
I am fortunate enough to have spent a good chunk of my childhood traveling (I however went to private school and had tutors when traveling, and was able to finish school a year and a half early) but I don’t plan on enrolling my son in school, so it’s definitely going to be interesting!
I can’t imagine staying in one place, not traveling and seeing the world. I can’t wait to go again and now my sons getting older, so we will be able to enjoy more things together.
Couann Benner
Go for it …really gerat for your kids and yourself; best of luck.
Raise_backpackers
I was googling for some negatives about world schooling just so I can see the whole picture and I came across your blog post. I’ve travelled a lot myself but now have 3 kids and just trying to work up the courage to pull them out of school one day (little one still in nappies!). Just wanted to say I really enjoyed your post and sorry about the haters, there’s always someone who has to make something negative out of something wonderful. Just be thankful those people aren’t your parents.
I get what you mean about being a snob, going down a steep waterslide will never compare to volcano boarding in Nicaragua etc etc.
Anyway, back to googling for negatives, good luck to me if I can find any!
EdventureGirl
One commonly cited negative is the lack of community. If you run across that one, it’s crap, just so you know! I have the greatest community of world schoolers out there supporting me at every turn, most of them personal friends I’ve met in the real world. :)
Summer
This made me smile as we are about to embark on a year long adventure with our kids and will be embracing world schooling. Love it! Thanks for sharing and all of your wit. :)
Stephanie Mitchell
What types of jobs are there for my husband so we all could travel together? I already homeschool, I want to world school my children. I know it’s viable, I’m just not sure how to stay until my first book is published.
EdventureGirl
There are many ways to make money on the road! I’m sure other travellers would like to chime in here. From what I’ve seen, the key lies in thinking outside of the box. What skills do you already have that you could monetize? For example, I design and manage websites for other people, teach creative writing via Skype, manage social media for big businesses, am a freelance writer here and there, an editor here and there, and when I’m really scraping by, I play my fiddle at restaurants and pubs (or just on the street for change, you’d be surprised how much it can make. My best day was $200, and I average $50 an hour). There are tons of options out there, depending on your skill set! Get creative. :)
Geoff Todd
This is so inspiring. I’m new to all things world schooling, but it’s stories like this which persuade me that traditional education needs a serious reboot, and we need to listen to pioneers like you who are showing what can be done, and what the results are in reality.
I’m not a world schooler myself (though who knows what might happen in the future!) but I have had the honour of working with a world schooler to start this service for the world schooling community. It might be of interest to readers of this post:
World Schooler Exchange: http://worldschoolerexchange.com/
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ifthoumayest
I homeschool our four children and have been dreaming of world-schooling for about a year now. Thank you for sharing this. So inspiring!
bplotkin
Clever title! haha
Yes it’s amazing, this is what makes sense the most.
There’s a whole world out there, it’s best to learn from it.
Bon Voyage :)
Ashley Mohs
Can I just tell you that this blog entry was the first search result on google when I typed in, “worldschooling”?! That is awesome. Brilliantly written. Amazing title. Such a delightful and insightful read! Bless you, girl!
EdventureGirl
Wow, no way! That’s a huge achievement! Thanks for letting me know. Time to go celebrate. :)
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The Lighthouse Under The Stars
Oh my goodness, how my heart fell when I stumbled across your post via Google but how I laughed when I realised you were being facetious!! Thank you for making me laugh.
journeyofanomadicfamily.com
firecrackerrev
Hi Hannah,
I just found out about World Schooling and discovered your blog while googling the term.
I’m so impressed with your writing and your precociousness. If I ever have kids I hope they turn out to be just like you (sorry if that sounds creepy ;P)
Every time I read an article on this blog, all I can think about is “she understands EXACTLY how a traveler thinks. She’s reading my mind!”
Thank you so much for sharing your story! I’ve been sharing it with everyone I know and they all find it just as inspirational as I do. Keep up the great work! You rock!
EdventureGirl
Ha! Your comment made me laugh. Thanks! I take “precocious” as a compliment. ;)
irbawi
Hi Hannah, thank you so much for this article (#2 on google search for worldschooling!- the title definitely a catcher) and your blog. You’re very inspirational and a very good writer! Came across your blog searching for info re worldschooling for my two daughters. I hope that one day my girls will describe themselves in similar ways you do. At this point they mix up the places we’ve been to, things done and seen. “Mom, what was the place where we…” is a very common phrase with them….I’ll make sure my daugthers read your blog! Keep it up and all the best from Europe en route to India.
DigitalNomadSoul
Love, love, love it! I was looking for somthing just like this to show to some of my very sceptical readers and friends. I think worldschooling is a fantastic alternative to bring up kids. I only wished people wouldn’t be so quick to judge when it comes to this topic and were more open to it and see the benefits… Anyway, thanks a lot for your personal insight! Great inspiration :)
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Shannon
I absolutely LOVED this blog post! See, I was raised travelling too! Now I’m married and a mom to 3 adorable little kids, and I’m DYING staying in one place for the last 3 years trying to give them a “stable home” (that everyone thinks I should be striving for) but I want to take them out to travel the world, like I got to do as a child! This was so encouraging to me and validating… and reaffirms in me what I’ve known deep down inside all along… That travel is true education and opens the mind to think differently, independently, and more deeply. I guess I had forgotten. This brought back so many memories! Thank you for your post and for your update at the end. It is soooo encouraging!
Laural
How were you able to get into university and what was your “home made” education like as you traveled? You mentioned your mom gave you 4-5 hours of work…how did she decide what to teach? I home schooled my children for six years in the early grades and now looking to do some world-schooling with my 16 year old son but still a little nervous and not sure where to start…the world is so big and it’s easy to be fearful of not taking the standard high school diploma route!
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Been There with Kids
My daughter and I really enjoyed this post. We are considering world schooling. We are considering supplementing with some online classes. Did you have to take any testing to have a diploma? Any testing prior to college? Thanks for sharing!
Seeking Sights
We are just about to start our world-schooling adventure with our 5 year old daughter and reading this has inspired and alleviated a few concerns we had. Your post is amazing and I hope that one day our daughter looks back at our travels in the same positive way. What an amazing adventure you have had and congratulations on achieving so much. Thank you for such a delightful and encouraging world-schooling post. Thank you for sharing.