Homeschooling and traveling, two wonderful freedoms in life. We are one of a large and growing crowd of families who are homeschooling while traveling the world, as expats or travelers. We’ve been on the road well over 5 years but we homeschooled with state approval and registration before departure. Let’s talk about how to combine homeschooling and travelling and the benefits of combining the two, an educational method often called world schooling.
My boys learning in Nepal. Kathmandu, learning about faiths, people, geography, cultures, history and physiological adaptation to altitude. This is homeschooling or worldschooling.
This post is freshly updated to bring you useful resources and information on homeschooling your kids while traveling as well as learning through travel.
This is sometimes called world schooling or road schooling, and sometimes international homeschooling.
What can kids learn from travel? Will they learn anything that’s on the school curriculum? Yes, they can learn those things, this is a very good example. The Vietnam War is on the high school curriculum and on the History exam. Here are two homeschooling traveling kids learning a lot about that topic, with the help of the place itself, the museums, and a very knowledgeable guide. They’re also having fun and spending valuable time with their family and each other.
First a few words about us. We homeschooled overseas, all around the world, full-time for almost the entirety of our kids’ school years. We are a leading authority on “worldschooling” and alternative education. This page is here to help you get started, or just find out more about how homeschool, travel, and “world-schooling” work together.
This is another good example of useful real-life skills that kids can learn through travel. Home economics was on the syllabus and the exam when I was in school. My kids have taken cooking classes in Italy, Cambodia, India, Vietnam, Malaysia and, of course, Thailand. They’ve also eaten the cuisines of 50 or so countries and observed how food is grown commercially and in gardens and arrives at the local markets. There is a lot to be learned from food.
When you travel, you are not usually bound by local restrictions if you are a tourist or visitor to a country. You need to look into homeschooling regulations in your own country or state.
How do people make homeschool and travel work together well?
There is a huge amount of information in this blog post so you may find our index helpful. Please bookmark this page for future reference (Pinterest is a good way).
Some of the product-related links on this page will be affiliate links and if you use them we make a small commission. This doesn’t affect our decision to recommend them.
Our recommendations are most often based on our honest first-hand experience, use, and findings.
The best, or required, route for you and your family could be different to our own.
We can help you with some of the following aspects, through our own experiences as travelling homeschoolers.
Classes while traveling can be part of your child’s learning. The older they get the more classes become possible, the more homeschooling and travelling pays off. Tours and guides are a great source of knowledge.
How to homeschool.
How to homeschool while travelling.
Why homeschooling offers such great advantages
Are there any disadvantages?
Will the children miss out on being in a group environment?
Where are the homeschool travel groups and meet-ups?
What are the differences between unschooling, world schooling, and homeschooling.
Deschooling – What is it?
What gear, equipment, books, resources and online learning programs you will need on the road?
The legalities of homeschooling around the world, including registration, or not
How to find, facilitate, and promote education through life and through destinations.
Exams and testing.
Advantages of Homeschooling and Traveling
We believe that homeschooling offers many advantages over traditional schooling if done well. When a family can add a significant amount of travel to a homeschool education, there are further advantages.
In India. A new friend to paint, dance and skip with. An exchange of cultures, exploring lifestyles, with a wonderful local friend bringing kids together for art and craft, street children, gypsies and travellers.
We strongly believe that homeschooling delivers a top-notch education, particularly when coupled with travel.
Travel adds so much more in terms of experiences, observation and exposure to a homeschool lifestyle. It puts learning into context and gives kids a sense of place and people.
Academic outcomes for homeschoolers are good. (source)
If you homeschool you are free to travel, you are free to live your life your way.
Your family spends more time together and bonds are tighter.
Education is tailored to the child’s interests and progress is at the child’s speed.
There is always 1 on 1 help and support. Your child is not lost in a crowd of kids.
There is physical freedom for the child to run, jump, climb, and play. Goodby desks.
Kids can eat when they’re hungry, go to the bathroom at will, sleep, and get up according to need.
Homeschoolers are not restricted to a classroom, there is far more to learn in a changing, real-world, environment.
Kids are not kept together in same-age groups. This means they are free to interact with and learn from all people. These people may be of any age and all levels of wisdom and experience.
It makes (most) kids happy and less stressed if you get it right.
The modern world, and the future, needs future adults with a different way of thinking.
Kids get the childhood they deserve, full of play and freedom, not restrictions and timetables.
There are many ways for Homeschoolers to sit exams or get into university – should this prove necessary.
One of the boys took a stone carving class with a master craftsman in India. He made Jeremy the turtle.
Travel Schooling Video
I originally used the term travel schooling to describe our idea. Others use worldschooling or homeschooling while travelling. Road schooling is another popular term.
The video below will give you a taste of what this actually looks like. My kids make most of the videos for this site. It’s a little “school” project for them and it’s made them thousands of dollars so far.
If you keep watching, more will play.
Homeschool probably doesn’t mean what you think it does. It is not “school at home” we usually don’t do lessons or distance education.
We don’t fill the kids up with the same stuff the schools try to teach. You can do that, of course, but we just learn, in total freedom.
This post is about how we homeschooled as we travel, from 6 to 17 and how you could too.
We did so under the UK system but we did lived as expats and residents in Australia for a while and there we had to follow Australian regulations.
The UK has to be one of the best countries for homeschooling, in our experience. The British homeschool regulations are really good and there are plentiful facilities and groups for homeschooling families.
My elder son has now taken his iGCSEs, and passed. He’s taking A levels online. Kids of all nationalities can take these world-recognised exams.
We will likely continue to 18 and maybe seek a different route to and through college or university. We may still be homeschooling travellers after the compulsory school years.
Through educating outside school for a long time we’ve found that works out great. We include information from pre-school to high school.
This is our story and a blog to help you start your own adventure in education.
What’s The Difference Between Homeschooling, Unschooling, and World Schooling?
Homeschool is the preferred term in our original home state, Queensland Australia. There it incorporated unschooling. In the UK the term Home Education is more commonly used. This separates our style of learning from that employed in schools.
Worldschooling is a way of describing any education provided by or enhanced by, travel and the world. It’s a popular term amongst traveling homeschoolers or unschoolers.
Unschooling is a complete rejection of the school system, but does not imply un-educating, good unschooling is very proactive. Unschooling is always child-led.
We tried them all and found what worked for us. As the boys got older their education evolved. It’s obvious that what works for 6 and 4-year-olds isn’t what works for tweens and teens.
Home education is fluid and adaptable and that’s one of the great beauties of it.
We homeschooled in part because we cared so deeply about education. I wanted them to get a good one.
A proper education doesn’t necessarily include exams or university. It’s about kids having the tools they need to make life choices.
They need to know what they want to do and be able to go for it. If they want to sit exams, then they can.
We Were Homeschooling Long Before We Started Travelling. About Us.
Homeschooling and traveling go together, they have to. We’d already chosen the homeschooling path before we even thought of returning to the travel we loved.
After 2 years of homeschooling before we left on this trip, I wasn’t at all worried about the kids’ education. I’d been through the de-schooling process ( What is deschooling?).
This is the term used for forgetting everything you’ve been conditioned to think about acquiring knowledge. Learning happens all day, every day, it doesn’t come from teachers, textbooks, tests, and exams.
That said, learning doesn’t just happen by chance. The parent has to be pro-active in seeking inspiring learning opportunities.
You need to check this out for yourself, but I can tell you what I know of Australia and the UK. For the USA, sorry, check your state regulations.
These laws and regulations can and do change, always research independently and find reliable sources.
I was a registered homeschooler in Queensland Australia many years ago. I had to submit my curriculum for approval every year and put a report together 12 months later. That report included forced work samples.
We were approved each year. Once we left Australia this was no longer allowed, nor required. We reverted to our UK passports, curriculum, structure, and education style.
If you’d like to see examples of Queensland applications, reports, and homeschool curriculums, they are on our other website, Homeschool Group Hug. Regulations vary enormously between Australian states.
The decision to homeschool or withdraw your child from school was nothing to do with the school. The school in our case had no authority to allow or disallow homeschooling.
This meaning parents did not need to ask permission. You will likely need to register in some way with your state’s homeschooling body.
One of the wonderful things about the UK is that no homeschool registration, reports, or checks were legally required under British law. (visit this site to find out about home education in the UK)
You’ll need to check regulations in your home country or state, but it’s important to remember that if your kids are un-enrolled from school, they cannot be truant.
Obviously, travel does amazing things for children, helping them along with their self-confidence, resourcefulness, social skills and ability to empathise.
Alongside this, there is the more concrete learning, particularly in geography, history, and languages, that comes naturally from visiting every country.
I say naturally, but there is a lot of parental input in getting this “natural” learning to happen. See this post on education through travel to see what we picked up in our first year of travel. We were very new to this back then.
Our travels put us in the amazingly fortunate position of being able to take the kids TO the learning. So, for example, if they want to learn about the Mayans, we took them to Tikal.
For art and art history, we took them to world-renowned galleries or to see local artists at work. Sometimes they would join in or take a class. My elder son draws ( as do I), there are a million ” how to draw” videos on YouTube at all levels. Khan Academy has great art history content.
For music, we watched diverse performances, used internet resources and tried our hands at different instruments from around the world. We don’t pursue playing instruments, we’re not that family.
History is all around us, you can touch it. My elder child loved studying the Seven Ancient Wonders through an online course. He was keen to see the remains of the Mausoleum at Halicarnassus at the British Museum. We planned to taking him to Turkey for Ephesus. Subsequently, he went to the pyramids and to see the Statue of Zeus at Olympia. Imagine finding out about Pol Pot or the Vietnam War through being there, on the spot. Don’t you think that’s better than a book?
For religion, we visited as many temples, mosques, churches, and museums as we could. We talked to the locals and saw first-hand the realities of their faiths. We observed their practices, respected them and sometimes joined in. This style of learning is so much more fun than books, and so much more accurate. We had Religious Education course books at home bases for reference.
Learning about local industry in Kerala. Here making rope from coconuts. I bet you learned about that from books. Homeschooling while traveling makes those text books and their out-dated or sometimes just incorrect information redundant.
What about science? I was a scientist in my life before kids and we did a lot of hands-on homeschooling science using various kits and the things we had around us. You can do this too. It’s harder on the road as you can’t really carry the circuits, chemistry and magnets kits. I was good at talking about science in a situation. Science is in everything, from frying an egg to the zoological classification of the animals you see. Look for museums with hands-on learning opportunities such as London’s fabulous and free kids science shows at the Science Museum and the incredible Natural History Museum. Zoos are also great for young scientists. As they got older my boys took online science courses to supplement this natural learning. They enjoyed Minecraft Homeschool as little ones, before progressing to Khan Academy and Open University. If you think kids need a hands-on chemistry lab, you’re wrong. You can find any science experiment or reaction you like on YouTube. We really liked this book, Help Your Kids With Science. It’s compact, concise and to the point. This makes it an excellent reference book and curriculum guide if parent or child is stuck on a scientific explanation. Also in the series, Help Your Kids With Computer Coding is good for very new coders.
Do Homeschooled Traveling Kids Have Friends?
Yes, people ask, 1 person, one man, asked. Fortunately, nobody has ever asked me about socialisation.
In homeschooling circles, it’s known as ” The S Word” and is a massive cliché.
The rule in homeschooling is that they’re better socialised than kids in classrooms. The person asking often doesn’t know what socialisation is.
I wonder why this guy didn’t ask me if I have any friends? There’s no difference, but because they’re kids this person felt it was OK to ask them.
If you wouldn’t ask an adult you don’t ask a child. That’s the rule.
Of course they have friends, of all ages, but we don’t carry them around the world with us. We visit when we can and these days, more and more, we bump into familiar faces.
They also hang out with kids online and occasionally even Skype.
They weren’t really into staying in touch and weren’t very needy socially when they were younger, so mostly they couldn’t be bothered to stay in touch with new friends.
These days they’d spend all day chatting online if they could.
They have good friends around the world that they are always delighted to see again.
I don’t know if their lack of social need is down to nature or nurture, but I’m the same way. School gave me FOMO and a desire to be liked and have lots of friends around me.
I shook that off eventually and got on with being me. It’s much better not feeling that pressure.
We don’t really ever feel any unmet social need, I guess because we’re mostly too busy. We don’t have a school mindset so we don’t need loads of people around us all the time. That’s just the way it is.
If you feel you need to meet up with other travelling families it’s pretty easy to arrange and plenty of people do that.
You’ll soon discover huge networks of people wanting to meet up with you and your kids for playdates on the road.
Curriculum, Record Keeping and Exams for Homeschooling and Travel
In Australia I had to write our curriculum every year and get it approved. It was based on the progression of learning, the government curriculum from a few countries and our own interests and needs.
I facilitated learning from this curriculum by bringing up topics in conversation, showing them books, toys and films about the topics we need to cover and taking them to places where they could learn at source.
We also followed the boys’ interests as they cropped up. We have never bought or needed any sort of “boxed curriculum”.
On the road we considered the UK curriculum. I knew what was on there and we covered it in our own way. I always had UK curriculum books at home bases. If you need to check your local curriculum it’s usually available online.
I used to class myself as maybe a partial unschooler, certainly an eclectic homeschooler. I always employed some workbooks and online learning but in a casual sort of way.
The workbooks were more to do with me reassuring myself and writing practice than any real need.
When the boys were around 8-11 we used workbooks as a response to their needs. I found they were a great way to get the boys writing. This meant a science workbook could also be an English book. We mixed that up with some online courses. Every workbook they completed I photographed and documented
As they headed into their teens and the high school years, online learning became far more important. My elder son would never write, he hated it, so online worked better.
Interestingly, he later took prolific notes when he was studying. He loathed writing for years and I used to have to force him to do it at homeschool reporting time.
When he wanted and needed to write, he did.
Children outside mainstream education can often forget about sitting particular exams at particular times. They can potentially be free to progress at their own pace and according to their own needs.
Should my boys want to go on to any further study there are multiple ways they could do this without the standard school certificates. In the UK we don’t have a high school diploma set up. It’s a long-established process and generations of kids have gone before.
I think it’s important to keep records in the form of a journal, photographs, spreadsheets or work samples. You need to be able to see and show that a quality education is actually happening. Keeping records will help you reassure yourself.
Homeschooling Resources For Travel
The educational resources we use as we travel include:
Workbooks. See below.
Online educational programs for younger children such as Reading Eggs and IXL maths. Now they are older we are on to Open University and Khan.
YouTube has plenty of documentaries and movies to tie in with whatever they’re learning about. You’ll also find some great online lessons for kids. Just as an example, we were studying microbiology on Open University. Edward Jenner and Alexander Flemming popped up so we found 5 minute YouTube videos on both these guys. That’s them done. 10 Minutes, not hours-long classes and homework. Because the kids were interested to find out and they were older – the information sticks.
Khan Academy (FREE) We used it more and more as they got older. That included me, I studied art history on Khan, something I never did in school. They both worked their way through Maths, Science and History on Khan as well as joining me in art history.
Minecraft Homeschool ( paid, about $20/ term) They not only learn the finer points of Redstone construction, but they can also study science, history, geography, and more in a Minecraft environment. The kids then answer questions and submit work while hanging out and chatting with kids all over the world.
Local classes, tours and courses. Whenever we can we take tours and courses, including cooking, languages, painting, scuba diving, metalwork, high diving, pottery and stone carving.
Blogging. Kids can write posts, create images or videos and learn about the technical side of website creation, including HTML, SEO, graphic design and social media management and marketing. Find out how to start a free blog for them here. They’re learning a trade that could provide them with an income long before they leave school. If you want to create a money-making blog, you need this post. They wrote me a post on what they learned about Egypt when they were younger, you can see that here. D now has his own author page and often writes for me on destinations, history and experiences. My son made the video at the top of the page. In 6 months his videos have earned him around $5,000. I share this information just to make you aware of the possibilities that exist.
Group classes (such as Forest School). Obviously, they get to take part in all sorts of sports and activities. Sports we found for the boys to enjoy included kayaking, rock climbing, high diving and scuba diving. There were never any worries about PE.
Attractions. Museums, historic sites, zoos, farms, rainforest and places of interest are the business, luckily the kids love them too.
Tours and Guides. The older they get, the more they get out of guided tours and audio guides. When they were tiny this was pointless. We had a fantastic day-long tour in Assisi, a guide at the ruins of Tikal, a Vietnam War based tour also the British Museum, Tate Modern, and National Gallery tours.
Audio books for the car, Horrible Histories audiobooks particularly.
Free Open University courses (Open Learn – UK ). My elder son has done free courses in Chemistry, Meteorology, Microbiology, Histopathology, Welsh and Marine Science this way. He was 12 when he started these and nothing was beyond his capabilities. Of course, I did them right alongside him to help him along at first. If anything crops up that he doesn’t understand, it’s super quick and easy to Google or YouTube the gap. He may do a degree this way, it’s expensive, but if he wants to he can do it.
The world around them. There is always something to learn in each new place.
We did not travel lite, that wouldn’t be fair on the kids. Alongside the books, computers, pens and pencils, we were always picking up new Lego sets, Nerf Guns, cuddly toys, frisbees, and Harry Potter paraphernalia.
Carry on only travel came when the boys were much older and our travel less full-time.
Workbooks and “School” Books
We loved the Carol Vorderman series of workbooks, she covers English, Maths, Science, French, Computer Coding, and more. Check out the beginner’s computer coding book here.
We’ve tried many different workbooks, these always came out favourite and best. Workbooks like this are fairly slim and easy to carry, both boys usually had at least 2 with them.
Take a look at Maths Made Easy series, multiple ages, multiple topics on Amazon. If you look around you’ll find all the other Carol Vorderman workbooks.
It was fairly easy to pick up workbooks around the world. We mostly bought from Amazon in age or ability appropriate levels. We saw good ones in English, in Sri Lanka, and always stocked up in the UK.
If we simply had nothing to do, workbooks filled the time nicely and done right, they were fun. Don’t forget that puzzle books, crosswords, and word searches can also count as school. They’re all improving reading, spelling and vocabulary.
Online Learning Resources
Online schools and all manner of courses exist. You can even study for iGCSEs and I A levels using online schools. No school attendance is usually required.
For less formal courses and classes on a huge range of interest-led topics, try Outschool. If you sign up we both make some money to offset against a course.
When the kids were younger we used some online learning resources such as Study Ladder and Reading Eggs. As they got older we progressed to Minecraft Homeschool and Open University.
When exam time came they transitioned easily to iGCSE online schools.
We never set out to put them for exams, but the 2020 quarantines left us staring at walls and twiddling thumbs. It gave them something to do and they enjoyed the new experience.
Reading
How the kids learned to read and how they continue to improve their literacy as teens and tweens:
Reading to and with them as much as possible.
Road signs, tube maps and menus were big players.
The Reading Eggs online learning program.
Written workbooks bought online or in shops. (above)
Gaming, such as Minecraft, and chatting in text boxes to other kids, helped reading and spelling a lot.
Almost all of their spelling and grammar has come naturally from extensive reading.
Giving them plenty of time to read, in bed, on buses, planes, and cars. We had a Kindle-only rule, no games during transit.
A steady supply of quality books on their Kindles. I keep a written record of what books they’re reading and try to encourage quality literature but they read what they want to read.
When the boys were tiny, just learning letters and starting to read, they both used Reading Eggs. They used them for fun and simple, brightly coloured games were their first steps in letters.
You could, of course, use this online course in a much more structured way.
Reading Eggs now works for children right through to 13 years old, there have been big changes on the site allowing it to be used for more advanced reading and comprehension. Our link to Reading Eggs should give you a free trial.
General Online Programs
We had a subscription to an online learning site, Studyladder(paid), this covered primary and preschool English and Maths and gave us a good idea of where they would be if they were in school.
It also has a useful science, music, and art section, although these are in no way complete enough to be used in isolation.
In hindsight, this gave us the feeling that we were doing something and gave us something to do, but it was totally unnecessary
As my kids progressed towards taking iGCSE exams at 16 years old we discovered so many free, complete, lessons tailored to their needs on YouTube. Everything you need is there to help your kids pass exams if that’s the path your family chooses.
For computer coding we used Scratch, Khan Academy and Code Academy, all are free. We supplemented this with this book (above) Computer Coding for Kids which is tied to the UK coding curriculum (This computer coding book is also available as a work book)
Scratch is loads of fun and the kids do this without realising they’re doing “school.” The book gives them ideas for projects. This book also covers Python and has earned a place in our backpacks.
Code Academy introduces HTML, but I found it easier to teach myself this coding language from a book HTML for Dummies. I use this skill on the websites every day and honestly, it’s not hard.
The boys use HTML in writing posts and inserting links. I think that just learning to code by doing, as they do now, is a much better way to do it. Scratch is fun though – give them Scratch.
Typing
My 11 year old decided to learn to touch type. He did brilliantly on BBC Dance Mat and loved doing it. This was pure self-directed learning.
He also found some other online typing games and practice sites, I’d have to ask him what they were.
As teens now they can both type way better than their mum. I’m a professional blogger and webmaster and I still type with one finger.
With the amount of time they’ve been able to spend online, typing mostly just came naturally. They also know a lot more about some aspects of computers than I do.
Art
I find that both boys CAN draw, but they never knew WHAT to draw, so online drawing and art classes were fun for them (sometimes, push it and they went cold) and they were always proud of their creations.
We used a variety of free online art and drawing classes. Again, in hindsight, this comes under the heading of “unnecessary time filler”. If they enjoy it, do it.
Art Hub For Kids has great free drawing and painting lessons (including Minecraft).
Art Venture has a few free art lessons, mostly using the wax-resist method.
Khan Academy has some superb art history content for older kids which we are using now.
This series of famous artist colouring and drawing books found our way into our packs sometimes too. This one is Van Gogh, the kids’ favourite because of Doctor Who.
We always have coloured pencils and sketchbooks with us, which mostly they didn’t use when they were younger.
I’ll just share that my teen, “despite” no formal art lessons, is now so keen on sketching that he carries his sketch pad and pencils when he travels. That’s been an interesting development.
If he can’t figure out how to draw a nose, for instance, he finds a short tutorial on YouTube. He’s also learning Welsh, self-initiated.
Languages
You will find many, many apps that will help you learn languages. Our favourite is Duolingo which we use for Spanish along with the excellent BBC Languages website. Here you’ll find FREE languages courses.
We tried immersion in a non-English speaking village in Romania. I can now speak a lot more Romanian than the boys, but they know more than the average person and can at least communicate.
That old wives’ tale about kids being natural language sponges seems untrue, they have to want to learn. I did, they didn’t.
A formal language class enrollment is a possibility if they’d like to do that. As I mentioned above, my elder teen decided to learn Welsh, mostly to impress his friends I think.
He uses Duolingo, some old Welsh books of mine, YouTube, music in Welsh (Thank you Cerys Matthews), and free OpenUniversity Welsh classes.
Geography
Seterra is an online geography game, you can download it to your computer and have endless fun beating the kids at identifying countries against the clock. It’s great when they start to beat the grown-ups.
There is also World Geography Games, which my son’s Geography teacher introduced us to.
Obviously there is a lot more to Geography than this. They live and breath Geography every day and we have the UK Geography curriculum books at home base.
We use iGCSE Geography books now for their exam study and as a curriculum guide before they started these formal courses.
Our particular favourite learning resource on the road was the Crash Course in World History by John Green on YouTube, it was previously on Khan. Lots of fun!
As they got older they developed a real historical interest and ran with YouTube, books, talking to people, visiting places of historical significance, and so on.
For younger children the Horrible Histories series is superb. You can buy the audiobooks for the car or find the videos online.
My son is now taking History A level. His interest in the subject endured and he’s a keen A level student.
Tools and Equipment for Homeschooling
The most important tool you need is the Kindle (see the full range and varied prices here)! It works for kids of any age, anywhere in the world. The paperwhite doesn’t play games, it’s just a book, that way your kids will read.
The Kindle Paperwhites (see above) are the single most important tool we carry, other than the laptops. We couldn’t travel without a never-ending supply of books, in English. Click the link above and buy the kids one each.
Ours, the Paperwhite, do not play games, they are purely for reading. We had a no-computer game or phone rule when we’re outside the house, it applied to adults too. If we had the Kindle Fire they’d just play games.
Without books to read, travel days would be long and hard. Sure, they play computer games too, but on laptops at home or on their 3DS. By only allowing Kindles on trains, in bed, on planes, we made time for reading.
We like the Nintendo 3DS a lot, it’s easily portable and less addictive for gaming. It has lots of other functions (camera, music, video, stop/start animation etc.) but Kindles are our best friends.
Our kids got phones around 13 years old and from that point things changed.
How Many Hours Does Homeschooling While Traveling Take?
That’s up to you and your kids. This is what we did.
When we were actively traveling, backpacking around fast, seeing new things and places, we did almost nothing. They were learning enough, why spoil it? (for example during our month in India or in 3 weeks trekking Everest)
By nothing, I mean no workbooks, online learning or reading other than what they would do for pleasure. They read for pleasure a lot, they read on every bus or train.
They were learning enormous amounts every day from diverse experiences, places, and people, along with my constant chatter and commentary. I would read around the topic and direct them to the learning.
They didn’t get out of India without, for instance, learning about Partition, religions, Gandhi, the spice trade, Nehru and Indira. So nothing really means nothing that looks like a conventional school structure.
When we’re settled, in one place for a few weeks or months, we do SOME. A bit, ENOUGH, what we need to do or what they want to do. We never let “school work” get in the way of going out, taking trips, seeing friends or having fun. Bookwork was purely something for downtime. (for example during our breaks in London, Romania, Antigua, Vietnam, or 6 weeks on Ko Phangan). With one-on-one intensive education they flew through content, it didn’t take a whole term, it took hours. We completed a whole year of Khan maths in 2 weeks, for instance. There were no term times, no holidays, and no weekends. The education fitted with us, not the other way round. As they got older they’d write up what they’d learned about a particular destination, colour maps, do projects, and so on.
Also during downtime, they took online courses such as the free Open University science courses mentioned above or Minecraft Homeschool.
It’s important to remember that “school” isn’t just the dull stuff, it’s easy to focus just on maths, English, and science and forget that drawing, making things, hanging out with interesting people.
Cooking, chopping wood, growing a garden, animal care, reading and computer studies are important too.
Let them have fun with their interests and make sure they know it counts towards their education. Life, from cradle to grave, is your education, I wish more people got that.
Further Reading on Homeschooling
To help you get the ball rolling, a few classic books on education. Every homeschool or unschool parent reads at least a few of these. Or you could read one of the books I’ve contributed to on the topic of homeschooling, worldschooling and travel. This one is here.
There is a big shift in thinking and these books will help you get on the road to worldschooling or homeschooling and traveling.
Try John Holt’s How Children Learn, a timeless book of wisdom from a top-level school educator turned homeschooling advocate.
This is the classic book, the one you must read to change your school mindset and see that for children “learning is as natural as breathing.”
That’s just a quick overview of how we roll, how we cover all bases on the road. If you’re new to taking the responsibility of facilitating your kids’ education try to find other homeschoolers online to talk to.
Everybody does this thing differently. There are philosophies and routes that you probably haven’t heard of so it’s about picking the right one for your child and for you.
I started blogging because of my involvement with the Australian homeschooling community. I met inspirational and knowledgeable people online and eventually became heavily involved in supporting and encouraging other new homeschoolers.
There are plenty of us out there and our numbers are growing. Seek us out, we love to share. You could join our FREE FACEBOOK SUPPORT and KNOW HOW GROUP. Sign up to follow our website and you’ll be sent the link.
You would be amazed how well young kids can learn to read, develop incredible grammar and improve their spelling, just through having what they think is fun.
I’ve been through the early years. They learned to read and do primary school maths, it worked.
We were far more unschool in those days. My younger son took a long time to start reading, he was 8 before he really started reading books, but now he’s a voracious reader like his brother. The “catch-up” period was just a couple of months once he was ready.
That’s the beauty of it, there’s no pressure, let the child go just as far and as fast as they like, it doesn’t matter. The elder one was totally put off reading by school and once he was out, he flew.
When we started this journey there was no grand plan. The kids were always in the driving seat and if they wanted to start school later they could. They never wanted to.
Maybe we’ll continue homeschooling while traveling into late teens even 20s. Education is a life long occupation after all.
We’ve looked at tutors, the British iGCSE system and Open University degrees to enhance education.
So many possibilities exist today for education outside normal school progression. Homeschoolers can take their GCSEs without ever going to school and at any age. (check this for yourself as this varies).
We love this as the boys can pick whatever subjects they like.
The kids were never under any pressure to sit exams. If they chose that path, fine, but I saw no point. Likewise degrees, mature students can get into university as I did at 17, and as the mainstream do at 18.
Nobody can predict the future. I can simply tell you for sure that what we’ve done so far by way of homeschool and travel has been amazing.
More Information on Travel Homeschool Lifestyle
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168 thoughts on “Homeschooling and Traveling”
My husband and I are looking at travelling new zealand for a year (im a kiwi but Uk based) with our 7 year old and considering home schooling. Two questions if thats ok? Would we need approval from nz or the uk for home schooling. And what happens when your kids quite enjoys mainstream school and isnt so keen from learning from his parents. I can see lots of benefits of travelling homeschooling, just have concerns about the reality.thanks
If you’re resident in the UK you can just un-enrol him from school, no approval or application required. The rule in the UK is that parents are responsible for providing an education. They can choose to use a school to provide that, or educate otherwise, ie. provide the education in any other way. School is actually not the default. As you’re not NZ residents it’s nothing to do with NZ. Forget the idea of “teaching” , just have fun for the year and let him absorb and pick up on all the new experiences, landscapes, culture, history, wildlife, ecosystems etc. Presumably he’s reading by 7 if he’s in school. There will be a whole lot of new words to read everywhere. My son used to read the station names on the tube in London and count off the numbers of stops. Give him a Kindle, let him count money, run around and have fun. It’ll be great for him (or her). My kids ask questions, and mum loves to talk, on any topic. If you’re ever stumped you have Google. He’ll learn a lot more in the real world and population than being stuck in a classroom, where if you think about it – there’s very little to learn, just walls and same age kids.
@Alyson for World Travel Family, thanks so much for your reply. I forgot to add in the original message that we have dual nationality. I just received a message from the ministry of education in nz saying “As your son is a dual citizen, he is seen as a domestic student therefore he is required to be enrolled in a registered school while in New Zealand.” But to also check the with the uk education system. The email also said that home schooling is not for the short term and “Home education in New Zealand only applies to families living in New Zealand.” Arg im confused and not sure what we can and cant do now. Any chance you know anything about this stuff?
The problem with contacting the authorities (in my experience) is that depending on who replies, you’ll get a different answer. Contacting them was probably a mistake. You simply unenroll him from school and leave, the same as you would if you were moving house or leaving the country, which you are. I’m not from New Zealand, I don’t know if their set up is different to Australia. But no, you cannot just short term homeschool (or at least, don’t say that up front, people do change their minds and put them back in, but you told them that was your plan, so now they know). You also can’t be registered to homeschool when not “at home” in NZ (I know this is correct for AU, guessing same for NZ). You can go away for a few weeks, but you can’t just galavant about. They need to know where you are. If you plan to travel around Australia, a lot of people register with a school of distance ed. There’s one in Brisbane that is popular. But this is very restrictive of your time and freedom, but I know people who’ve done this. I think you’ve shot yourself in the foot there. But as I said, in the UK there’s no legal requirement to be registered with anyone. (unless the law changed recently) Although I do know one family who were intimidated on arrival. Likely the customs people didn’t know the law. But I think you just caused yourself a whole heap of problems there. This is so unusual that I don’t think they really know how to handle it and just make up rules on the spot. I was given different answers several times. I was told when I tried to submit a report from India by post that I couldn’t and that I had to unenroll as a homeschooler in Au. Which suited me just fine the paperwork was incredibly tedious and I wanted the kids to be following the British school system anyway. (They did eventually sit GCSEs and A levels) I obviously kept that email as proof that this is what they’d told me. There are a lot of people (some say up to 50%) who homeschool or unschool “under the radar” in Australia. I know plenty. I can put you in touch with a friend who used to homeschool (unschool) in New Zealand, and left, also British. Find Sam Sullivan at Going Where the Wind Blows blog. She was also a highschool teacher in New Zealand so should know what she’s talking about. I think she’s in Korea now. You’ll find that a lot of people who homeschool were formerly teachers – they simply didn’t want their own kids in that system. Best of luck.
I might have to homeschool my kid for a major part of this school year. We’re currently in US; due to a personal emergency we might have to move to India for few months. My kid is about to step into 6th grade and doesn’t want to attend any school in India. I am exploring options for homeschooling for our tenure outside US. Any guidance please? Also, would Khan Academy, Seterra etc. be sufficient learning resource still or are there any updated resource list?
No, online learning platforms are not enough. A parent has to be fully engaged. These platforms are just the sprinkles on the cake of a good education.
All of this was not only inspirational, but motivational! My husband and I are now telling people we are leaving May 5,2024. I am a stay at home mom and just starting to homeschool my oldest this year. We have two choldren with (minor) special needs and I feel like public school has only made them want to stay away from learning. Am I crazy for taking my four kids (two with special needs) on a two year adventure? What do you tell people who react negatively about this kind of decision? Any help with best insurance for a traveling family is also needed. Thanks so much!
Hi Kelly, no, you’re awesome! If you feel it’s the best thing for your family, how dare anyone who does not, no matter what they think, know your kids better than you do, question that? They really have no idea. They also have no idea about the realities of travel and how good it can be for kids to see the world, likely because they’ve never gone further than the Costa Del Sol. I remove myself from the company of such people. We made a lot of new, better friends who were supportive and more knowledgeable. Insurance, we use World nomads. See this post, they’re awesome for open ended travel or travel without a fixed itinerary. Best of luck! https://worldtravelfamily.com/travel-insurance-extended-open-ended-travel/
Thank your for providing such valuable information about homeschooling. I am actually really happy i found your blog. We are planning to spend a year in Nepal. We are from U.S. Is Homeschooling legal in Nepal? What did you do to homeschool your kids in Nepal. I know you only lived there for 3 months with your kids.
You know, I have no idea! I’ve deep-dived into the legality of Homeschooling in many countries, but never Nepal. As we were not local citizens and on a tourist visa, the local laws have no relevance for us. But it’s one of our favourite countries. Enjoy!
Great read!! Thanks for sharing such a great blog, blog like these will surely help each and every homeschoolers in homeschooling their children in best way.
Hello! Great article! We are a five members family from Argentina gathering information to become a world traveler family when global situation allow it.
Want to ask you about this: “If you’d like to sign up to follow and receive e-mail notifications that’s great. You’ll get an invitation to our free private Facebook group for support and knowledge on travel, homeschooling and traveling and earning on the road”
There should be an author box and sign up box after every post. But as this is a page not a post, maybe there’s not. Will have a look now. But end of any post, there’s a box there, maybe you’re on laptop not computer? Will check that too. Thanks for letting me know.
HI Alyson
Thank you so much for this epic post. It really inspired my switching to homeschooling for my boys and i keep coming back here for ideas and recommendations. Cant wait to be able to travel again and move more into worldschooling.
Angie, Tasmania
Thank you Angie. Very best of luck to you. I’m seeing a lot of families switching from normal school to homeschooling because of the current world crisis.
Amazing! People call us nuts for saying that we will not stop full time travel once we have kids. I have always said that raising kids in this lifestyle;e is the ultimate education! Kudos to you!
I have hardly heard about this concept of home schooling & traveling. I generated a lot of interest while reading this. It is quite an interesting article to read.
This article is one of the most comprehensive and thorough resources I’ve found on the Internet. THANK YOU. We’re planning a year-long+ trip of travel and most people can’t believe I would take my kids out of traditional school. I can’t believe that it isn’t obvious how much they will learn from seeing the world. I’m grateful to have found your site and will do what I can to support through affiliate links.
Good day World travel family.
I really admire all the traveling you guys have done. My family and I are nomadics somehow too. Since I met my partner we have been working for four to five months a year in Norway and the rest travelled. We had two kids, one in Norway and one in South Africa. They are four and two now. I am now, feeling insecure of whether we are doing things right or not. We have no property. Neither we have insurance of any sort. Neither could we afford it. We earn enough to survive the rest of the year but not enough to own a property or to be insured. Kids dont need to go to school or we dont need a house with “stuff” but I do miss growing our own food and being self sufficient as we once did in South Africa for periods of time. I also often feel bad when travelling so much due to the carbon footprint and not being that ecologically friendly.
Could you please give me your insights or advice on this situation. I really would appreciate.
Kind regards,
Laura Rudin.
So glad Ive found your website. We are a home schooling family in the UK about to sell up and take to the road for a bit. Its nice to find folk who have done it successfully, are happy and still like each other!! Our current lifestyle isnt working for us, so time to give something new a try. Thanks for all the info.
Wow…I am just wondering how much your kids might be learning..I am teacher and we plan activities to make children understand stuff but for your kids,what your giving is much much more,…not everyone can do what you are doing….Be safe…Love and prayers from Sri Lanka for your good health…
Thanks for the cool read. I would love to world school but how do you afford to without working? or do you have a job that you do whilst travelling? I’m guessing your making some money from your blogging? but not everyone is good at that and i personally prefer to stay off media devices. isn’t it expensive? P.S im a single mother in the uk. any help is appreciated.
A comprehensive post about all things ‘world schooling’. We loved our year of world schooling on our round the world trip. Boys learned so much, in so many different ways. Thank you so much for sharing with #fearlessfamtrav.
What an epic post!!! There is so much information in it, I followed your advice and bookmarked it for further reference. I’ve long dreamed of homeschooling my kids, preferably while travelling too, but our circumstances just don’t allow it at the moment. That said, I’m sure my gang would love to learn through Minecraft and some of the other resources you mention!
#fearlessfamtrav
What a beautiful way to raise your children! Thanks for all the inspiration and motivation.
I’d love to see a recommended reading list for different ages or if you are referring to an online resources for ideas. All the best!!
You know what Rayne? After all my years of experience I now say to just let them read the books they want to read. I tried to get them to read the classics and the books I read as a child, but they find them really boring. Modern books are so much better. They don’t need to be made to read set books as I was, it will come, with time. I’m more than happy to have 2 voracious readers, of anything.
Hello I am a Primary School teacher and found your article fascinating. Your lifestyle and the way you are teaching your children is inspirational. I just wanted to ask what do you think it will happen if your children decide to go to university or as adults get tired of traveling and decide to settle down, will they have enough qualifications to do so, will they be prepared for 9 to 5 kind of reality.
I hope they never have to endure a 9-5 reality, nor ever have to work for somebody else. That’s not reality for those of us who managed to jump out of that style of living. I found it soul sucking and would never go back. I endured it for many years because I didn’t know there were other possibilities, they’ve grown up seeing those possibilities, not just from me but from the other travellers, nomads and generally diverse people they are used to hanging out with. A 9-5 reality is not “normal” to them. But if they do decide to do that, it’s very easy to pick up a few O levels or A levels. Have a read up on the British iGCSE system. Or there are Open University Courses, Portfolios, all sorts of ways. We won’t be travelling for much longer, it’s not like we’ve decided to travel forever and drag them with us until they are 25. We own houses we can live in them and still make a living from the websites, we just prefer to see the world. They are welcome to stay home if they don’t want to come with us when they are older and we will always fully support them in whatever they choose to do. Of course they can come into the family business if they want to, but any kind of online ( or not online) entrepreneurship would be easy for us to jump start for them given the size of our online presence and our know how, along with our connections. But yes, they can go to university if they choose to, there are many, many pathways to university entrance. I consider most general degrees pretty pointless ( and they bring with them debt) so it’s not something I’ve ever encouraged. If they decide to go that way it will be because of real drive, not just as a “next step” as it is for most school leavers. Universities are very aware of this and as such like taking homeschoolers, similarly mature students have different entry requirements. There are links in the post. Thanks for your question.
*clap clap clap* what an amazing response! My husband and I feel this way but we keep it to ourselves for now. We’ve started homeschooling my son (kindergarten) and I soften the blow by telling friends/strangers etc. that he’s enrolled in “distance learning” instead of using the H word (true, but our school is very flexible and gives us basically all the control). I don’t need to tell every nurse, dentist, customer that we don’t believe that the school system will lead our children to a successful future. But we’ve found most people don’t have the entrepreneurial mindset.
Also, anyone can figure out how to learn anything with motivation! From a new language, to music, any skill TO UNIVERSITY ACCEPTANCE…so yeah, our kids are fine.
You know Rachel it can go either way. Some teachers despise the system and refuse to put their own kids into it. Some, like the primary school teacher above, believe that the system’s way is the only way. Usually the ones that don’t have kids. I have no time for this nonsense, too busy enjoying life. Thanks for your comment, nice to get positive ones but the negative ones are a fact of life in this business.
Wow, what an article. Thanks for taking the time (long time) to write it.
I would be interested to hearing more about the open uni courses you took with your child.
I love how comprehensive your list is! Our travels take us through the continental US but we love how much there is to discover in our own back yard. Great Post!
Hi there! I have a 12 yr old and a 9 yr old, we traveled Europe for 12 months from Brisbane Australia and have now one year later placed them.in private school to reside in Spain. They are both top of their class after our gap year and we are living a great Spanish life but are tied to routine. We have decided we would like to live our dream and hit the road again, this time with your online school system. Please tell me how I can started on this asap!
Hi Kylie, sorry, I don’t know what you mean, we don’t run an online school neither are we any part of one. Could you clarify please ? Did you read the above ? What are you referring to ?
Hi! I believe from what I have read, your kids are younger than high school age, so I am not sure if you can help me or not. I am currently in high school, and will be taking a year (next year) to travel the world full time, and so I am wondering if you know of any online schooling programs for high school education while out of the country, thanks so much, great site you have!
Both are now high school age Grace, and no, we are completely outside the school system and have no involvement with it, but I’m sure they exist. There are plenty of schools of distance education in Australia. I don’t see why you think you need one though, just find the information you are required to memorise online, look at your local curriculum, it will be on the internet. Education is something you do to yourself, not something a 3rd parts does TO you. Best of luck!
Hi, I have just started researching homeschooling and I had no idea there were so many options, I thought you just got the paperwork and sent it back. I live in Sydney and my son is 7. We intend to leave in Dec and travel around Europe (inc UK) for up to 2 years in a motorhome. Both my husband and I are originally from the UK (14 years ago) and felt it would be good for our son and us to see a bit of the world together and throw in some extra time with UK family at the same time. My husband and I have sailed a small yacht from France to Sydney previously so we have a bit of an idea of what to expect but the part I am concerned about is our son and keeping up with his studies. He is in the local primary school now and is likely to go back there on our return. I thought I had to register to homeschool but reading this it looks like that is not the case. I am interested in that you have chosen to follow the UK curriculum and not the Australian one. We are all Australian/UK citizens so not sure if this option is open to us or even something we should consider as he is currently in the Australian system. I will carry on looking through this and other web sites to try and gain some understanding of a way forward for us. Thanks for your help so far, it all just seems a bit overwhelming at first glance.
Just take your son out of school. Very simple. You’re leaving the country so there is no need to be registered. You can do whatever you like. We don’t follow the British curriculum, I think you misread something.
Hi, I think it may have been this comment that threw me a bit: “These days we homeschool overseas, all around the world, full time under the UK system. ” I just wondered why a UK system and not Australian?
Thanks, Lynn
Because we prefer the British system, the curriculum is better, the subjects are taught in more depth, kids can pick subjects to specialise in rather than taking a general HSC and so on. Also if they decide to sit exams at 16 they can’very easily, and pick subjects of their choice. Also in the UK no registration, testing or submissions of any sort are required for homeschoolers. That doesn’t mean they will sit exams, it just means that if, say at 15, they decide they want to, we can start memorising the stuff for those exams. Or if they decide to get into university when they are older, same same. But I really doubt they’ll choose that route, it’s totally pointless unless you want to go into a profession that requires a university degree, like medicine. I’d far rather they work on developing their own businesses. But it’s their choice and always will be. There is no requirement at all for them to follow any curriculum, under UK law, they simply have to be provided with a ” quality education”.
Hi ladies, sorry for chipping in here but this answer has cleared thing is for me on a few question I had. However we are in this situation, citizens of Portugal, both kids user 5, plan to travel and worldschool for the minimum of the next 5 years. Can we do it the way you’re doing it, take him out of school and follow a system per say similar to yours?
I don’t know what the laws in Portugal are Bianca, but in Australia they had no interest in us once we left the country. Your country shouldn’t control you even if you’re not living there, is my feeling ( it shouldn’t control you at all!). But I don’t know specifically for Portugal, sorry.
Funny reading all these comments ~ we are a Portuguese/English/Australian family currently living in Melbourne. We sold our business and are packing our bags to travel the world with our 3 girls which will be “homeschooled” along the way. Thank you for all the tips x
Thank you for such a well written, informative and inspirational piece.
We will be looking to leave the Australian system before we get started with it.
Thank you so much for this “bible” of home education! It’s extremly useful! We’ve just started in September and the beginning was bumpy, but we managed to create our own way to make all of us happy.
Looking forward to your future adventures! 🙂
Oh wow, thank you so much!! This has been the most practical and inspirational thing I have ever read on homeschooling/unschooling! Everything else made me nervous! But you have helped me to see that our family can do this and it is going to be fun and they will actually learn. Thank you again!!!
I’m a happy single european mother traveling the world with my 8 years old very sportive daughter … (For 2 years )
She wants a “home” now with animals and pets, but will remain “homeschooler”. We have chosen “Panama” to build a new life (In Coclé).
We’ll be there in september or october 2017.
We would like to get in contact and meet other “homeschoolers of this age. We speak english, french and spanish.
Happy lives to everybody !
This is awesome! I have a 7 year old and we are planning to move to Panama! We live in the United States right now. She is on private school now but i am planning to homeschool for next year. I want to travel with her. If i move to Panama we should have our kids meet! I am also a single mom and my kid also keeps talking about getting a bunch of animals and land.
Absolutely loved reading about your adventures and how you make home-education work for you whilst you are travelling. Some great information in this post.
Would you mind if I did a link to this post from a post I am about to publish about why people home-educate. I want to give my readers more that just my experience, by pointing them in the direction of other fabulous home-educators.
p.s. I am a newbie blogger, just starting out, so not much to see on my blog yet!
Thank you so much for the information here! We are in Western Australia but are selling up and travelling through Europe for 1 – 2 years. My daughters will be 8 and 11 so getting my head around this as up until now they have been at the local school. VERY excited to expand their and our horizons with travel and homeschooling. Really not sure exactly what I have to do though as far as registering as a homeschooled or distance education??
Thanks for sharing these great resources! We’re thinking of traveling for the year when our son would be in kindergarten, so I’ve been planning to work on grade-level reading and maths while letting the rest of his education happen organically (he loves art and LEGOs and is forever asking me science questions).
Hi! This all looks awesome! I really want to start more education programs where students learn experentially through traveling! I study biology, but I also like history and was wondering if you knew of any good history books for me to read because so much history was not taught in my traditional US schools.
I am going to subscribe to your mailing. I am wondering if you or any other family has Facebook or an easier way to communicate? I am currently trying to convince my husband to travel Europe for a year before deciding where to purchase our next home. I have questions, all these links help but would appreciate some conversation, thx!
Hi again Vanessa. Yes we’re on Facebook, there’s a link to our page on the website, or you can email me alysonworldtravelfamily@gmail.com I’ll warn you that I know nothing about Canadian regulations though.
We are going to travel in Italy next year. We would like to put our daughter (9 yo) into a local school so she can learn Italian. Nevertheless we expect to have to home school her for a few months before we settle down.
I spoke to a friend and she mentioned that in New South Wales it is necessary to obtain approval (presumably from the Department of Education) to travel educate children overseas. She prepared and lodged a program. Are you aware of this as I had never heard of it until I spoke to my friend.
Are you aware of any links that may be relevant. I really am at a loss at the moment.
I think she’s probably wrong. If you’ve left Australia, you’re not their problem David. Wihin Australia, yes, they want you to register. Not everyone does, particulary not in NSW beacause the regulations are incredibly restrictive. No such permission to “travel educate ” exists that I know of. I can’t imagine hey would approve. My own state wouldn’t even let me submit by post from India when we were still registered. You have to be at home, doing what they want you to do, day by day and filling in the required paperwork. If anyone knows better, I’d love to hear from you. Try joining one of Beverley Paine’s facebook groups for homeschooling, or visit her sites, you’ll find the real experts there ( a lady called Tamara Kidd knows NSW regs inside out). We left Australia a long time ago now, but I’m fairly sure nobody needs, nor is granted, permission ouside Australia. If you’re only leaving temporarily, distance education registration is what they’d want you to have ( try Brisbane school of distance ed for overseas packages), this is not homeschooling. A common mistake, homeschooling, unschooling or worldschooling is not distance ed and the requirement and regultions are different. But don’t take my word for it, follow your own path of enquiry. I’m no longer even part of the Australian system, we’re British, and can’t claim to be up to date on regulations for my own (ex) state, let alone another. Cheers and all the best.
Hello dear, would you like to come to Brasil? We`re unschooling family with 2 guys, 8 and 4 years old. Our home is Airbnb and we’ll love to stay with you at our home, São Paulo.
There are many wonderfull things to do here and we can host you at city.
There’s nothing in the website that you posted the link about places where homeschooling is ilegal, I think my country is one of the list, Brazil. Do you know where I can find this information, please? Thank you
Thank you so much for telling me about this Patricia. That link has been hacked, I’ve removed the spam link and put the original back in. I’ll keep a close eye on that. Thanks again.
We are beginning our planning phase for a big 12mth trip to the US in 2018. I came across a few road blocks when googling “homeschool overseas” and “how to educate my children whilst travelling” as we too are from QLD and I thought that it would be simple to register them for home schooling program in QLD and they could complete O/S…..well as you know.. its not that simple. Your blog was very inspirational and I was so pleased reading you were previously in Australia let alone QLD too 😀 I am a teachers aide at my childrens primary school so I have a fair idea of the curriculum etc…. do you feel that your children will go back to “regular” school and if so how will they potentially compare to children of their age with writing and the subject material? The reason I ask is that our children will be 7 turning 8 in the year that we plan on going and Im concerned that when we were to return that they may not be at the level required for their age. I of course will do my best to continue their learning but it is a concern of falling behind in the “standard curriculum”
Im so excited though for the experiences to far out way sitting at a school desk
Thanks again for your great blog!
Hi Melissa. No, my children will never return to normal school. It’s not something we even think about. Should they wish to sit exams or enter university when they are older, it’s easy to arrange. I think for your kids, just do it!! Nothing to lose at all, they will fit straight back in. No child needs to spend their entire childhood in school, it’s crazy and a myth.
Alyson, I’ve read so many of your posts………but this my favorite. What wonderful references you list. The encouragement and enthusiasm. I love it.
My fav: It’s important to remember that “school” isn’t just the dull stuff, it’s easy to focus just on maths, English and science and forget that drawing, making things, reading and computer studies are important too. Let them have fun with their interests and make sure they know it counts towards their education.
^^ I tell myself something similar everyday as we approach schooling. I couldn’t agree more.
I didn’t know your youngest has a blog now. Well done! That’s fantastic.
Suzi
I am a teacher on a career break to bring up my little boy. I find this so inspirational. With the current assessment-crazy climate in UK schools, I am seriously contemplating homeschooling when the time comes. The push to do academics at a lower and lower age seems ridiculous, especially when other countries don’t start formal schooling until 7.
Good to hear Catherine and good luck. A lot of my homeschooling friends are teachers, it seems common for them to want better than the system offers for their own kids. I fully accept that not everyone could or should take it on, but for those of us who want it and have the drive and commitment, it’s fabulous.
I am SO inspired reading your blog post about homeschooling and traveling. We have just relocated to Indonesia and my girls are 5 & 3. We’re just starting to discuss homeschooling options and I’ve been a little overwhelmed with trying to figure out what “curriculum to cover”.
My question is… you said we should keep good records (journal, photos, blog, etc.). Do you have samples you could show me of how you kept records. Also, how do you plan your curriculum for the year or how do you decide what topics to cover, and then keep track of all of it? Do you follow some sort of scope & sequence and check them off as you’ve experienced them with your children or do you not really worry about it and just go with the flow?
Hi Jeanette. I keep a word document. Rough notes only. What they’re reading, what workbooks they’re using, what courses or sports they’re attending, major milestones,what online courses or programs they’re using anything. THese days I keep in month by month. So for “august” I can make brief notes if we do something significant or worthy in the eyes of the government. I keep a file of homeschooling photos too so I can track things. Because we travel, I can’t keep paper records, so I photograph things they make, write, create, do. Anything. The formal stuff ( scope and sequence) I kissed goodbye when we left Australia, gladly and thankfully. The rest, common sense, research, understanding, observation.Hope this helps. On our Homeschool Group Hug website I have actual examples of what I used to have to submit to the government. That should give you more of an idea. And good luck xx
So, do you worry about keeping up with their grade level even though you don’t have to formally report to any government (since we are living overseas, we don’t have to submit reports either).
As in, do you look for a general objectives for their grade level and try to have them accomplish it by the end of the year? Do you do any planning at all before the year starts or just go with what’s around you? I’m trying to figure out where to start and how much of a plan I need to have!
Still super excited though! We just did a week-long island holiday and my 5yo snorkelled for the first time and saw all sorts of sea creatures. Will write that in my “log”!
I never plan anything! LOL, total disorganisation. No, I don’t worry about grade levels. You can easily see what the school kids would be doing from things like Studdy Ladder or from work books ( we stock up in London or buy them online). I make sure they read a LOT. I have 2 High school English teachers for in-laws and a lot of book ideas, suggestions and gifts come from them, so the boys are extremely well read and that does wonders for their English, vocb, grammar etc. On buses and trains, in cars and planes, they only have their Kindles so they read and read. Trying to follow the school progression is pointless, the kids are free to progress at their own pace, sometimes faster, sometimes slower, it’s much better that way. Also, you’ll find that because they’re with you all the time, they will learn more from you, your conversations, the things you do, places you go. Kids sitting in a classroom aren’t learning, they’re mostly being talked at, I think school is the worst place to learn things because learning ALWAYS comes from within. It’s something you do, not what somebody does TO you, the kids have to want to learn.
Oh yeah, I can just encourage you: It is as safe as you respect people and culture of the countries you visit. I used to travel with my son since he is 2 years old- Australia, Asia, South America, Europe. Now he is 12 and we are in Germany cause homeschooling is illegal… And I still try to find a gap, how I could make it… And yes, I am very worried, if my son wants to work in this system, this society one day, that I could “damage” his way…
But that’s another topic 😉
If your husband doesn’t want and you can and want, then go for it!!!
But probably I would wait till your daughter finished her school, she might need you especially now… And then, maybe she likes to explore for a while with you two before she starts her study!
What an amazing family you are! And your blog is very informative. I love travelling so much, I think it’s in my veins, where as my husband not as much. Over the last few years I have travelled ( just holiday) alone with my children. I wouldn’t want to take my older one out of school any more as she only has a year left and plans to go to uni after that. My younger one is 11 and after reading your blog, I am seriously thinking of doing it with him – just the two of us, if I can get my husband to agree. Homeschooling was a big question mark as I was worried that we might not be as committed to it. But now reading about your way of educating, it makes so much more sense. Do you think it would be safe for a single woman to travel with a child? How do you see your children’s future after the school? If they wanted to go to uni, would this way of educating them mean no uni?
Thank you!
Not at all Kirke, if they want to go to uni of course they can get in. I hope they won’t want to though, being self employed is far more fulfilling than working for somebody else ( in my experience). If they decide to sit exams they can, any time, or there are alternate education requirements and pathways in the same way as there are for mature students. I went, it didn’t do much for me, it was a 3 year party with a cap and gown at the end of it. It didn’t make me happy to go into the expected career. Maybe they’ll decide to be doctors or something, first of all I’d do my best to talk them out of it, then, if they were still convinced it was for them, we’d go about getting them admission, whatever it takes. If they’re that dead set on that sort of work they’ll be motivated enough to bang out a few exams in a year or two. Yes, safe, but would you want to ditch your other child?
This is such a great blog! I just finished my first year of “homeschooling” here in the States. We used an online school, and I’m looking to do more of an eclectic/unschooling method next year. We will be moving to Greece in the fall. I am not sure how long we will be there, but there is a law against homeschooling there. I am trying to figure out if we would be exempt from this law, since we would be there temporarily. Have you had any issues in any country? Do you know if homeschoolers from other countries are supposed to abide by these laws?
Generally if you’re not a citizen, passport holder or permanent resident, you’re fine Shani. Did you see the post on Greece? We just got back, loved it! I don’t know anything specific about Homeschooling in Greece, have you ried searching for groups on Facebook maybe? See if there is a Greece homeschooling community?
I did not see the post on Greece. Was that on this page? However, that is what I was thinking. That if I am not a permanent resident, then I’d be fine. I did try to search for some group (not an extensive search), I came across one Facebook page that was blank. I will continue to search. Thanks! I’m excited to travel, and have my three children learn new things. We may be traveling from Greece to France after a couple of years.
So incredibly inspiring! What an amazing childhood (and education) your two are receiving. Due to my husband’s job, we are not in a position to travel full time with the kids, but do our best to make several trips throughout the year.
That said, we will be traveling in November for a couple of weeks to Sydney and NZ. Do you, as a fellow homeschooler, have any recommendations for ‘must do’s’ with a 10 & 8 year old?
We are from the US and this is our first trip down under 🙂
Thanks so much and huge kudos to you for thinking outside-the-box!
Hi Lisa, I’ve never been to NZ and 2 weeks is a very short time. Just enjoy Sydney! The aquarium is good, but if you’ve been to plenty before, maybe not, it’s expensive. Taronga zoo is good too if you’re new to marsupials, take the ferry over, you could see dolphins. If you’re not actually staying in Central Sydney there are other Australian wildlife places where you can stroke the unique wildlife. The maritime museum has some interesting stuff, last time we were there they had an exhibition on whaling, but things come and go. I haven’t been to Sydney since we evacuated for Cyclone Yazi, that’s quite a few years ago now, but it’s lovely down on the water there. Look out for Aboriginal performers and musicians. Oh, take a walk through the Botanical Gardens for the fruit bats, they’re just past the opera house.
Hi there ..im just starting out and trying to organise for my 11 year old daughter and i to go round oz in a van next year unschooling and travelling, but i am confused how to actually tell the govt and what to hand in, has anyone got actual eg’s of what is required or what a curriculim looks like that we need to hand in? thanks so much, im in Cairns and would like any info anyone has, thankyou Sam
Hi Samantha. Look here for actual QLD applications and reports ( mine) http://homeschoolgrouphug.com/category/homeschool-application-homeschool-report/ but be aware that they won’t let you travel. You have to sit still for all but short periods. They will tell you that if you plan to travel you have to use a school of distance education ( eg. Brisbane) and can’t homeschool. This is far too restrictive and isn’t really homeschooling, it’s just school, on your own. So don’t go there. Don’t mention the travelling and make sure you’re “home” when you need to be for reporting and applications, would probably be the best option. We left Australia almost 3 years ago now, once we started travelling we were forced to cancel our registration, they wouldn’t let us remain registered even if I continued to submit the correct paperwork.
I am just starting on this journey with my 6 and 7 year old boys. We have left our home country and we intend to travel, work and homeschool. I am a teacher (senior primary) and my husband has online businesses.
I am really concerned I am not doing enough…
Did you cover the Australian Curriculum and then include outside references/information? I am concerned that when we go back home we won’t be up to speed in mainstream schooling. Has anyone travelled and homeschooled for a few years and then put their children back into school?
A lot do. But it’s not our scene Gail. If my boys do exams at 16, it will be under the British iGCSE system. Worldschooling is a whole-life choice, not something to do while we travel. I reject the limited Australian curriculum. I had to follow it to an extent for 2 years in Australia and if we return I’ll be forced to pay it lip service again, but we prefer a much broader curriculum. The boys are always ahead of what the kids would be doing in Australia, in my experience.
We have just returned to Australia after traveling through the UK and Europe for the better part of a year with our three girls (10, 7 & 4).
Due to our families circumstances we knew our children would be returning to the state school system (all be it in a different state to the one we left from) so I planned to follow the curriculum as best I could.
In reality it was both difficult and limiting and the narrowness meant they were missing the opportunity to learn about the amazing places they were in the world. I’m not a teacher and maybe if you are it wouldn’t be such a challenge but half the time I didn’t know what the curriculum was even alluding to (do teachers have a degree in curriculum decifering?!).
After about two months of diligently working to our schooling plan (which both the kids and I hated) we decided to do our own thing. Which a lot of the time meant no school at all. Unfortunately this meant they didn’t get more than about two pages written of a travel diary but they did get to do a lot of other things!
My girls have come back into year 2 and year 5. My year two, who struggled with everything school related has returned reading fluently and a maths wizz. My year five is noticeably nervous about writing tasks and has forgotten every times table but was actively and confidently presenting information to her class (day two at a brand new school) about Berlin and the fall of the wall.
It took a lot of soul searching to walk away from the curriculum and I was really fearful i’d made the wrong decision but in the end I figured they would know what they knew and what they didn’t they would either pick up or we would deal with at the time of coming back to school with extra work at home or tutoring. If they’d been at an international school (as opposed to being road or world schooled) before starting at their new school in Australis would the school be concerned they weren’t up with the national curriculum. No they wouldn’t. Maybe it helps we picked a school to return to that seems to have a strong disregard for the rediculous curriculum in the first place.
So that is a VERY long winded way to say skip the curriculum!!
Only thing worth keeping in mind if you plan to spend any length of time in the UK (or transiting through the UK) on an Australian passport – they are red hot on schooling at the moment and we got absolutely grilled about how we were educating the kids – had to show work books, lesson plans, etc at one immigration control point. I was kind of glad I packed all the national curriculum stuff for no other reason than it looked really legitimate!
Great story Elizabeth and I’d agree, if you’re travelling for a short period ( I call a year a short period) Throw the books out the window. In the UK there is no homeschooling restriction at all. No checks, no registration, all you do is tell the govt you’re homeschooling. They have no further involvement. So….kinda weird???? The only thing you MUST not do is be truant. If you’re not registered with a school you can’t be truant. This experience makes no sense at all. I suspect you and the immigration official, didn’t know the law.
A big hallo to Alyson and all the other inspiring people here!
My story is the following: I´m a single mother from Germany and traveling with my boy since he is 2 (Asia, Australia, Europe) always had to discuss against all these scaremongers, you probably can imagine 😉
I decided, Australia is the country I want to be and raise my son- I have been through a long process, saved money and after one year- I didn´t make it through the pointsystem. My son was in school already and as you may know: All kind of schooling besides attending a school is illegal in Germany. I tried but couldn´t stand the regularies here, I do so not agree with our society, way of life and school system.
One day I took all my savings and moved officially to the UK. Health insurance, child benefits, I had to quit everything. But to be honest; we just spend a few weeks in the UK, we have been one year on the track while I taught my son the main topics like maths and german grammar but mainly, I let him learn from life… His english is so great and we both learned quite a bit spanish now. It was an amaizing time, of course with ups and downs as a single Mom with a ten- years old in South America! But it was amaizing, he did grow so fast, he is so open-minded and interested in everything- we are such a great team.
We had to come back last summer as I couldn´t ignore my family anymore- they just call me not responsible and dear… I am so happy to have found this page even though you are from countries who are so much more liberal- I don´t feel so alone!!!
Well. My boy settled easily back into school, he is a good pupil but mainly he is bored and unhappy about learning stuff he is not interested in… He has been so motivated before, that´s all gone. Now it´s just about learning anything without asking and after the exam: Forget about it…
I know, that I have to do this again, I have savings left and am ready to do it- the world is calling me! But I must admit, it is kinda escape. In the end I am searching for OUR place in this world to be with likeminded people who step out of the box. If I do this again, I can´t come back here, I am afraid I can´t cheat the system a second time and Germany does have huge punishment for homeschoolers.
Dear home- un- and worldschoolfamilies, I just start dreaming… Why not getting altogether! Preparing a base anywhere lovely in freedom, a lil community! We could share such a lot, help each other- especially the time “home” while working is required to homeschool our kids!
Cheers everybody and keep on traveling with your kids, it´s just the best education in the world: To learn from the world!!!
That’s exactly what we’re trying to build in Romania Yve. Good luck to you. So even though you’re out of the country they still see your child as not being in school in Germany? That sucks. If you are living in Britain and your child is following the British rules they can still object? I met a German family like yours in Australia, on a beach once, he was a teacher, they refused to go back to Germany and be forced to put their child in the system. They were just going to keep travelling as long as possible. It’s a very scary big-brother type set up there, brainwshing almost, everyone must think the same.
Wow, wish I had read this article before we went away for 10 months, not that the kids did not thrive though, but a few of the resources would have been handy at the time. hopefully, we will get to trot off again in the next year or two!. Please add you wonderful site to traveladventureblogs.com – submit it and leave before the payment page, it will be approved. you are already on the blog roll of the site! Cheers.
I can not express enough how thankful I am to have found your blog!!!
I am a Tasmanian, with a husband and a 10 year old son.
I attended University and studied Human Movement (Dbl Major in Health & Phys Edl Outdoor Education) but was unable to complete the last 2 subjects – so unfortunately I did not graduate. I also currently work for the University in a student support role.
There is a chance of us needing to move to Laos (Vientiane) for my husbands work.
I have been doing a LOT of research on schooling options in Vientiane, but I am really not happy with any of the schools, so I am seriously looking at home schooling him.
I noticed that your family has been to Laos. Have you got any wisdom to pass on in regards to possible schools, or am I best to home school?
Also, as he is an only child, I am concerned about the interaction opportunities with other children. Any advice you have would be much appreciated.
Hi Mel,
I know nothing of schools, sorry, we think home education is the best possible option, so we just don’t go there. Laos is a fabulous country, but for an only child to integrate with non English speakers, could be hard. I have 2 boys, they’re best friends, it’s easier for us. I bet there are plenty of other expat, English speakers in Vientiane, loads. Try to stop thinking that he needs to be with kids of the same age, he doesn’t, that’s what school enforces, it’s not how the real world works. Get him speaking the local language, as my boys are doing with Romanian, and I’m sure things will be even better. There is a bustling evening scene down by the Mekong, there are playgrounds, markets, skateboarders, aerobics classes and kids just playing. Hang out down there long enough and I’ll bet he’ll find playmates. I don’t know the specific rules for Tassie, but I suspect that you wont need to/be able to enroll him as HS’d if you’re living in Laos. There is no advantage in it anyway. We wish you well with your adventure.
Hi Alyson, I have stumbled across your website in an attempt to get my head around home schooling vs distance education. I live in Newcastle NSW and we are planning to travel around Australia for 6 months with a 10, 7 and 3 year old. I think homeschooling sounds amazing (tempted to continue it for longer if I can get my head around it) BUT right now I feel completely overwhelmed with all of the requirements and have no idea where to start. Do you by any chance have a checklist if what you need to do to get started? I admire you perspective on life, it is refreshing and beautiful. Thanks for this amazing resource. Kindest regards Davinia.
i have studied natural science myself and i love to travel, been born and raised in Iran, i got married at the age of 20 and went to London, ever since i wanted to travel so started with africa and middle east, i have been to most continents and lots of places but having a materialistic partner always made it so difficult for me.
however, i have decided to move back to uk with two kids ages 6 and 7 , girl and boy, they are in Tang Hall school in York, its a beautiful city but i am so missing my traveling. they don’t have proper swimming pool and kids are really missing their outdoor swimming ,
i have breast fed both kids until alot older and i was furious by the fact that it is mandatory in dubai to go to school at the age of 4 , however we are in uk now and i just found out from a lady in Tennis class that you can easily home school kids in uk without any worrying , apparently there are lots in York,
i still want to travel though and i don’t want to stay at one place all the time, being separated i feel really lonely and everything is on my shoulder lots of paper work, home work and kids education.
my ex has agreed to pay me 1700 pounds per month until the kids are 12 and after that he will pay me around 2000 pounds per month, now i am seriously thinking of just taking off after 6 month being here and take the kids traveling and home schooling.
my biggest worry is that they will miss out on having friends and they say no to me now because they want to play with friends ,
can you please tel me if i can manage with this monthly expenses of home schooling and travelling , and also is it possible to travel with some other parents and kids ? would that be possible at all , it all seems so wild and unrealistic but i really cannot take it any more i want to be free and i want my kids to be free too.
Yes, that would be more than enough money, I feel the pain in your question. Homeschooling in the UK is totally legal and no registration is required. My boys don’t miss friends, but they have been brought up differently, they see all people, all ages, as friends, they don’t have the school mentality of only hanging out with same age kids. I think you may have legal problems, your ex husband will have a say in your decision, you will probably need his approval, there is just too much to put in a blog comment. I wish you well and I hear you.
Wow! Stumbled upon this and am so happy I did! Don’t have any kids yet but if I do, this is def the way that I’d like to go…my husband and I are digital nomads living in Chiang Mai, Thailand from San Francisco. Going on our second year here out in Thailand and then moving to Europe. We hope to travel as long as we can and have a home base in SF area. If you and your family find yourself out in CM, reach out! Thanks for the inspiration! Bookmarking this if a little one is in the cards for us…
This is such a great resource! I’m not sure where I sit on the “education” fence. My boys are in a structured “junior kindergarten” program and they love it. The best part about it is the teachers! Without them, the program or teaching philosophy would be worthless! With the prospect of long term travel in the future, who knows where we will end up, but I love all of this info. Being “responsible” for their education makes me nervous!
You don’t need to pick a side Lindsay, it’s horses for courses, not one size fits all. I know I take on a lot of responsibility and sometimes it’s a lot of work and a lot of pressure, some days I’d LOVE to be able to pack them off to school and have a rest, But it just wouldn’t work for any of us, so we don’t. I’m very, very gad we picked this route, it’s been brilliant being right by their sides, every day.
Thank you, Alyson, for doing all the work and sharing it with us. I’ve checked out many of your recommended links and see several that may work for us. All this great information pushed me to finally start my own online list of resources to work with this year. We’ve just started homeschooling as we slow travel through Central and South America. My 6-year old son and 9-year old daughter will also benefit from your experience. Thank you!!
This is a great resource Alyson. I really like how you encourage other families to do what’s right for them without judging…..one size does not fit all, even within one family. 🙂
My daughter homeschooled and also received two simultaneous undergrad degrees, a BS in music performance (French horn) and the second, a BA in liberal arts. She is now in the middle of a doctoral degree in musicology at NYU. She received a full ride scholarship to NYU for this program. As a teen she has traveled extensively to compete in world cups as a fencer. I stayed home and worked to support this global child. She speaks three languages and is learning two more currently. Now that she is on her own, I do get opportunities to meet up with her and travel together. I have wonderful times with her when we travel together..
Hi I live 6 months in new York and 6 months in Jamaica. I have a 15 year old grandson and I want to find out if I enrolled him in home school on line can he do his lessons from new York and Jamaica as I go there from Nov to may.
I’m sorry Beverly, I know nothing about US regulations, only Australia and UK. What you’re talking about doesn’t sound like homeschooling though, more distance education.
I originally was pushing for the homeschooling, as I thought what an opportunity to get away from the aspects of the system that we didn’t like! My husband was unsure about doing that though, partly because of not knowing where to start with working out our own “curriculum” but also because he felt more comfortable about having a record (in the form of reports against AUSVELS requirements) for if/when we ever go back into the mainstream schooling. To be honest, I wasn’t sure that I liked the idea, but in the interest of compromise we said we’d give it a try for 6 months and if it wasn’t working then we’d do our own thing. Even the teachers at the Distance Education Center said that! After doing this for 4 months now (we started schooling before travelling) I think it has worked out for the best. We’ve found that a combination of the provided school work with our own activities (which we’ve found have presented themselves in all sorts of forms as we’ve travelled around) has worked the best. There is the comfort in knowing that the kids are getting the levels of teaching they need for their grades, but there is also the control we have on when we do schoolwork, what we do, and the one-on-one tutoring that is priceless. The school is extremely flexible on when the work can be sent through, the only major deadline is half-year and full-year report writing time. No pressure on having to send things back every fortnight! We haven’t found it restrictive at all, we have a morning school session for 2-3 hours, then the afternoon is free.
Once again I’ve blabbed! I hope this has helped to clarify things. : )
Hi all! My husband and two boys (10 years and just-about-to-turn 6 years old) are 3 months into our travel adventure, we started in Singapore, and we’ve worked our way through Malaysia, Cambodia and now Vietnam (dictated by Visa length and the weather!). We both had the same concerns that all of you have raised about educating our kids. Never mind that we’re packing everything up, selling the house and car and leaving everything behind, what about the school???!!! Well, I can safely say that you WILL NOT be endangering the future of your kids by taking them out of the “school system” for a year or two. If anything, you’re making them global citizens that will never lose that bit of worldly wisdom and confidence (even if they seem a bit young now).
We come from the State of Victoria in Australia, where the approach to education appears to be a tad different to that of Queensland (where Alyson hails from). I was told that if we sell the house and therefore are not residents of Victoria then we are no longer the responsibility of the Education Department of Victoria. So basically we can take our kids out of the country and no one would know the difference! After getting over the shock, we were left wondering now what? We don’t have to report to anyone, this means we can teach our kids how we want to, but how are we going to know what they need to know to stay “current”?
We ended up enrolling in the Distance Education Centre of Victoria. I have no idea if a similar school is offered in other countries, but if it is I would strongly recommend that you use it. It follows the Australian curriculum, and all of the work is provided in booklets split into 2 week modules. I initially freaked when I saw how much work was to be done, and how many hours per day was recommended (4-5 hours), but the teachers are brilliant and understand the different scenarios of people who use this school. They confirmed that the kids are getting so much education in just travelling, and that the only thing to really stay on top of is the Maths and English.
If this isn’t an option, just stick with the principle of Maths and English. Look at the curriculum requirements of your State/Country (which should be available online and/or via the Education Department), particularly at what benchmarks your kids should be reaching by the end of the school year. You’ll probably find that your kids will surpass any of these benchmarks since they are getting one-on-one tutoring with you! Subjects like geography, history and art will get picked up as you travel. Of course there are lot of websites (Mathletics and Reading Eggs are great) to help out.
You will not fail your kids, you’re giving them such a wonderful opportunity. It’ll work!
Sorry to blab on a bit, I’m more than happy to help out if there are any more questions!
Victoria has the easiest Homeschool regulations in Australia Tania. But I wonder why you signed up for distance education when you didn’t have to? If you felt the need to register, homeschooling is far less restrictive, but as you’re out of the country you didn’t need to sign up for anything. Could you share your decision making for us? Cheers.
Love the info on this website. My hubby and I with our 10yr old son are preparing to leave California next year around June to travel the world for a year. One of my biggest concerns is the schooling part. I don’t want to fail my child, i’m having a hard time finding specifics on road school. Everything out there is homeschooling at home where theres a lot of text books and projects and touching base every 20 days with a teacher. We wont be able to carry textbooks or check in unless we are online. My son will be responsible to carry his own laptor and a workbook or two with all his other things in his backpack. When we return to the states he will mainstream back into public school, so I want to make sure he’s fully ready and I didnt miss anything.. Looking for any ideas, websites, advice to help me plan for his success.
Hi Gina, I’d love to help but that’s just not what we do, we don’t follow a school-type program at all and my boys don’t have to fit into the school system. Good luck!
I’m so excited to have found this site! I’ve just started reading it and have barely scratched the surface. This is exactly the kind of life I am trying to show my husband is possible for our family. Our daughter is 1 and we are saving every cent possible so we can retire in a few year and see the world with her (we are in our mid 30’s and already travel as much as possible). I’m nervous about homeschooling. I don’t have any examples of it in my life and I am afraid that I will fail and ruin my daughter’s prospects in life. Hopefully, by educating myself on how it’s done I can overcome that fear enough to do it! Perhaps it’s already on the site and I will find it as i read on, but can you point me to resources that may address my concerns? Thanks
It was great to come across this page as only two days ago did my husband and i have this discussion. We have always felt that kids can learn more by Travelling. We just feel that if we don’t do it in the next year or so we will never do it. My boys are 6years old and 2 years old. We where looking at the next 1year or 2 giving us enough time to get everything together and do our research properly and have enough funds to keep us going. My husband has his own business so we are able to be anywhere in the world and he can still work. With regards to home schooling i have no idea where to start. We live in Cape town, South Africa. Where do i start? As i don’t want the home schooling be a problem when the kids need to go back to school. I am in the process of doing all my research, but we looking at travelling around Australia, new zealand, thailand, bali, indondesia, vietnam, then around Europe. Then in a camper van around the States. So excited to start this journey with my husband and boys.
My husband and I just quit our jobs and are taking our kids travelling. We are in Costa Rica now and in two months will be riding tandems from Croatia to Czech over 4-5 months.
Since it is so new, I am struggling with the homeschooling (especially motivating) curriculum. I was considering investing in a curriculum where there is a mentor involved to help us with the language arts/writing aspect. My husband and I are both science minded as with our professions. What do you think about that just to help my kids with accountability and motivation? Also, how did you get your kids to enjoy reading when they don’t (would rather play video games in their free time). And lastly, I was wondering if there is a type of curriculum that caters to the new world technologies (renewable energy, computer-focus, gardening, economics, etc.) and brushes over/brief summaries of the wars/history.
Karin, for 4-5 months I would do precisely nothing! It’s a tiny amount of time. When computers aren’t available, they read, you can’t make a child enjoy reading, but my eldest adores it and often chooses his book over anything else. At bedtime they read, on buses and trains and in cars. D also reads at meal times, which kinda bugs me, but it keeps him happy. We don’t have hand held devices, so laptops are easy to escape. I have never used any sort of bought curriculum, sorry.
I learned a lot of things about homeschooling while traveling after reading your article. I traveled all the time for work and i let my kids stay with there grandparents. I think i’m gonna take my kids with me next time.
Alyson, I can’t tell you how amazed I am to find a site like this just at the time when my husband and I are teetering between continuing on with our “normal” lives and going on a journey just like the one you’ve described! How to educate the kids while doing this was a bit of a obstacle, but I’ll be reading your blog very closely and will probably be pestering you with questions from now on! Another “obstacle” we can see is the Visas. Did you travel on holiday Visas only, or do I vaguely remember your husband working from time to time? Did you sort out the Visas as you went along? If we did this trip I think we’d like the option of being able to work if it came up. Any advice is of course appreciated! Congratulations to you and your husband for being brave enough to start a journey like this, it takes a lot of guts!
Hi Tania, we have British and Australian passports, so he can work anywhere in Europe and is currently supporting us by working in London. This is the only time he’s worked, I work on the blogs. We just get normal tourist visas, sometimes ( as in Laos) we extended them for a few weeks more. Very easy to do when you’re in the country. If you need visas for certain countries, China, Russia, maybe a few others, check the regulations, some need you to get the visa in your own country, but that;s rare. Most countries give visa on arrival.
Love this! Everything about it. It sounds like Australia is just about as easy as Texas for homeschooling (we don’t have to report at all), but how do you take what you have learned from travel and turn it into a report?
I don’t have to now Jessica, once we left Australia we weren’t their problem. In the UK there are no restrictions and we’re British, so we go with that. But back then I’d just waffle on about learning, about religion, climate, food production….whatever we’d encountered. It looks really impressive on paper.
Hi,
I am Canadian, but I have a friend from Australia with a child that will be 4 in September. She and her son would like to stay here for a year, but she doesn’t want to keep him from daycare or school for that long. I was wondering how we could arrange something to either home school him or get him registered in one of the schools here. She has no experience in homeschooling and hasn’t finished school herself. She dropped out when she was a teenager. So I doubt she would be able to register as a homeschooling mother. Any tips would be greatly appreciated.
P.S.: She lives in NSW
If she’ll be in Canada for a year the only way I know is to register with distance education in Australia ( which isn’t really homeschooling, it’s school). But at 4, he’s too young, in QLD kids don’t officially have to start school until year 1, which can be as old as 6 and a half. I’m not familiar with NSW school starting ages, but if they are the same, he’s still a preschooler and does not need to be in formal education. NSW regulations are the tightest in Australia, there is a lot of paperwork and reporting, but even so, there is nothing to stop her registering. She just needs to be able to keep up with the paperwork.If she’s out of the country she’s not bound by Australian regulations. But can she get a visa for Canada for a year?
She can come 6 months a year – but since as soon as the year switches she can stay another 6 months, she could stay a year if she comes in June. If she comes any time during a year before June she can stay 6 months.
She says he can start preschool next year, since he turns 4 in September. Which doesn’t make any sense to me at all. So basically she can’t do it. Or rather won’t do it, because of all the paperwork.
Hi there.. I live in Cairns am loving reading your articles!! I am planning to take my daughter travelling next year for at least 4months (april-july approx). She will turn 14yrs old early 2015 and be in grade 9. Am not sure what the legal ramifications are for taking her out of school for this period and would appreciate any advice? We will be going through a bit of Asia before spending most of time in Europe. I am entilted to a British passport which will organise prior to help with travel throughout Europe and would like to stay open to idea of staying longer (months!) in Scotland (where family are) at the end. Would daughter be able to go to school in Scotland?
You’d have to check with the school first, see if they will allow you to take her travelling ( they should!). If they won’t you’ll have to un enroll her and send off a Homeschool application to the HEU. It’s easy done.My applications are on our other site Homeschool Group Hug. Get in touch if you get stuck Jenna and good luck
Hi Alyson!
First of all I would like to say I love your website! We’re looking into hitting the road next year, and this website has been an inspiration. Thank you for that!
We’re preparing our own website (in Dutch), so I might fire some questions at you later about that.
Just a few things I wonder now.
Have you sold your house in Australia? I think renting ours out would be such a hassle, and I’d rather just get rid of it. My husband on the other hand would feel better holding on to it. He would feel more secure I guess. Any thoughts on the matter?
Our daughter would be 6 when we leave. She goes to school now, and I would be home schooling her while traveling. It seems a difficult age to start off, but the perfect age altogether, if you know what I mean. How will home schooling turn out at that age?
Thanks for everything and keep up the good work! Maybe we can meet up for a play date somewhere in the world next year 🙂
I love this! I have been contemplating teaching my four kids through travel for while. This information is helping me sort out how to best plan for this!
I love finding your site and a fellow homeschool on the go family! We lived almost a year abroad with a baby in tow in 2004, and still travel as much as we are able! (Thus, my launching the homeschool/ travel podcast Destination: Inspiration) Now, we host other travelers at our cottage 🙂
I’d love to have you as a guest on the show!
I’m really interested in what you are doing, as my family and I will soon be doing the same thing. We are pulling up stumps in 12 months time and heading to Europe. I have never homeschooled before, but know we will be fine for a couple of reasons. Firstly, I have plenty of friends and family that homeschool and see that they are all going along great, and secondly, because I know from experience that learning while travelling almost happens without trying (having said that, I will try!) We are in contact with friends of friends in Spain and Portugal, all of which say that is illegal in those countries to teach your children from home. Do you know if because our children are technically being educated through the QLD system that they are actually legal? Any advice is very welcome. Thank you!
QLD like you to register with a school of distance Education if you will be away long term. If you will be away for reporting time, you can’t get your registration in, you need that reporting pack that they send out to resubmit. If you are Australian and registered with QLD HEU you’re fine. But, I don’t think it’s illegal in Spain or Portugal, I’ve never heard that before, only Germany, Croatia and Sweden. But I haven’t checked. As you won’t be a resident, I really wouldn’t worry, you’re Australian. Send me an email if you need any more help with registration, I’m QLD too and an old hand at this stuff.
We are planning on travelling Europe with our two boys as soon as possible, got a few things to sort out here in NZ 1st, but hoping to leave here by mid-May. So excited and scared it’s not funny, our budget isn’t much at all, we will have to work as we travel…but still the budget is low but that isn’t going to stop us, i think showing our boys that by us having them hasn’t stopped us living our dream will be one of the best lessons they will learn..I’m actually looking forward to home schooling..I know it will be hard, but it will be worth it.
While in travel mode are there any blog posts from the children’s point of view? Like what they enjoy, what they don’t, or what they think they are learning/ have learnt? etc
Not really Gee, mostly because they don’t give you the same answer twice! I asked them what they’d learned once because another blogger ( Heidi at Wagoners Abroad) wanted to interview them for a series on travelling children. They said “nothing”. You won’t get much useful information out of them I’m afraid, they’re not interested in vocalising that sort of thing. I know what they’re learning, they don’t realise. They’re having the best fun!
Now with online education, committed parents can get a quality education for their children anywhere. My wife and I are both educators who travel the world. She teaches online and I teach/administrate in international schools. I do not want to ever teach in a public school again, especially in the U.S. Take care.
Thanks Curtis, I think we’re doing an exceptional job of educating these kids with very little in the way of online programmes, I really don’t think they’re necessary. After two years of homeschooling before we started travelling, I could see how the learning was happening, worksheets and online repetition weren’t helping at all. But some kids enjoy them, I know. We just have Studyladder now as a sort of back up, just something to do now and then if we’ve bored.
Brilliant! An only child, I grew up home-schooled globally – along the way I learned to speak six languages; prayed in churches, synagogues, cathedrals, temples, mosques and shrines; made friends that I still have 60 years later; learned to be a world citizen; acquired 3 passports; and went on to be an epidemiologist. My children were educated the same way – now my grands are keeping up the tradition.
Journey on………………..
That is fantastic to hear Carra, really, thanks so much for commenting and sharing another homeschool success story with us all. We leave in July, first stop Malaysia, can’t wait!
I homeschooled my daughter for 5 years but she is currently in a private school. We did a LOT of learning by TRAVELING! And, I miss being able to just take off & go! Our biggest “drop everything & go’ trip was almost 2 years ago. My brother called & asked if we wanted to go to Japan in about 10 days. YES!!! It was incredible!!! And, we got back only 2 days before the devestating tsunami.
I’d love to go to Japan, Dana, I don’t think it’s going to happen this time, unfortunately, it’s just too expensive and stretching our budget for as long as possible has to be our priority. But maybe, if we get our fill of SE Asia and The Indian Subcontinent we may have enough cash left to head that way. Thanks for visiting and commenting ( twice!). I hope you’ll stick around to follow us, we’re just getting to the exciting bit!
Thanks for posting a comment Nicole, comments are brilliant, we love comments and every one gets a reply. So cheers! It may look like luck, but it’s not, we’ve put a lot of years of effort into getting our lives set up so that we CAN travel, starting with living in the grottiest flat in the world, no hot water or heating, in a British winter, whilst pregnant, renovating it for money. It was hard work, but it paid off, gave us a good financial starting point. I think anyone can do it if they want it badly enough. It’s all down to priorities and making your dreams the most important thing in your life. I’m struggling right now, I admit, with the thought of selling everything , it’s hard, I’m starting to have doubts. But stay tuned and see if we actually pull this thing off! Your day will come, Nicole, if you want something badly enough.
I have heard the ‘you are so lucky’ comment before, too, and it always stings. Now, I try to remember that sometimes people don’t mean anything by it…just a comment like saying, “How are you ?” to people and not really expecting an answer. You can make your dreams come true and we will be behind you cheering you on!
My husband and I are looking at travelling new zealand for a year (im a kiwi but Uk based) with our 7 year old and considering home schooling. Two questions if thats ok? Would we need approval from nz or the uk for home schooling. And what happens when your kids quite enjoys mainstream school and isnt so keen from learning from his parents. I can see lots of benefits of travelling homeschooling, just have concerns about the reality.thanks
If you’re resident in the UK you can just un-enrol him from school, no approval or application required. The rule in the UK is that parents are responsible for providing an education. They can choose to use a school to provide that, or educate otherwise, ie. provide the education in any other way. School is actually not the default. As you’re not NZ residents it’s nothing to do with NZ. Forget the idea of “teaching” , just have fun for the year and let him absorb and pick up on all the new experiences, landscapes, culture, history, wildlife, ecosystems etc. Presumably he’s reading by 7 if he’s in school. There will be a whole lot of new words to read everywhere. My son used to read the station names on the tube in London and count off the numbers of stops. Give him a Kindle, let him count money, run around and have fun. It’ll be great for him (or her). My kids ask questions, and mum loves to talk, on any topic. If you’re ever stumped you have Google. He’ll learn a lot more in the real world and population than being stuck in a classroom, where if you think about it – there’s very little to learn, just walls and same age kids.
@Alyson for World Travel Family, thanks so much for your reply. I forgot to add in the original message that we have dual nationality. I just received a message from the ministry of education in nz saying “As your son is a dual citizen, he is seen as a domestic student therefore he is required to be enrolled in a registered school while in New Zealand.” But to also check the with the uk education system. The email also said that home schooling is not for the short term and “Home education in New Zealand only applies to families living in New Zealand.” Arg im confused and not sure what we can and cant do now. Any chance you know anything about this stuff?
The problem with contacting the authorities (in my experience) is that depending on who replies, you’ll get a different answer. Contacting them was probably a mistake. You simply unenroll him from school and leave, the same as you would if you were moving house or leaving the country, which you are. I’m not from New Zealand, I don’t know if their set up is different to Australia. But no, you cannot just short term homeschool (or at least, don’t say that up front, people do change their minds and put them back in, but you told them that was your plan, so now they know). You also can’t be registered to homeschool when not “at home” in NZ (I know this is correct for AU, guessing same for NZ). You can go away for a few weeks, but you can’t just galavant about. They need to know where you are. If you plan to travel around Australia, a lot of people register with a school of distance ed. There’s one in Brisbane that is popular. But this is very restrictive of your time and freedom, but I know people who’ve done this. I think you’ve shot yourself in the foot there. But as I said, in the UK there’s no legal requirement to be registered with anyone. (unless the law changed recently) Although I do know one family who were intimidated on arrival. Likely the customs people didn’t know the law. But I think you just caused yourself a whole heap of problems there. This is so unusual that I don’t think they really know how to handle it and just make up rules on the spot. I was given different answers several times. I was told when I tried to submit a report from India by post that I couldn’t and that I had to unenroll as a homeschooler in Au. Which suited me just fine the paperwork was incredibly tedious and I wanted the kids to be following the British school system anyway. (They did eventually sit GCSEs and A levels) I obviously kept that email as proof that this is what they’d told me. There are a lot of people (some say up to 50%) who homeschool or unschool “under the radar” in Australia. I know plenty. I can put you in touch with a friend who used to homeschool (unschool) in New Zealand, and left, also British. Find Sam Sullivan at Going Where the Wind Blows blog. She was also a highschool teacher in New Zealand so should know what she’s talking about. I think she’s in Korea now. You’ll find that a lot of people who homeschool were formerly teachers – they simply didn’t want their own kids in that system. Best of luck.
Hello There,
Thank you for the wonderful blog!
I might have to homeschool my kid for a major part of this school year. We’re currently in US; due to a personal emergency we might have to move to India for few months. My kid is about to step into 6th grade and doesn’t want to attend any school in India. I am exploring options for homeschooling for our tenure outside US. Any guidance please? Also, would Khan Academy, Seterra etc. be sufficient learning resource still or are there any updated resource list?
Highly appreciate any insight. Thank you!
No, online learning platforms are not enough. A parent has to be fully engaged. These platforms are just the sprinkles on the cake of a good education.
All of this was not only inspirational, but motivational! My husband and I are now telling people we are leaving May 5,2024. I am a stay at home mom and just starting to homeschool my oldest this year. We have two choldren with (minor) special needs and I feel like public school has only made them want to stay away from learning. Am I crazy for taking my four kids (two with special needs) on a two year adventure? What do you tell people who react negatively about this kind of decision? Any help with best insurance for a traveling family is also needed. Thanks so much!
Hi Kelly, no, you’re awesome! If you feel it’s the best thing for your family, how dare anyone who does not, no matter what they think, know your kids better than you do, question that? They really have no idea. They also have no idea about the realities of travel and how good it can be for kids to see the world, likely because they’ve never gone further than the Costa Del Sol. I remove myself from the company of such people. We made a lot of new, better friends who were supportive and more knowledgeable. Insurance, we use World nomads. See this post, they’re awesome for open ended travel or travel without a fixed itinerary. Best of luck! https://worldtravelfamily.com/travel-insurance-extended-open-ended-travel/
Tell me more!!
thank you very much for the useful information
Very helpful and informative article. If you do not mind then I will share it.
Thank you
Thank your for providing such valuable information about homeschooling. I am actually really happy i found your blog. We are planning to spend a year in Nepal. We are from U.S. Is Homeschooling legal in Nepal? What did you do to homeschool your kids in Nepal. I know you only lived there for 3 months with your kids.
Any tips is very useful for me. Thank you!
You know, I have no idea! I’ve deep-dived into the legality of Homeschooling in many countries, but never Nepal. As we were not local citizens and on a tourist visa, the local laws have no relevance for us. But it’s one of our favourite countries. Enjoy!
Amazing blog, Keep writing such a great blog.
Great read!! Thanks for sharing such a great blog, blog like these will surely help each and every homeschoolers in homeschooling their children in best way.
Hello! Great article! We are a five members family from Argentina gathering information to become a world traveler family when global situation allow it.
Want to ask you about this: “If you’d like to sign up to follow and receive e-mail notifications that’s great. You’ll get an invitation to our free private Facebook group for support and knowledge on travel, homeschooling and traveling and earning on the road”
Where? I can’t find where to sign up.
Cheers!
There should be an author box and sign up box after every post. But as this is a page not a post, maybe there’s not. Will have a look now. But end of any post, there’s a box there, maybe you’re on laptop not computer? Will check that too. Thanks for letting me know.
HI Alyson
Thank you so much for this epic post. It really inspired my switching to homeschooling for my boys and i keep coming back here for ideas and recommendations. Cant wait to be able to travel again and move more into worldschooling.
Angie, Tasmania
Thank you Angie. Very best of luck to you. I’m seeing a lot of families switching from normal school to homeschooling because of the current world crisis.
Amazing! People call us nuts for saying that we will not stop full time travel once we have kids. I have always said that raising kids in this lifestyle;e is the ultimate education! Kudos to you!
Hello! I loved your post… thank you for sharing.
Thank you! Are you homeschooling because of school closures or are you travelers?
I have hardly heard about this concept of home schooling & traveling. I generated a lot of interest while reading this. It is quite an interesting article to read.
This article is one of the most comprehensive and thorough resources I’ve found on the Internet. THANK YOU. We’re planning a year-long+ trip of travel and most people can’t believe I would take my kids out of traditional school. I can’t believe that it isn’t obvious how much they will learn from seeing the world. I’m grateful to have found your site and will do what I can to support through affiliate links.
Thanks Jenny, all the best.
Good day World travel family.
I really admire all the traveling you guys have done. My family and I are nomadics somehow too. Since I met my partner we have been working for four to five months a year in Norway and the rest travelled. We had two kids, one in Norway and one in South Africa. They are four and two now. I am now, feeling insecure of whether we are doing things right or not. We have no property. Neither we have insurance of any sort. Neither could we afford it. We earn enough to survive the rest of the year but not enough to own a property or to be insured. Kids dont need to go to school or we dont need a house with “stuff” but I do miss growing our own food and being self sufficient as we once did in South Africa for periods of time. I also often feel bad when travelling so much due to the carbon footprint and not being that ecologically friendly.
Could you please give me your insights or advice on this situation. I really would appreciate.
Kind regards,
Laura Rudin.
So glad Ive found your website. We are a home schooling family in the UK about to sell up and take to the road for a bit. Its nice to find folk who have done it successfully, are happy and still like each other!! Our current lifestyle isnt working for us, so time to give something new a try. Thanks for all the info.
Yep, we still like each other Helen. It’s the single best thing I think we could have possibly done to hold us together.
Foarte interesant. Mult noroc.!
Cu placere
Wow…I am just wondering how much your kids might be learning..I am teacher and we plan activities to make children understand stuff but for your kids,what your giving is much much more,…not everyone can do what you are doing….Be safe…Love and prayers from Sri Lanka for your good health…
Thank you Mrs Fahan.
Hi,
Thanks for the cool read. I would love to world school but how do you afford to without working? or do you have a job that you do whilst travelling? I’m guessing your making some money from your blogging? but not everyone is good at that and i personally prefer to stay off media devices. isn’t it expensive? P.S im a single mother in the uk. any help is appreciated.
I’m a travel blogger Melissa, it pays well.
A comprehensive post about all things ‘world schooling’. We loved our year of world schooling on our round the world trip. Boys learned so much, in so many different ways. Thank you so much for sharing with #fearlessfamtrav.
What an epic post!!! There is so much information in it, I followed your advice and bookmarked it for further reference. I’ve long dreamed of homeschooling my kids, preferably while travelling too, but our circumstances just don’t allow it at the moment. That said, I’m sure my gang would love to learn through Minecraft and some of the other resources you mention!
#fearlessfamtrav
What a beautiful way to raise your children! Thanks for all the inspiration and motivation.
I’d love to see a recommended reading list for different ages or if you are referring to an online resources for ideas. All the best!!
You know what Rayne? After all my years of experience I now say to just let them read the books they want to read. I tried to get them to read the classics and the books I read as a child, but they find them really boring. Modern books are so much better. They don’t need to be made to read set books as I was, it will come, with time. I’m more than happy to have 2 voracious readers, of anything.
Hello I am a Primary School teacher and found your article fascinating. Your lifestyle and the way you are teaching your children is inspirational. I just wanted to ask what do you think it will happen if your children decide to go to university or as adults get tired of traveling and decide to settle down, will they have enough qualifications to do so, will they be prepared for 9 to 5 kind of reality.
I hope they never have to endure a 9-5 reality, nor ever have to work for somebody else. That’s not reality for those of us who managed to jump out of that style of living. I found it soul sucking and would never go back. I endured it for many years because I didn’t know there were other possibilities, they’ve grown up seeing those possibilities, not just from me but from the other travellers, nomads and generally diverse people they are used to hanging out with. A 9-5 reality is not “normal” to them. But if they do decide to do that, it’s very easy to pick up a few O levels or A levels. Have a read up on the British iGCSE system. Or there are Open University Courses, Portfolios, all sorts of ways. We won’t be travelling for much longer, it’s not like we’ve decided to travel forever and drag them with us until they are 25. We own houses we can live in them and still make a living from the websites, we just prefer to see the world. They are welcome to stay home if they don’t want to come with us when they are older and we will always fully support them in whatever they choose to do. Of course they can come into the family business if they want to, but any kind of online ( or not online) entrepreneurship would be easy for us to jump start for them given the size of our online presence and our know how, along with our connections. But yes, they can go to university if they choose to, there are many, many pathways to university entrance. I consider most general degrees pretty pointless ( and they bring with them debt) so it’s not something I’ve ever encouraged. If they decide to go that way it will be because of real drive, not just as a “next step” as it is for most school leavers. Universities are very aware of this and as such like taking homeschoolers, similarly mature students have different entry requirements. There are links in the post. Thanks for your question.
Alyson Long I am really considering this lifestyle can I speak to you through email more about your life and how this works.
yes but be quick, we’re up Everest from next week.
*clap clap clap* what an amazing response! My husband and I feel this way but we keep it to ourselves for now. We’ve started homeschooling my son (kindergarten) and I soften the blow by telling friends/strangers etc. that he’s enrolled in “distance learning” instead of using the H word (true, but our school is very flexible and gives us basically all the control). I don’t need to tell every nurse, dentist, customer that we don’t believe that the school system will lead our children to a successful future. But we’ve found most people don’t have the entrepreneurial mindset.
Also, anyone can figure out how to learn anything with motivation! From a new language, to music, any skill TO UNIVERSITY ACCEPTANCE…so yeah, our kids are fine.
You know Rachel it can go either way. Some teachers despise the system and refuse to put their own kids into it. Some, like the primary school teacher above, believe that the system’s way is the only way. Usually the ones that don’t have kids. I have no time for this nonsense, too busy enjoying life. Thanks for your comment, nice to get positive ones but the negative ones are a fact of life in this business.
Wow, what an article. Thanks for taking the time (long time) to write it.
I would be interested to hearing more about the open uni courses you took with your child.
Cheers
Just Google for them Guy. Some were UK based, some Australian. All free.
I love how comprehensive your list is! Our travels take us through the continental US but we love how much there is to discover in our own back yard. Great Post!
This post has been growing and growing. I started it when the boys were 6 and 8, they are 13 and 11 now, so always new resources and ideas to add.
Hi there! I have a 12 yr old and a 9 yr old, we traveled Europe for 12 months from Brisbane Australia and have now one year later placed them.in private school to reside in Spain. They are both top of their class after our gap year and we are living a great Spanish life but are tied to routine. We have decided we would like to live our dream and hit the road again, this time with your online school system. Please tell me how I can started on this asap!
Hi Kylie, sorry, I don’t know what you mean, we don’t run an online school neither are we any part of one. Could you clarify please ? Did you read the above ? What are you referring to ?
Hi! I believe from what I have read, your kids are younger than high school age, so I am not sure if you can help me or not. I am currently in high school, and will be taking a year (next year) to travel the world full time, and so I am wondering if you know of any online schooling programs for high school education while out of the country, thanks so much, great site you have!
Both are now high school age Grace, and no, we are completely outside the school system and have no involvement with it, but I’m sure they exist. There are plenty of schools of distance education in Australia. I don’t see why you think you need one though, just find the information you are required to memorise online, look at your local curriculum, it will be on the internet. Education is something you do to yourself, not something a 3rd parts does TO you. Best of luck!
Hi, I have just started researching homeschooling and I had no idea there were so many options, I thought you just got the paperwork and sent it back. I live in Sydney and my son is 7. We intend to leave in Dec and travel around Europe (inc UK) for up to 2 years in a motorhome. Both my husband and I are originally from the UK (14 years ago) and felt it would be good for our son and us to see a bit of the world together and throw in some extra time with UK family at the same time. My husband and I have sailed a small yacht from France to Sydney previously so we have a bit of an idea of what to expect but the part I am concerned about is our son and keeping up with his studies. He is in the local primary school now and is likely to go back there on our return. I thought I had to register to homeschool but reading this it looks like that is not the case. I am interested in that you have chosen to follow the UK curriculum and not the Australian one. We are all Australian/UK citizens so not sure if this option is open to us or even something we should consider as he is currently in the Australian system. I will carry on looking through this and other web sites to try and gain some understanding of a way forward for us. Thanks for your help so far, it all just seems a bit overwhelming at first glance.
Just take your son out of school. Very simple. You’re leaving the country so there is no need to be registered. You can do whatever you like. We don’t follow the British curriculum, I think you misread something.
Hi, I think it may have been this comment that threw me a bit: “These days we homeschool overseas, all around the world, full time under the UK system. ” I just wondered why a UK system and not Australian?
Thanks, Lynn
Because we prefer the British system, the curriculum is better, the subjects are taught in more depth, kids can pick subjects to specialise in rather than taking a general HSC and so on. Also if they decide to sit exams at 16 they can’very easily, and pick subjects of their choice. Also in the UK no registration, testing or submissions of any sort are required for homeschoolers. That doesn’t mean they will sit exams, it just means that if, say at 15, they decide they want to, we can start memorising the stuff for those exams. Or if they decide to get into university when they are older, same same. But I really doubt they’ll choose that route, it’s totally pointless unless you want to go into a profession that requires a university degree, like medicine. I’d far rather they work on developing their own businesses. But it’s their choice and always will be. There is no requirement at all for them to follow any curriculum, under UK law, they simply have to be provided with a ” quality education”.
Hi ladies, sorry for chipping in here but this answer has cleared thing is for me on a few question I had. However we are in this situation, citizens of Portugal, both kids user 5, plan to travel and worldschool for the minimum of the next 5 years. Can we do it the way you’re doing it, take him out of school and follow a system per say similar to yours?
I don’t know what the laws in Portugal are Bianca, but in Australia they had no interest in us once we left the country. Your country shouldn’t control you even if you’re not living there, is my feeling ( it shouldn’t control you at all!). But I don’t know specifically for Portugal, sorry.
Funny reading all these comments ~ we are a Portuguese/English/Australian family currently living in Melbourne. We sold our business and are packing our bags to travel the world with our 3 girls which will be “homeschooled” along the way. Thank you for all the tips x
Have a great trip Andreia!
Thank you for such a well written, informative and inspirational piece.
We will be looking to leave the Australian system before we get started with it.
Music to my ears. Good luck!
Thank you so much for this “bible” of home education! It’s extremly useful! We’ve just started in September and the beginning was bumpy, but we managed to create our own way to make all of us happy.
Looking forward to your future adventures! 🙂
Oh wow, thank you so much!! This has been the most practical and inspirational thing I have ever read on homeschooling/unschooling! Everything else made me nervous! But you have helped me to see that our family can do this and it is going to be fun and they will actually learn. Thank you again!!!
Thanks Lil and best of luck 🙂
Hello everybody !
I’m a happy single european mother traveling the world with my 8 years old very sportive daughter … (For 2 years )
She wants a “home” now with animals and pets, but will remain “homeschooler”. We have chosen “Panama” to build a new life (In Coclé).
We’ll be there in september or october 2017.
We would like to get in contact and meet other “homeschoolers of this age. We speak english, french and spanish.
Happy lives to everybody !
Reply
This is awesome! I have a 7 year old and we are planning to move to Panama! We live in the United States right now. She is on private school now but i am planning to homeschool for next year. I want to travel with her. If i move to Panama we should have our kids meet! I am also a single mom and my kid also keeps talking about getting a bunch of animals and land.
Absolutely loved reading about your adventures and how you make home-education work for you whilst you are travelling. Some great information in this post.
Would you mind if I did a link to this post from a post I am about to publish about why people home-educate. I want to give my readers more that just my experience, by pointing them in the direction of other fabulous home-educators.
p.s. I am a newbie blogger, just starting out, so not much to see on my blog yet!
Ellie of ContentedMum.com
Of course, no need to ask. Thanks and good luck.
Thank you so much for the information here! We are in Western Australia but are selling up and travelling through Europe for 1 – 2 years. My daughters will be 8 and 11 so getting my head around this as up until now they have been at the local school. VERY excited to expand their and our horizons with travel and homeschooling. Really not sure exactly what I have to do though as far as registering as a homeschooled or distance education??
If you’re leaving the country you CAN’T register as homeschooling, it’s not allowed. Distance Ed is a pain. Just un-enroll them and leave 🙂
My kids love’s travelling we go some places that they can learn more and enhance their ability.
Thanks for sharing these great resources! We’re thinking of traveling for the year when our son would be in kindergarten, so I’ve been planning to work on grade-level reading and maths while letting the rest of his education happen organically (he loves art and LEGOs and is forever asking me science questions).
Hi! This all looks awesome! I really want to start more education programs where students learn experentially through traveling! I study biology, but I also like history and was wondering if you knew of any good history books for me to read because so much history was not taught in my traditional US schools.
I am going to subscribe to your mailing. I am wondering if you or any other family has Facebook or an easier way to communicate? I am currently trying to convince my husband to travel Europe for a year before deciding where to purchase our next home. I have questions, all these links help but would appreciate some conversation, thx!
Hi again Vanessa. Yes we’re on Facebook, there’s a link to our page on the website, or you can email me alysonworldtravelfamily@gmail.com I’ll warn you that I know nothing about Canadian regulations though.
Hi Jeanette,
We are going to travel in Italy next year. We would like to put our daughter (9 yo) into a local school so she can learn Italian. Nevertheless we expect to have to home school her for a few months before we settle down.
I spoke to a friend and she mentioned that in New South Wales it is necessary to obtain approval (presumably from the Department of Education) to travel educate children overseas. She prepared and lodged a program. Are you aware of this as I had never heard of it until I spoke to my friend.
Are you aware of any links that may be relevant. I really am at a loss at the moment.
Thanks
David
I think she’s probably wrong. If you’ve left Australia, you’re not their problem David. Wihin Australia, yes, they want you to register. Not everyone does, particulary not in NSW beacause the regulations are incredibly restrictive. No such permission to “travel educate ” exists that I know of. I can’t imagine hey would approve. My own state wouldn’t even let me submit by post from India when we were still registered. You have to be at home, doing what they want you to do, day by day and filling in the required paperwork. If anyone knows better, I’d love to hear from you. Try joining one of Beverley Paine’s facebook groups for homeschooling, or visit her sites, you’ll find the real experts there ( a lady called Tamara Kidd knows NSW regs inside out). We left Australia a long time ago now, but I’m fairly sure nobody needs, nor is granted, permission ouside Australia. If you’re only leaving temporarily, distance education registration is what they’d want you to have ( try Brisbane school of distance ed for overseas packages), this is not homeschooling. A common mistake, homeschooling, unschooling or worldschooling is not distance ed and the requirement and regultions are different. But don’t take my word for it, follow your own path of enquiry. I’m no longer even part of the Australian system, we’re British, and can’t claim to be up to date on regulations for my own (ex) state, let alone another. Cheers and all the best.
Hello dear, would you like to come to Brasil? We`re unschooling family with 2 guys, 8 and 4 years old. Our home is Airbnb and we’ll love to stay with you at our home, São Paulo.
There are many wonderfull things to do here and we can host you at city.
Next year Central/South America are looking possible !
There’s nothing in the website that you posted the link about places where homeschooling is ilegal, I think my country is one of the list, Brazil. Do you know where I can find this information, please? Thank you
Thank you so much for telling me about this Patricia. That link has been hacked, I’ve removed the spam link and put the original back in. I’ll keep a close eye on that. Thanks again.
Hi Alyson!
We are beginning our planning phase for a big 12mth trip to the US in 2018. I came across a few road blocks when googling “homeschool overseas” and “how to educate my children whilst travelling” as we too are from QLD and I thought that it would be simple to register them for home schooling program in QLD and they could complete O/S…..well as you know.. its not that simple. Your blog was very inspirational and I was so pleased reading you were previously in Australia let alone QLD too 😀 I am a teachers aide at my childrens primary school so I have a fair idea of the curriculum etc…. do you feel that your children will go back to “regular” school and if so how will they potentially compare to children of their age with writing and the subject material? The reason I ask is that our children will be 7 turning 8 in the year that we plan on going and Im concerned that when we were to return that they may not be at the level required for their age. I of course will do my best to continue their learning but it is a concern of falling behind in the “standard curriculum”
Im so excited though for the experiences to far out way sitting at a school desk
Thanks again for your great blog!
Hi Melissa. No, my children will never return to normal school. It’s not something we even think about. Should they wish to sit exams or enter university when they are older, it’s easy to arrange. I think for your kids, just do it!! Nothing to lose at all, they will fit straight back in. No child needs to spend their entire childhood in school, it’s crazy and a myth.
Alyson, I’ve read so many of your posts………but this my favorite. What wonderful references you list. The encouragement and enthusiasm. I love it.
My fav: It’s important to remember that “school” isn’t just the dull stuff, it’s easy to focus just on maths, English and science and forget that drawing, making things, reading and computer studies are important too. Let them have fun with their interests and make sure they know it counts towards their education.
^^ I tell myself something similar everyday as we approach schooling. I couldn’t agree more.
I didn’t know your youngest has a blog now. Well done! That’s fantastic.
Suzi
He hasn’t touched it in months Suzi, he’s actually on his 2nd, he had a free wordpress one, now he’s gone pro.
I am a teacher on a career break to bring up my little boy. I find this so inspirational. With the current assessment-crazy climate in UK schools, I am seriously contemplating homeschooling when the time comes. The push to do academics at a lower and lower age seems ridiculous, especially when other countries don’t start formal schooling until 7.
Good to hear Catherine and good luck. A lot of my homeschooling friends are teachers, it seems common for them to want better than the system offers for their own kids. I fully accept that not everyone could or should take it on, but for those of us who want it and have the drive and commitment, it’s fabulous.
Hi Alyson!
I am SO inspired reading your blog post about homeschooling and traveling. We have just relocated to Indonesia and my girls are 5 & 3. We’re just starting to discuss homeschooling options and I’ve been a little overwhelmed with trying to figure out what “curriculum to cover”.
My question is… you said we should keep good records (journal, photos, blog, etc.). Do you have samples you could show me of how you kept records. Also, how do you plan your curriculum for the year or how do you decide what topics to cover, and then keep track of all of it? Do you follow some sort of scope & sequence and check them off as you’ve experienced them with your children or do you not really worry about it and just go with the flow?
Thank you so much!!
Jeanette
Hi Jeanette. I keep a word document. Rough notes only. What they’re reading, what workbooks they’re using, what courses or sports they’re attending, major milestones,what online courses or programs they’re using anything. THese days I keep in month by month. So for “august” I can make brief notes if we do something significant or worthy in the eyes of the government. I keep a file of homeschooling photos too so I can track things. Because we travel, I can’t keep paper records, so I photograph things they make, write, create, do. Anything. The formal stuff ( scope and sequence) I kissed goodbye when we left Australia, gladly and thankfully. The rest, common sense, research, understanding, observation.Hope this helps. On our Homeschool Group Hug website I have actual examples of what I used to have to submit to the government. That should give you more of an idea. And good luck xx
Thanks so much for replying Alyson!
So, do you worry about keeping up with their grade level even though you don’t have to formally report to any government (since we are living overseas, we don’t have to submit reports either).
As in, do you look for a general objectives for their grade level and try to have them accomplish it by the end of the year? Do you do any planning at all before the year starts or just go with what’s around you? I’m trying to figure out where to start and how much of a plan I need to have!
Still super excited though! We just did a week-long island holiday and my 5yo snorkelled for the first time and saw all sorts of sea creatures. Will write that in my “log”!
I never plan anything! LOL, total disorganisation. No, I don’t worry about grade levels. You can easily see what the school kids would be doing from things like Studdy Ladder or from work books ( we stock up in London or buy them online). I make sure they read a LOT. I have 2 High school English teachers for in-laws and a lot of book ideas, suggestions and gifts come from them, so the boys are extremely well read and that does wonders for their English, vocb, grammar etc. On buses and trains, in cars and planes, they only have their Kindles so they read and read. Trying to follow the school progression is pointless, the kids are free to progress at their own pace, sometimes faster, sometimes slower, it’s much better that way. Also, you’ll find that because they’re with you all the time, they will learn more from you, your conversations, the things you do, places you go. Kids sitting in a classroom aren’t learning, they’re mostly being talked at, I think school is the worst place to learn things because learning ALWAYS comes from within. It’s something you do, not what somebody does TO you, the kids have to want to learn.
Oh yeah, I can just encourage you: It is as safe as you respect people and culture of the countries you visit. I used to travel with my son since he is 2 years old- Australia, Asia, South America, Europe. Now he is 12 and we are in Germany cause homeschooling is illegal… And I still try to find a gap, how I could make it… And yes, I am very worried, if my son wants to work in this system, this society one day, that I could “damage” his way…
But that’s another topic 😉
If your husband doesn’t want and you can and want, then go for it!!!
But probably I would wait till your daughter finished her school, she might need you especially now… And then, maybe she likes to explore for a while with you two before she starts her study!
What an amazing family you are! And your blog is very informative. I love travelling so much, I think it’s in my veins, where as my husband not as much. Over the last few years I have travelled ( just holiday) alone with my children. I wouldn’t want to take my older one out of school any more as she only has a year left and plans to go to uni after that. My younger one is 11 and after reading your blog, I am seriously thinking of doing it with him – just the two of us, if I can get my husband to agree. Homeschooling was a big question mark as I was worried that we might not be as committed to it. But now reading about your way of educating, it makes so much more sense. Do you think it would be safe for a single woman to travel with a child? How do you see your children’s future after the school? If they wanted to go to uni, would this way of educating them mean no uni?
Thank you!
Not at all Kirke, if they want to go to uni of course they can get in. I hope they won’t want to though, being self employed is far more fulfilling than working for somebody else ( in my experience). If they decide to sit exams they can, any time, or there are alternate education requirements and pathways in the same way as there are for mature students. I went, it didn’t do much for me, it was a 3 year party with a cap and gown at the end of it. It didn’t make me happy to go into the expected career. Maybe they’ll decide to be doctors or something, first of all I’d do my best to talk them out of it, then, if they were still convinced it was for them, we’d go about getting them admission, whatever it takes. If they’re that dead set on that sort of work they’ll be motivated enough to bang out a few exams in a year or two. Yes, safe, but would you want to ditch your other child?
This is such a great blog! I just finished my first year of “homeschooling” here in the States. We used an online school, and I’m looking to do more of an eclectic/unschooling method next year. We will be moving to Greece in the fall. I am not sure how long we will be there, but there is a law against homeschooling there. I am trying to figure out if we would be exempt from this law, since we would be there temporarily. Have you had any issues in any country? Do you know if homeschoolers from other countries are supposed to abide by these laws?
Generally if you’re not a citizen, passport holder or permanent resident, you’re fine Shani. Did you see the post on Greece? We just got back, loved it! I don’t know anything specific about Homeschooling in Greece, have you ried searching for groups on Facebook maybe? See if there is a Greece homeschooling community?
I did not see the post on Greece. Was that on this page? However, that is what I was thinking. That if I am not a permanent resident, then I’d be fine. I did try to search for some group (not an extensive search), I came across one Facebook page that was blank. I will continue to search. Thanks! I’m excited to travel, and have my three children learn new things. We may be traveling from Greece to France after a couple of years.
I just saw the post on Greece! Thanks!
So incredibly inspiring! What an amazing childhood (and education) your two are receiving. Due to my husband’s job, we are not in a position to travel full time with the kids, but do our best to make several trips throughout the year.
That said, we will be traveling in November for a couple of weeks to Sydney and NZ. Do you, as a fellow homeschooler, have any recommendations for ‘must do’s’ with a 10 & 8 year old?
We are from the US and this is our first trip down under 🙂
Thanks so much and huge kudos to you for thinking outside-the-box!
Hi Lisa, I’ve never been to NZ and 2 weeks is a very short time. Just enjoy Sydney! The aquarium is good, but if you’ve been to plenty before, maybe not, it’s expensive. Taronga zoo is good too if you’re new to marsupials, take the ferry over, you could see dolphins. If you’re not actually staying in Central Sydney there are other Australian wildlife places where you can stroke the unique wildlife. The maritime museum has some interesting stuff, last time we were there they had an exhibition on whaling, but things come and go. I haven’t been to Sydney since we evacuated for Cyclone Yazi, that’s quite a few years ago now, but it’s lovely down on the water there. Look out for Aboriginal performers and musicians. Oh, take a walk through the Botanical Gardens for the fruit bats, they’re just past the opera house.
Hi there ..im just starting out and trying to organise for my 11 year old daughter and i to go round oz in a van next year unschooling and travelling, but i am confused how to actually tell the govt and what to hand in, has anyone got actual eg’s of what is required or what a curriculim looks like that we need to hand in? thanks so much, im in Cairns and would like any info anyone has, thankyou Sam
Hi Samantha. Look here for actual QLD applications and reports ( mine) http://homeschoolgrouphug.com/category/homeschool-application-homeschool-report/ but be aware that they won’t let you travel. You have to sit still for all but short periods. They will tell you that if you plan to travel you have to use a school of distance education ( eg. Brisbane) and can’t homeschool. This is far too restrictive and isn’t really homeschooling, it’s just school, on your own. So don’t go there. Don’t mention the travelling and make sure you’re “home” when you need to be for reporting and applications, would probably be the best option. We left Australia almost 3 years ago now, once we started travelling we were forced to cancel our registration, they wouldn’t let us remain registered even if I continued to submit the correct paperwork.
I am just starting on this journey with my 6 and 7 year old boys. We have left our home country and we intend to travel, work and homeschool. I am a teacher (senior primary) and my husband has online businesses.
I am really concerned I am not doing enough…
Did you cover the Australian Curriculum and then include outside references/information? I am concerned that when we go back home we won’t be up to speed in mainstream schooling. Has anyone travelled and homeschooled for a few years and then put their children back into school?
A lot do. But it’s not our scene Gail. If my boys do exams at 16, it will be under the British iGCSE system. Worldschooling is a whole-life choice, not something to do while we travel. I reject the limited Australian curriculum. I had to follow it to an extent for 2 years in Australia and if we return I’ll be forced to pay it lip service again, but we prefer a much broader curriculum. The boys are always ahead of what the kids would be doing in Australia, in my experience.
Hi Gail
We have just returned to Australia after traveling through the UK and Europe for the better part of a year with our three girls (10, 7 & 4).
Due to our families circumstances we knew our children would be returning to the state school system (all be it in a different state to the one we left from) so I planned to follow the curriculum as best I could.
In reality it was both difficult and limiting and the narrowness meant they were missing the opportunity to learn about the amazing places they were in the world. I’m not a teacher and maybe if you are it wouldn’t be such a challenge but half the time I didn’t know what the curriculum was even alluding to (do teachers have a degree in curriculum decifering?!).
After about two months of diligently working to our schooling plan (which both the kids and I hated) we decided to do our own thing. Which a lot of the time meant no school at all. Unfortunately this meant they didn’t get more than about two pages written of a travel diary but they did get to do a lot of other things!
My girls have come back into year 2 and year 5. My year two, who struggled with everything school related has returned reading fluently and a maths wizz. My year five is noticeably nervous about writing tasks and has forgotten every times table but was actively and confidently presenting information to her class (day two at a brand new school) about Berlin and the fall of the wall.
It took a lot of soul searching to walk away from the curriculum and I was really fearful i’d made the wrong decision but in the end I figured they would know what they knew and what they didn’t they would either pick up or we would deal with at the time of coming back to school with extra work at home or tutoring. If they’d been at an international school (as opposed to being road or world schooled) before starting at their new school in Australis would the school be concerned they weren’t up with the national curriculum. No they wouldn’t. Maybe it helps we picked a school to return to that seems to have a strong disregard for the rediculous curriculum in the first place.
So that is a VERY long winded way to say skip the curriculum!!
Only thing worth keeping in mind if you plan to spend any length of time in the UK (or transiting through the UK) on an Australian passport – they are red hot on schooling at the moment and we got absolutely grilled about how we were educating the kids – had to show work books, lesson plans, etc at one immigration control point. I was kind of glad I packed all the national curriculum stuff for no other reason than it looked really legitimate!
Hope you enjoy your adventure.
Great story Elizabeth and I’d agree, if you’re travelling for a short period ( I call a year a short period) Throw the books out the window. In the UK there is no homeschooling restriction at all. No checks, no registration, all you do is tell the govt you’re homeschooling. They have no further involvement. So….kinda weird???? The only thing you MUST not do is be truant. If you’re not registered with a school you can’t be truant. This experience makes no sense at all. I suspect you and the immigration official, didn’t know the law.
A big hallo to Alyson and all the other inspiring people here!
My story is the following: I´m a single mother from Germany and traveling with my boy since he is 2 (Asia, Australia, Europe) always had to discuss against all these scaremongers, you probably can imagine 😉
I decided, Australia is the country I want to be and raise my son- I have been through a long process, saved money and after one year- I didn´t make it through the pointsystem. My son was in school already and as you may know: All kind of schooling besides attending a school is illegal in Germany. I tried but couldn´t stand the regularies here, I do so not agree with our society, way of life and school system.
One day I took all my savings and moved officially to the UK. Health insurance, child benefits, I had to quit everything. But to be honest; we just spend a few weeks in the UK, we have been one year on the track while I taught my son the main topics like maths and german grammar but mainly, I let him learn from life… His english is so great and we both learned quite a bit spanish now. It was an amaizing time, of course with ups and downs as a single Mom with a ten- years old in South America! But it was amaizing, he did grow so fast, he is so open-minded and interested in everything- we are such a great team.
We had to come back last summer as I couldn´t ignore my family anymore- they just call me not responsible and dear… I am so happy to have found this page even though you are from countries who are so much more liberal- I don´t feel so alone!!!
Well. My boy settled easily back into school, he is a good pupil but mainly he is bored and unhappy about learning stuff he is not interested in… He has been so motivated before, that´s all gone. Now it´s just about learning anything without asking and after the exam: Forget about it…
I know, that I have to do this again, I have savings left and am ready to do it- the world is calling me! But I must admit, it is kinda escape. In the end I am searching for OUR place in this world to be with likeminded people who step out of the box. If I do this again, I can´t come back here, I am afraid I can´t cheat the system a second time and Germany does have huge punishment for homeschoolers.
Dear home- un- and worldschoolfamilies, I just start dreaming… Why not getting altogether! Preparing a base anywhere lovely in freedom, a lil community! We could share such a lot, help each other- especially the time “home” while working is required to homeschool our kids!
Cheers everybody and keep on traveling with your kids, it´s just the best education in the world: To learn from the world!!!
Whoever likes to get in touch: lillllonely@gmail.com
Yve
That’s exactly what we’re trying to build in Romania Yve. Good luck to you. So even though you’re out of the country they still see your child as not being in school in Germany? That sucks. If you are living in Britain and your child is following the British rules they can still object? I met a German family like yours in Australia, on a beach once, he was a teacher, they refused to go back to Germany and be forced to put their child in the system. They were just going to keep travelling as long as possible. It’s a very scary big-brother type set up there, brainwshing almost, everyone must think the same.
Wow, wish I had read this article before we went away for 10 months, not that the kids did not thrive though, but a few of the resources would have been handy at the time. hopefully, we will get to trot off again in the next year or two!. Please add you wonderful site to traveladventureblogs.com – submit it and leave before the payment page, it will be approved. you are already on the blog roll of the site! Cheers.
I love this! This information is helping me sort out how to best plan for teaching my two kids through travel.
Hi Alyson,
I can not express enough how thankful I am to have found your blog!!!
I am a Tasmanian, with a husband and a 10 year old son.
I attended University and studied Human Movement (Dbl Major in Health & Phys Edl Outdoor Education) but was unable to complete the last 2 subjects – so unfortunately I did not graduate. I also currently work for the University in a student support role.
There is a chance of us needing to move to Laos (Vientiane) for my husbands work.
I have been doing a LOT of research on schooling options in Vientiane, but I am really not happy with any of the schools, so I am seriously looking at home schooling him.
I noticed that your family has been to Laos. Have you got any wisdom to pass on in regards to possible schools, or am I best to home school?
Also, as he is an only child, I am concerned about the interaction opportunities with other children. Any advice you have would be much appreciated.
Kind regards,
Mel
Hi Mel,
I know nothing of schools, sorry, we think home education is the best possible option, so we just don’t go there. Laos is a fabulous country, but for an only child to integrate with non English speakers, could be hard. I have 2 boys, they’re best friends, it’s easier for us. I bet there are plenty of other expat, English speakers in Vientiane, loads. Try to stop thinking that he needs to be with kids of the same age, he doesn’t, that’s what school enforces, it’s not how the real world works. Get him speaking the local language, as my boys are doing with Romanian, and I’m sure things will be even better. There is a bustling evening scene down by the Mekong, there are playgrounds, markets, skateboarders, aerobics classes and kids just playing. Hang out down there long enough and I’ll bet he’ll find playmates. I don’t know the specific rules for Tassie, but I suspect that you wont need to/be able to enroll him as HS’d if you’re living in Laos. There is no advantage in it anyway. We wish you well with your adventure.
Hi Alyson, I have stumbled across your website in an attempt to get my head around home schooling vs distance education. I live in Newcastle NSW and we are planning to travel around Australia for 6 months with a 10, 7 and 3 year old. I think homeschooling sounds amazing (tempted to continue it for longer if I can get my head around it) BUT right now I feel completely overwhelmed with all of the requirements and have no idea where to start. Do you by any chance have a checklist if what you need to do to get started? I admire you perspective on life, it is refreshing and beautiful. Thanks for this amazing resource. Kindest regards Davinia.
Davina, send me an email alysonworldtravelfamily@gmail.com Too much information to put here!
Do you know anyone who has taken children out of the NZ system? We plan to leave next March/April for a year.
I have friends who homeschool (unschool) in New Zealand but I can’t think of any travelling family bloggers from there, sorry.
i have studied natural science myself and i love to travel, been born and raised in Iran, i got married at the age of 20 and went to London, ever since i wanted to travel so started with africa and middle east, i have been to most continents and lots of places but having a materialistic partner always made it so difficult for me.
however, i have decided to move back to uk with two kids ages 6 and 7 , girl and boy, they are in Tang Hall school in York, its a beautiful city but i am so missing my traveling. they don’t have proper swimming pool and kids are really missing their outdoor swimming ,
i have breast fed both kids until alot older and i was furious by the fact that it is mandatory in dubai to go to school at the age of 4 , however we are in uk now and i just found out from a lady in Tennis class that you can easily home school kids in uk without any worrying , apparently there are lots in York,
i still want to travel though and i don’t want to stay at one place all the time, being separated i feel really lonely and everything is on my shoulder lots of paper work, home work and kids education.
my ex has agreed to pay me 1700 pounds per month until the kids are 12 and after that he will pay me around 2000 pounds per month, now i am seriously thinking of just taking off after 6 month being here and take the kids traveling and home schooling.
my biggest worry is that they will miss out on having friends and they say no to me now because they want to play with friends ,
can you please tel me if i can manage with this monthly expenses of home schooling and travelling , and also is it possible to travel with some other parents and kids ? would that be possible at all , it all seems so wild and unrealistic but i really cannot take it any more i want to be free and i want my kids to be free too.
Yes, that would be more than enough money, I feel the pain in your question. Homeschooling in the UK is totally legal and no registration is required. My boys don’t miss friends, but they have been brought up differently, they see all people, all ages, as friends, they don’t have the school mentality of only hanging out with same age kids. I think you may have legal problems, your ex husband will have a say in your decision, you will probably need his approval, there is just too much to put in a blog comment. I wish you well and I hear you.
Wow! Stumbled upon this and am so happy I did! Don’t have any kids yet but if I do, this is def the way that I’d like to go…my husband and I are digital nomads living in Chiang Mai, Thailand from San Francisco. Going on our second year here out in Thailand and then moving to Europe. We hope to travel as long as we can and have a home base in SF area. If you and your family find yourself out in CM, reach out! Thanks for the inspiration! Bookmarking this if a little one is in the cards for us…
This is such a great resource! I’m not sure where I sit on the “education” fence. My boys are in a structured “junior kindergarten” program and they love it. The best part about it is the teachers! Without them, the program or teaching philosophy would be worthless! With the prospect of long term travel in the future, who knows where we will end up, but I love all of this info. Being “responsible” for their education makes me nervous!
You don’t need to pick a side Lindsay, it’s horses for courses, not one size fits all. I know I take on a lot of responsibility and sometimes it’s a lot of work and a lot of pressure, some days I’d LOVE to be able to pack them off to school and have a rest, But it just wouldn’t work for any of us, so we don’t. I’m very, very gad we picked this route, it’s been brilliant being right by their sides, every day.
Thank you, Alyson, for doing all the work and sharing it with us. I’ve checked out many of your recommended links and see several that may work for us. All this great information pushed me to finally start my own online list of resources to work with this year. We’ve just started homeschooling as we slow travel through Central and South America. My 6-year old son and 9-year old daughter will also benefit from your experience. Thank you!!
This is a great resource Alyson. I really like how you encourage other families to do what’s right for them without judging…..one size does not fit all, even within one family. 🙂
My daughter homeschooled and also received two simultaneous undergrad degrees, a BS in music performance (French horn) and the second, a BA in liberal arts. She is now in the middle of a doctoral degree in musicology at NYU. She received a full ride scholarship to NYU for this program. As a teen she has traveled extensively to compete in world cups as a fencer. I stayed home and worked to support this global child. She speaks three languages and is learning two more currently. Now that she is on her own, I do get opportunities to meet up with her and travel together. I have wonderful times with her when we travel together..
That’s great Aly. Sounds like you missed out though.
Hi I live 6 months in new York and 6 months in Jamaica. I have a 15 year old grandson and I want to find out if I enrolled him in home school on line can he do his lessons from new York and Jamaica as I go there from Nov to may.
I’m sorry Beverly, I know nothing about US regulations, only Australia and UK. What you’re talking about doesn’t sound like homeschooling though, more distance education.
Hi again,
I originally was pushing for the homeschooling, as I thought what an opportunity to get away from the aspects of the system that we didn’t like! My husband was unsure about doing that though, partly because of not knowing where to start with working out our own “curriculum” but also because he felt more comfortable about having a record (in the form of reports against AUSVELS requirements) for if/when we ever go back into the mainstream schooling. To be honest, I wasn’t sure that I liked the idea, but in the interest of compromise we said we’d give it a try for 6 months and if it wasn’t working then we’d do our own thing. Even the teachers at the Distance Education Center said that! After doing this for 4 months now (we started schooling before travelling) I think it has worked out for the best. We’ve found that a combination of the provided school work with our own activities (which we’ve found have presented themselves in all sorts of forms as we’ve travelled around) has worked the best. There is the comfort in knowing that the kids are getting the levels of teaching they need for their grades, but there is also the control we have on when we do schoolwork, what we do, and the one-on-one tutoring that is priceless. The school is extremely flexible on when the work can be sent through, the only major deadline is half-year and full-year report writing time. No pressure on having to send things back every fortnight! We haven’t found it restrictive at all, we have a morning school session for 2-3 hours, then the afternoon is free.
Once again I’ve blabbed! I hope this has helped to clarify things. : )
Hi all! My husband and two boys (10 years and just-about-to-turn 6 years old) are 3 months into our travel adventure, we started in Singapore, and we’ve worked our way through Malaysia, Cambodia and now Vietnam (dictated by Visa length and the weather!). We both had the same concerns that all of you have raised about educating our kids. Never mind that we’re packing everything up, selling the house and car and leaving everything behind, what about the school???!!! Well, I can safely say that you WILL NOT be endangering the future of your kids by taking them out of the “school system” for a year or two. If anything, you’re making them global citizens that will never lose that bit of worldly wisdom and confidence (even if they seem a bit young now).
We come from the State of Victoria in Australia, where the approach to education appears to be a tad different to that of Queensland (where Alyson hails from). I was told that if we sell the house and therefore are not residents of Victoria then we are no longer the responsibility of the Education Department of Victoria. So basically we can take our kids out of the country and no one would know the difference! After getting over the shock, we were left wondering now what? We don’t have to report to anyone, this means we can teach our kids how we want to, but how are we going to know what they need to know to stay “current”?
We ended up enrolling in the Distance Education Centre of Victoria. I have no idea if a similar school is offered in other countries, but if it is I would strongly recommend that you use it. It follows the Australian curriculum, and all of the work is provided in booklets split into 2 week modules. I initially freaked when I saw how much work was to be done, and how many hours per day was recommended (4-5 hours), but the teachers are brilliant and understand the different scenarios of people who use this school. They confirmed that the kids are getting so much education in just travelling, and that the only thing to really stay on top of is the Maths and English.
If this isn’t an option, just stick with the principle of Maths and English. Look at the curriculum requirements of your State/Country (which should be available online and/or via the Education Department), particularly at what benchmarks your kids should be reaching by the end of the school year. You’ll probably find that your kids will surpass any of these benchmarks since they are getting one-on-one tutoring with you! Subjects like geography, history and art will get picked up as you travel. Of course there are lot of websites (Mathletics and Reading Eggs are great) to help out.
You will not fail your kids, you’re giving them such a wonderful opportunity. It’ll work!
Sorry to blab on a bit, I’m more than happy to help out if there are any more questions!
Victoria has the easiest Homeschool regulations in Australia Tania. But I wonder why you signed up for distance education when you didn’t have to? If you felt the need to register, homeschooling is far less restrictive, but as you’re out of the country you didn’t need to sign up for anything. Could you share your decision making for us? Cheers.
Love the info on this website. My hubby and I with our 10yr old son are preparing to leave California next year around June to travel the world for a year. One of my biggest concerns is the schooling part. I don’t want to fail my child, i’m having a hard time finding specifics on road school. Everything out there is homeschooling at home where theres a lot of text books and projects and touching base every 20 days with a teacher. We wont be able to carry textbooks or check in unless we are online. My son will be responsible to carry his own laptor and a workbook or two with all his other things in his backpack. When we return to the states he will mainstream back into public school, so I want to make sure he’s fully ready and I didnt miss anything.. Looking for any ideas, websites, advice to help me plan for his success.
Hi Gina, I’d love to help but that’s just not what we do, we don’t follow a school-type program at all and my boys don’t have to fit into the school system. Good luck!
I’m so excited to have found this site! I’ve just started reading it and have barely scratched the surface. This is exactly the kind of life I am trying to show my husband is possible for our family. Our daughter is 1 and we are saving every cent possible so we can retire in a few year and see the world with her (we are in our mid 30’s and already travel as much as possible). I’m nervous about homeschooling. I don’t have any examples of it in my life and I am afraid that I will fail and ruin my daughter’s prospects in life. Hopefully, by educating myself on how it’s done I can overcome that fear enough to do it! Perhaps it’s already on the site and I will find it as i read on, but can you point me to resources that may address my concerns? Thanks
It was great to come across this page as only two days ago did my husband and i have this discussion. We have always felt that kids can learn more by Travelling. We just feel that if we don’t do it in the next year or so we will never do it. My boys are 6years old and 2 years old. We where looking at the next 1year or 2 giving us enough time to get everything together and do our research properly and have enough funds to keep us going. My husband has his own business so we are able to be anywhere in the world and he can still work. With regards to home schooling i have no idea where to start. We live in Cape town, South Africa. Where do i start? As i don’t want the home schooling be a problem when the kids need to go back to school. I am in the process of doing all my research, but we looking at travelling around Australia, new zealand, thailand, bali, indondesia, vietnam, then around Europe. Then in a camper van around the States. So excited to start this journey with my husband and boys.
My husband and I just quit our jobs and are taking our kids travelling. We are in Costa Rica now and in two months will be riding tandems from Croatia to Czech over 4-5 months.
Since it is so new, I am struggling with the homeschooling (especially motivating) curriculum. I was considering investing in a curriculum where there is a mentor involved to help us with the language arts/writing aspect. My husband and I are both science minded as with our professions. What do you think about that just to help my kids with accountability and motivation? Also, how did you get your kids to enjoy reading when they don’t (would rather play video games in their free time). And lastly, I was wondering if there is a type of curriculum that caters to the new world technologies (renewable energy, computer-focus, gardening, economics, etc.) and brushes over/brief summaries of the wars/history.
Karin, for 4-5 months I would do precisely nothing! It’s a tiny amount of time. When computers aren’t available, they read, you can’t make a child enjoy reading, but my eldest adores it and often chooses his book over anything else. At bedtime they read, on buses and trains and in cars. D also reads at meal times, which kinda bugs me, but it keeps him happy. We don’t have hand held devices, so laptops are easy to escape. I have never used any sort of bought curriculum, sorry.
I learned a lot of things about homeschooling while traveling after reading your article. I traveled all the time for work and i let my kids stay with there grandparents. I think i’m gonna take my kids with me next time.
Of course you should! Gosh I’ve never been away from mine, I couldn’t.
Alyson, I can’t tell you how amazed I am to find a site like this just at the time when my husband and I are teetering between continuing on with our “normal” lives and going on a journey just like the one you’ve described! How to educate the kids while doing this was a bit of a obstacle, but I’ll be reading your blog very closely and will probably be pestering you with questions from now on! Another “obstacle” we can see is the Visas. Did you travel on holiday Visas only, or do I vaguely remember your husband working from time to time? Did you sort out the Visas as you went along? If we did this trip I think we’d like the option of being able to work if it came up. Any advice is of course appreciated! Congratulations to you and your husband for being brave enough to start a journey like this, it takes a lot of guts!
Hi Tania, we have British and Australian passports, so he can work anywhere in Europe and is currently supporting us by working in London. This is the only time he’s worked, I work on the blogs. We just get normal tourist visas, sometimes ( as in Laos) we extended them for a few weeks more. Very easy to do when you’re in the country. If you need visas for certain countries, China, Russia, maybe a few others, check the regulations, some need you to get the visa in your own country, but that;s rare. Most countries give visa on arrival.
Love this! Everything about it. It sounds like Australia is just about as easy as Texas for homeschooling (we don’t have to report at all), but how do you take what you have learned from travel and turn it into a report?
I don’t have to now Jessica, once we left Australia we weren’t their problem. In the UK there are no restrictions and we’re British, so we go with that. But back then I’d just waffle on about learning, about religion, climate, food production….whatever we’d encountered. It looks really impressive on paper.
Hi,
I am Canadian, but I have a friend from Australia with a child that will be 4 in September. She and her son would like to stay here for a year, but she doesn’t want to keep him from daycare or school for that long. I was wondering how we could arrange something to either home school him or get him registered in one of the schools here. She has no experience in homeschooling and hasn’t finished school herself. She dropped out when she was a teenager. So I doubt she would be able to register as a homeschooling mother. Any tips would be greatly appreciated.
P.S.: She lives in NSW
If she’ll be in Canada for a year the only way I know is to register with distance education in Australia ( which isn’t really homeschooling, it’s school). But at 4, he’s too young, in QLD kids don’t officially have to start school until year 1, which can be as old as 6 and a half. I’m not familiar with NSW school starting ages, but if they are the same, he’s still a preschooler and does not need to be in formal education. NSW regulations are the tightest in Australia, there is a lot of paperwork and reporting, but even so, there is nothing to stop her registering. She just needs to be able to keep up with the paperwork.If she’s out of the country she’s not bound by Australian regulations. But can she get a visa for Canada for a year?
She can come 6 months a year – but since as soon as the year switches she can stay another 6 months, she could stay a year if she comes in June. If she comes any time during a year before June she can stay 6 months.
She says he can start preschool next year, since he turns 4 in September. Which doesn’t make any sense to me at all. So basically she can’t do it. Or rather won’t do it, because of all the paperwork.
Hi there.. I live in Cairns am loving reading your articles!! I am planning to take my daughter travelling next year for at least 4months (april-july approx). She will turn 14yrs old early 2015 and be in grade 9. Am not sure what the legal ramifications are for taking her out of school for this period and would appreciate any advice? We will be going through a bit of Asia before spending most of time in Europe. I am entilted to a British passport which will organise prior to help with travel throughout Europe and would like to stay open to idea of staying longer (months!) in Scotland (where family are) at the end. Would daughter be able to go to school in Scotland?
You’d have to check with the school first, see if they will allow you to take her travelling ( they should!). If they won’t you’ll have to un enroll her and send off a Homeschool application to the HEU. It’s easy done.My applications are on our other site Homeschool Group Hug. Get in touch if you get stuck Jenna and good luck
Hi Alyson!
First of all I would like to say I love your website! We’re looking into hitting the road next year, and this website has been an inspiration. Thank you for that!
We’re preparing our own website (in Dutch), so I might fire some questions at you later about that.
Just a few things I wonder now.
Have you sold your house in Australia? I think renting ours out would be such a hassle, and I’d rather just get rid of it. My husband on the other hand would feel better holding on to it. He would feel more secure I guess. Any thoughts on the matter?
Our daughter would be 6 when we leave. She goes to school now, and I would be home schooling her while traveling. It seems a difficult age to start off, but the perfect age altogether, if you know what I mean. How will home schooling turn out at that age?
Thanks for everything and keep up the good work! Maybe we can meet up for a play date somewhere in the world next year 🙂
Hi Meilan, I’ll email you!
Thanks! Looking forward to it.
I love this! I have been contemplating teaching my four kids through travel for while. This information is helping me sort out how to best plan for this!
I love finding your site and a fellow homeschool on the go family! We lived almost a year abroad with a baby in tow in 2004, and still travel as much as we are able! (Thus, my launching the homeschool/ travel podcast Destination: Inspiration) Now, we host other travelers at our cottage 🙂
I’d love to have you as a guest on the show!
Back attcha Jen! Show? Us? OMGosh that sounds scary! We’ll talk 😉
Hi There
I’m really interested in what you are doing, as my family and I will soon be doing the same thing. We are pulling up stumps in 12 months time and heading to Europe. I have never homeschooled before, but know we will be fine for a couple of reasons. Firstly, I have plenty of friends and family that homeschool and see that they are all going along great, and secondly, because I know from experience that learning while travelling almost happens without trying (having said that, I will try!) We are in contact with friends of friends in Spain and Portugal, all of which say that is illegal in those countries to teach your children from home. Do you know if because our children are technically being educated through the QLD system that they are actually legal? Any advice is very welcome. Thank you!
QLD like you to register with a school of distance Education if you will be away long term. If you will be away for reporting time, you can’t get your registration in, you need that reporting pack that they send out to resubmit. If you are Australian and registered with QLD HEU you’re fine. But, I don’t think it’s illegal in Spain or Portugal, I’ve never heard that before, only Germany, Croatia and Sweden. But I haven’t checked. As you won’t be a resident, I really wouldn’t worry, you’re Australian. Send me an email if you need any more help with registration, I’m QLD too and an old hand at this stuff.
We are planning on travelling Europe with our two boys as soon as possible, got a few things to sort out here in NZ 1st, but hoping to leave here by mid-May. So excited and scared it’s not funny, our budget isn’t much at all, we will have to work as we travel…but still the budget is low but that isn’t going to stop us, i think showing our boys that by us having them hasn’t stopped us living our dream will be one of the best lessons they will learn..I’m actually looking forward to home schooling..I know it will be hard, but it will be worth it.
While in travel mode are there any blog posts from the children’s point of view? Like what they enjoy, what they don’t, or what they think they are learning/ have learnt? etc
Not really Gee, mostly because they don’t give you the same answer twice! I asked them what they’d learned once because another blogger ( Heidi at Wagoners Abroad) wanted to interview them for a series on travelling children. They said “nothing”. You won’t get much useful information out of them I’m afraid, they’re not interested in vocalising that sort of thing. I know what they’re learning, they don’t realise. They’re having the best fun!
Hello:
Now with online education, committed parents can get a quality education for their children anywhere. My wife and I are both educators who travel the world. She teaches online and I teach/administrate in international schools. I do not want to ever teach in a public school again, especially in the U.S. Take care.
Thanks Curtis, I think we’re doing an exceptional job of educating these kids with very little in the way of online programmes, I really don’t think they’re necessary. After two years of homeschooling before we started travelling, I could see how the learning was happening, worksheets and online repetition weren’t helping at all. But some kids enjoy them, I know. We just have Studyladder now as a sort of back up, just something to do now and then if we’ve bored.
Brilliant! An only child, I grew up home-schooled globally – along the way I learned to speak six languages; prayed in churches, synagogues, cathedrals, temples, mosques and shrines; made friends that I still have 60 years later; learned to be a world citizen; acquired 3 passports; and went on to be an epidemiologist. My children were educated the same way – now my grands are keeping up the tradition.
Journey on………………..
That is fantastic to hear Carra, really, thanks so much for commenting and sharing another homeschool success story with us all. We leave in July, first stop Malaysia, can’t wait!
I homeschooled my daughter for 5 years but she is currently in a private school. We did a LOT of learning by TRAVELING! And, I miss being able to just take off & go! Our biggest “drop everything & go’ trip was almost 2 years ago. My brother called & asked if we wanted to go to Japan in about 10 days. YES!!! It was incredible!!! And, we got back only 2 days before the devestating tsunami.
I’d love to go to Japan, Dana, I don’t think it’s going to happen this time, unfortunately, it’s just too expensive and stretching our budget for as long as possible has to be our priority. But maybe, if we get our fill of SE Asia and The Indian Subcontinent we may have enough cash left to head that way. Thanks for visiting and commenting ( twice!). I hope you’ll stick around to follow us, we’re just getting to the exciting bit!
I would love to travel around the world and let my kids learn naturally you guys are very lucky
Thanks for posting a comment Nicole, comments are brilliant, we love comments and every one gets a reply. So cheers! It may look like luck, but it’s not, we’ve put a lot of years of effort into getting our lives set up so that we CAN travel, starting with living in the grottiest flat in the world, no hot water or heating, in a British winter, whilst pregnant, renovating it for money. It was hard work, but it paid off, gave us a good financial starting point. I think anyone can do it if they want it badly enough. It’s all down to priorities and making your dreams the most important thing in your life. I’m struggling right now, I admit, with the thought of selling everything , it’s hard, I’m starting to have doubts. But stay tuned and see if we actually pull this thing off! Your day will come, Nicole, if you want something badly enough.
I have heard the ‘you are so lucky’ comment before, too, and it always stings. Now, I try to remember that sometimes people don’t mean anything by it…just a comment like saying, “How are you ?” to people and not really expecting an answer. You can make your dreams come true and we will be behind you cheering you on!