What is Digital Nomadism?

A sign of the times perhaps, Merriam-Webster added the word “digital nomad” to the dictionary in 2023. Digital nomad is defined as “someone who performs their occupation entirely over the internet while traveling.” Typically, digital nomads use wireless networking to work without a fixed address. Some people choose to work this way indefinitely, setting up shop in one place until another calls to them. Others head out for a few months or a year in a Starlink-enabled RV (or van, boat, bike, bus, or buggy), fueled by entrepreneurship, opportunity, or wanderlust. There are many ways to do it, and working while traveling is tugging at the heartstrings of more and more individuals and families!

The digital nomad lifestyle is growing in popularity, big time. Today there are roughly 35 million digital nomads, 17 million of whom are US citizens. There are nomads of all ages, all backgrounds, all professions. They are gay, straight, married, single, with and without kids. Some live in communities or hubs, others roam independently or as a family. This recent Forbes article describes several popular paths to becoming a digital nomad: negotiating with a current or new employer to be full-time remote, turning a lifestyle of travel into a business, using one’s skills to support or collaborate with other digital nomads, and turning what you love into an income-generating job. Industry analysts predict that the epic growth will continue and by 2030 there will be over one billion digital nomads worldwide.

Many factors explain the rise in digital nomadism. For one, moving through COVID equipped many more people with skills and tools for virtual school and remote work. And many liked it! Some families liked it so much they are choosing to not go back to school and instead learn in a manner where the world is their classroom, an educational approach called worldschooling. Some companies liked it so much they adopted flexible “work anywhere” policies for their employees, further contributing to the growth in digital nomadism.

Secondly, working while traveling is exciting and attractive. There are opportunities to meet interesting people, stay in beautiful and different places, lower one’s cost of living, cut commuting time, cultivate curiosity, and grow in new ways.

Third, according to a recent article in the Harvard Business Review, there’s a culture shift taking place marked by generational disillusionment. The so-called “good life” that older generations experienced feels unattainable or undesirable for many people today. With super competitive workplaces, rising housing costs, political and environmental volatility, and the empty feeling of accumulating stuff, many folks today are driven to look at alternative lifestyles like digital nomadism.

There’s one more factor that can help explain the “work anywhere” trend, and that’s digital nomad visas – a shiny new ticket to location-independent work. Digital nomad visas help overcome two limitations of tourist visas: 1) the limited time allowed in a country; and 2) not being allowed to work legally.

Visaguide.world is a helpful site for travelers.

What is a Digital Nomad Visa?

A digital nomad visa is a specialized visa that authorizes foreign individuals (and sometimes a spouse, partner, and dependents) to live and work within the issuing country’s borders. It’s like having temporary residency. The visas may be renewable and typically require the individual applying to show proof of income, health insurance, university degree, or a certain number of years of professional experience, vaccination record, clean criminal record, etc. Many countries seek to attract digital nomads and create relatively favorable terms to do that. They see the long-term presence of foreigners with a steady paycheck as a way to drive economic activity and generate a sustainable flow of income as opposed to tourism dollars, which only flow seasonally. At the same time, the digital nomad is often able to stretch their income by enjoying a relatively lower cost of living. So there is a sort of symbiosis in the arrangement. That’s not to say that digital nomadism is universally appreciated. There’s great concern that the presence of foreigners with money is causing gentrification and that locals are getting priced out of their own towns. This recent article from the Georgetown Public Policy Review takes a close look at the effect of digital nomadism in Latin America.

A day in the life of a digital nomad.

How Do I Get a Digital Nomad Visa?

In order to start the process of obtaining a digital nomad visa, you have to know where you want to reside and work, then you can look at the visa requirements for that country. Whenever possible, go to the consulate website or an official source to get the most up-to-date information. The space is very dynamic so double-check that what you are reading is current.

If you are unsure of the exact country you want to travel to and just know you want to be somewhere good for digital nomads, you can check sites like Nomad List or Digital Nomad Visa Index, both of which provide useful data to help narrow your selection. They publish information like internet speeds, income requirements, safety, and cost of living, and they provide descriptions and rankings of best places for digital nomads. Lonely Planet also has a Digital Nomad Handbook which provides a good general overview as well as specific information on several hot digital nomad locations. You might also check with one of many digital nomad Facebook groups to get the skinny on different places. Two popular communities are Digital Nomads (167K+ members) and Digital Nomads Hub (60K+ members).

Once you have narrowed down the countries, then dial in your research, gather the required documents, submit your paperwork, brush up on a new language, wait, and cross your fingers. If rejected, there is typically an appeals process.

Here’s some basic information to help you learn more about digital nomad visas:

How Much Does a Digital Nomad Visa Cost?

Application fees run the gamut from $10 to $3000, but typically they are in the $100 to $200 range. And, you may have to pay the same application fee for each family member and when/if you renew the visa.

Do I Have to Pay Taxes if I am a Digital Nomad?

Many countries offer an initial tax-free period that comes with the digital nomad visa. Others make it tax-free the entire period of the visa. Some, however, require digital nomads to pay taxes the whole time you reside in the country. For some people, paying taxes feels like an unfair burden, but it’s important to keep in mind that digital nomads use physical and social infrastructure – like roads, schools, emergency response. In this regard, paying taxes in host countries helps keep them liveable, walkable, and safe.

As for paying taxes back home, even when working abroad, you still have to file federal and state taxes because US tax law is based on citizenship, not residence. Here’s a helpful article on other tax matters and digital nomadism.

Where would you go?

How Long Can I Stay in a Country on a Digital Nomad Visa?

It depends. Every country is different. In Iceland, it’s 180 days. In Portugal, it’s one year with an optional renewal every year up to the maximum of 5 years. In the UAE it’s up to one year. In Dominica it’s 1.5 years, and in Thailand a digital nomad can be authorized to stay for up to 10 years, though this Long Term Resident Visa is rather restrictive.  So the answer is it depends.

What’s It Like To Be a Digital Nomad?

It’s amazing to be a digital nomad! It’s hard to be a digital nomad! It’s a dream come true! It’s not what I thought! To be sure, digital nomadism is a mixed bag and it’s not for everyone. What is true across the board is this – Successful digital nomads are self-starters, have good time management and budgeting skills, are motivated and self-driven, exercise patience, thrive in the unknown and have a gallon litre  liter of good luck. Digital nomads build supportive communities and tend to find each other. Here’s a quick look at the digital nomad lifestyle in three different locations to provide a little taste of what it’s like:

• A day in the life of a German software engineer, a digital nomad living in New Zealand. Thomas works part-time. His days are full of healthy meals, quiet walks, reading, and relaxing. His work day starts at 7:00 pm New Zealand time when it is 7:00 am in Germany. He typically works until 11:00 pm.

• A day in the life of a digital nomad content creator in Bangkok. This video is an example of the work of a digital nomad, Sergio, an architect gone webdesigner, now a full-time YouTuber.

• A day in the life of a business coach in Croatia. Amanda talks about her time in Split, Croatia. She is a full-time traveler and loves to share her experience and helpful information with others.

Do People Need a Digital Nomad Visa to Come to the United States?

Currently, there is no Digital Nomad Visa for the US. But even without that visa, vibrant digital nomad communities are growing across the country in places such as Portland, OR, Kansas City, MO, and Denver, CO. Keep in mind that the digital nomad lifestyle does not require overseas travel. More and more people are moving about within their own country too in pursuit of time freedom and location independence.

Ah, old school telephonic communications.

What are the Downsides of Being a Digital Nomad?

Digital Nomadism may sound incredibly glamorous, but it may not be good for everyone and it may not be good for every place. Here’s a dose of reality to help keep you grounded and realistic about living that dream.

• Uncertainty – If you set off to work remotely in a traditional job (i.e., you have an employer), your employer could call you back at any time. That uncertainty may be unsettling. (Pro tip: One way to manage feelings of uncertainty is to have an off ramp or a contingency plan. It might look like a pot of savings, a prearranged place to stay if you return home unexpectedly, or a quarterly check-in with your supervisor to keep the lines of communication open.)

• Language barrier – Living in a new country presents a wonderful opportunity to learn a new language, but making yourself understood and taking care of important business like finalizing paperwork such as leases and utility agreements while you are still learning the language can be incredibly frustrating.

• Culture shock and loneliness – It can be exhausting and discomfiting to be the new person on the block over and over again, even where there’s a seemingly welcoming digital nomad community.

• Not having a professional, cultural or social network – While some digital nomads stay digitally connected to their workgroups and teams back home, the lack of an in-person professional network can add to a feeling of loneliness. The time zone difference can also make it difficult to connect virtually with your professional peers back home. That said, there are digital nomads of every age and ethnicity, and you might find your peeps in forums like Digital Nomads Over 50, Black Digital Nomads, Female Digital Nomads, or by simply doing the things you love to do and saying “ciao” to the person next to you.

• Time zone management and digital stress – It is common knowledge that travelers need to be prepared to deal with the unexpected. The demands of work double the need to adapt and be flexible. Digital nomads have to be ready to problem-solve and pivot. While some digital nomads plan strategically to be in the same time zone as clients, the onus is typically on them to accommodate employers, colleagues, customers, schedules, holidays, and technology glitches. If traveling with kids and they are doing online school work, bandwidth may be another limiting factor. The privilege of working remotely, and I mean really remotely, comes with some tradeoffs.

• Homesickness and second-guessing yourself can make problems seem bigger than they would at home. Your usual coping mechanisms may feel remote, too, and finding a new mindset may take awhile.

Fulfilling your dream to become a digital nomad may be the greatest turn in your life and there are many, hundreds, thousands, millions of people out there ready to welcome and support you. With your digital nomad visa, proper planning and preparation, a willingness to deal with trade-offs, and a reasonable contingency plan, you’ve got this, friend, now let’s go!

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If you’re currently dreaming of doing a Wonder Year, still immersed in the planning stages, then you may not even have reentry on your

Strangely, the British Museum was a great place to wrap up our trip while waiting for our final flight home. The missing pieces from our favorite places were all right here. Lots of fodder for critical thinking skills.

radar. It might seem so far off that there’s little use in wondering how you’ll wrap it up. We’re here to tell you that many travelers find it helpful to start thinking about their return several months before they actually leave home.

Perhaps, you may plan to travel indefinitely. You plan to embrace the digital nomad lifestyle and there is no plan to reenter. Consider that circumstances may cause you to come home earlier than planned and it may be smart to have a contingency plan in place.

And if you’re currently on your Wonder Year, you may be starting to think about coming home. People end their family travel season for numerous reasons. Here are some that we’ve heard over the years while researching for our book, Wonder Year. 

• A specific date was always on the calendar
• Someone in the family is ready
• Money
• Health needs that could be better handled at home
• Needs are waiting back home: grandparents, pets, business
• A sabbatical is ending
• Time for braces (Yes, that’s more common than you think.)

Coming home is a complex event. You may have created an identity, found your groove, or decided to make some consequential changes to the way you lived before you left. As a Peace Corps Volunteer, I attended an entire three-day conference about coming home and discussed the emotions, financial repercussions, the “what next?” mental hurdles, and even the physical shifts in diet, exercise, and pace of life.

You might be debating if you can do another year, another semester, or another summer. There is so much to this decision, which is why we devoted an entire chapter of our book to it. We titled it Reentry. If you are ready to “re-enter,” then here’s a primer for you. If you want more detail, consider buying the book.

Before You Land

“Make your reentry gradual. Try not to go from treehouse living in Laos to suburban sprawl in forty-eight hours, or from RV living in Utah

A tired suitcase, held together with duct tape and love by the end or our year.

to an apartment living in Manhattan with sand still in your shoes. Instead of a direct flight home, consider driving or taking a train from the coast to a major city to help your kids visualize their unique place on this planet. You are still worldschooling, always seeing a teachable moment.” Wonder Year, page 238.

As early as possible, begin thinking through the framework to create the next chapter. This includes your career, where home will be; and schooling options for your kids. Once you know where you want to land, consider making those needed appointments with people like dentists, doctors, math tutors, movers, or accountants.

You’ll need to return to your house, buy a house, or find a rental. If you’re returning home you might arrange for a deep clean, or interior paint before you arrive so you can start with a clean slate.

Landing

Relish the fun stuff! Reuniting with pets, visiting friends and family, library, sports teams, and stocking your fridge with exactly what you want. I enjoyed many things, but high on the list was putting things in drawers and soaking in my bathtub.

“Be gentle with yourself while reconnecting with social circles. In the early days of reentry, you’re processing differently, and you’re not in sync yet. You have changed, and your friendships may rejigger themselves–some relationships may strengthen and others might wane. If you’re moving to a new place and folks know your story, you might have the awkward celebrity introduction of a Wonder Year.” Wonder Year, page 288.

Be ready for complex emotions for everyone. Some families find that their kids want to still be in close proximity for sleeping. Our tweens chose to sleep in sleeping bags in our bedroom for the first month or so. For us, it loosened up quickly, and too soon we were back to a more standard distance. 

The Months that Follow

Hold close the positives of your life on the road. It’s easy to slip back to exactly who you were without incorporating some of the new, cool stuff. For example, on the road, we watched the sun set and knew which phase of the moon we were currently in. We have tried to hold on to

Another thing we missed: homemade birthday cakes and candles.

that. We try to mark each full moon with a hike and attempt to walk dogs at sunset.

“For those kids reentering a traditional school, help them transition in the weeks before. If you feel like there were some holes in their learning, take time to evaluate that now and/or consider hiring a tutor. Reach out to old friends or, if your kids are entering a new school, ask if there’s any new student-buddy program. Having a connection can alleviate a lot of stress.” Wonder Year, page 291

Start looking at photos and printing some for the walls. Maybe make books for each family member as a gift. T-shirts from your travels can become a quilt. Think of ways to have a visible reminder of your time.

How to Keep a Worldschooling Mindset for the Long Haul

When we return to a stationary life, our mindset can still be nomadic. We can keep growing and learning, opening and adventuring, even if our pillow stays in one place. In our book, we share ideas, honed from experience. Here are a few to get you started.

• Begin to look at home as if you were seeing it for the first time. Look at the complexities, the way an outsider might view possibilities. Learn from that new lens.
• Seek out the new kids at school, the new families in town, and return the hospitality that the world showed to you. Our family learned so much about how to host and show kindness from our time on the road.
• Host an exchange student, watch foreign films, and learn a new language. In this way, you can invite the wider world into your home.
• Read our blog, “Spring Break with Returned Worldschoolers” to get some inspiration for worldschooling in shorter periods of time. The shape may change, but the open-hearted curiosity does not need to.

We hope that this post helps you feel prepared for the next step in your journey. Although you can’t plan for every contingency, you can reduce the number of surprises. Let us know how it goes for you. And for a closing thought, we hope this helps keep an eye toward the future. From Wonder Year, page 297:

“As time rolls on, you might find that your kids, now young adults, continue to identify as world citizens and carry with them a love for adventure and curiosity. Living on the road shows them that it’s okay to want a life of togetherness, simplicity, freedom, and perspectives.” 

Family Snuggle: The best part of coming home!

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Travel shows are immersive experiences and being around thousands of other travel lovers energizes and builds camaraderie. Simply put, travel shows are exciting! 

Here are four reasons we are super excited for you to attend the Denver Travel and Adventure Show this January.

Destinations to Discover

The exhibit hall is packed with representatives of domestic and international destinations, tourism boards, and travel associations. Wandering the aisles, you can strike up conversations with exhibitors while generating new ideas for your wish list of places to go and experiences to have. If Africa is on your mind, you can meet with the Africa Tourism Association, Visit Tanzania, or Gorilla Trekking Safaris in Uganda. If you are curious about scuba diving, you can visit with folks from the Cayman Islands, Fiji, Belize, and Jamaica. If you know what you are looking for and are ready to book, or if you are in search of inspiration and new ideas, a travel show is a worthwhile excursion. The destination buzz is palpable and the diversity of exhibitors in one place makes for a very worthwhile and inspirational day trip!  

People to Meet 

In addition to travel professionals to schmooze, you’re likely to meet travel enthusiasts who love to talk about their personal adventures. Not all travelers are extroverted or gabby, but for sure, at a large travel show, you are likely to meet all kinds of people with all kinds of stories. Today, there is a growing population of multi-generational traveling families hitting the road. There are travelers with one kid, two kids, or no kids. Travelers who want to travel by boat, bike, or van, and others who purchase round-the-world airfares. You’ll meet travelers who are retired and living full time on the road, and solo travelers working remotely as digital nomads. At a travel show, you can meet LGBTQ+ travelers, experienced vagabonders, or people setting out for the first time. 

One of the best travel experiences of my life came about through a random conversation that started in line for coffee. I overheard the woman in front of me talking about her recent travels in Sicily, Italy where she did a work exchange. She harvested olives on a small farm and got free room and board in a gorgeous, 15th-century villa. She told me all about her hosts, the 100-year-old olive trees, the long lunches, and ample chianti! It sounded perfect. She shared the name and contact info of the hosts and I reached out to them. It was successful! One year later, my husband, our 9-year-old son, and I spent two weeks in Sicily, harvesting olives and living in a beautiful Italian villa. 

This year, some big names in the travel space are speaking at the Denver Travel Show including Peter Greenberg, Pauline Frommer, and Andrew McCarthy. With so many interesting (and famous!) people in attendance, you just never know who might be standing in front of you in the coffee line!  

Travel Trends to Track 

A third reason to attend the Denver Travel and Adventure Show is to hear about trends, tips, and tricks that may save you time, dollars, and hassles! Travel planning and logistics are always changing, and all weekend long the featured speakers will be sharing helpful travel information. You’ll gain practical insights about seamless domestic and international air travel; tips for finding the best deals, how to stay safe and informed, new ideas for packing light and smart and what to do when things go wrong. To be sure, you’ll hear useful nuggets so bring a pen and notebook. We are certain you will leave more informed than when you arrived. 

Giveaways

A final bonus of attending travel shows in person is the swag, special deals, and chance to win giveaways. Wonder Year is doing a Kindle Giveaway valued at $99. We’ll take entries all day on Saturday and do the giveaway at 1 pm on Sunday. Five runners-up will receive a signed travel book by local Colorado authors including Jon Krakauer, Brook Eddy, Joshua Berman, and more.  Other vendors offer discounts on excursions and tours, lodging, and gear rentals and often there’s a grand prize that someone’s got to win!  

Last year we attended the Denver Travel Show as observers, taking in all that the Show had to offer. This year we are thrilled to be on the other side. I am a featured speaker, presenting Wanderlust Masterclass: A Roadmap for Epic Adventures (Even with Kids!) on the Savvy Traveler Theater stage on January 20th at 3:15. Wonder Year also has Booth 910 the entire show where we look forward to meeting new friends and sharing our book, Wonder Year: A Guide to Long-Term Family Travel and Worldschooling. I’m happy to sign your book. Use promo code: WONDERYEAR24 to receive $6 off regularly priced tickets ($20) today! #DenverTravelShow and drop by to see us!

Related posts: Wonder Year to Present at the Denver Travel & Adventure Show

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Our Presentation

We will be making presentations at both the Denver and the Bay Area (March 2024) events. In a session entitled, Wanderlust Masterclass: A Roadmap for Epic Adventures (Even with Kids!), we will help the audience prepare for their epic adventure of a lifetime. Our presentation on the Savvy Traveler Stage will include critical information about closing up life at home, funding extended travel, planning an itinerary, staying healthy on the road, and coming home when the time is right. The Wanderlust Masterclass will be valuable for curious and experienced travelers, industry professionals, parents, destination representatives looking to understand the family travel sector, remote workers, soon-to-be grandparents, and anyone with wanderlust in their hearts. 

Travel and Adventure Community

This year marks the 20th year of the Travel & Adventure Show series, which has inspired and connected over 2.1 million travel enthusiasts with advisors, industry experts, and media. The Denver Travel & Adventure show will take place at the Colorado Convention Center on January 20 and 21, 2024. The Bay Area Travel Show happens on March 16-17, 2024 at the Santa Clara Convention Center. Other stops in the series include Chicago, New York, Phoenix, Washington DC, Atlanta, and Dallas. According to recent market research, Travel & Adventure Show attendees are considered “power travelers.” They are eagerly looking to make domestic and international travel plans. They come to the Travel & Adventure Show prepared to make decisions, and 95% of attendees say they find the shows valuable and plan to return to the show in subsequent years.

We’re delighted to be among some leading voices in the travel space, including Andrew McCarthy (actor, director, and travel writer), Pauline Frommer (Co-President of Frommer Media), Peter Greenberg (Emmy Award-winning investigative reporter), and Patricia Schultz (author of 1000 Places to See Before You Die). And we can’t wait to meet more like-minded lovers of travel! In addition to a conference format with a full lineup of speakers, the Travel & Adventure Show also has a dynamic exhibition hall with thousands of travel experts offering inspiration and guidance. In the hall, attendees can meet with destination specialists and other professionals and find special promotional deals and travel incentives while making connections across a vast community. 

Come Say Hello

We are thrilled that copies of Wonder Year will be available at pop-up bookstores during each event—Barnes and Noble (Booth 906 in Denver) and Hicklebees (Booth 317 in the Bay Area). These bookstores will host author meet and greets + book signings after the Wonder Year speaking event.

We are thankful for our partnership with the 2024 Travel & Adventure Show, as our respective organizations exist for very similar reasons. We want to support all types of travelers in pursuit of a fulfilling and enriching life through travel, discovery, and adventure. We want to help them dream up, personalize, and start planning their next big trip, and we know that amazing things can happen during in-person meetings like the Travel & Adventure Show. If you’d like to attend the show this year, you can use the promo code: WONDERYEAR24 to get tickets for $12, which is $6 off regularly priced entry tickets.

A Personal Note from Julie:

I am so excited to participate as a featured speaker at the #DenverTravelShow. When I came back from 13 months of travel with my family, I had an overwhelming desire to climb to the highest mountain and shout out to everyone, “GO! Get out on the road with your family! You can do it!” Our trip was hands-down the best year ever for me, my husband, and our son. It created a backpack full of shared memories for our family and a sense of connection with people and places around the globe. 

Having the chance to be on the Savvy Traveler Stage in Denver and the Bay Area feels like being on top of that mountain and shouting to the world, “You’ve got this, friend. Let’s go!” 

See you in Denver or the Bay Area!

Come on down and say hello!

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What is worldschooling, anyway?

Simply put, worldschooling is learning through direct interaction with the world. 

Learning about forced removals in Cape Town

Worldschooling is an educational approach shaped by the experience of learning in the world. Worldschooling is a form of education that combines travel and experiential learning. Rather than being confined to a traditional classroom setting, worldschooling families believe that real-world experiences, cultural immersion, and travel can provide rich educational opportunities. 

Worldschooling allows children to learn about different cultures, languages, history, science, geography, and social dynamics by experiencing them firsthand. It often involves families traveling to other countries or regions, exploring local attractions, engaging with local communities, and participating in activities and experiences that enhance their learning. Worldschooling can happen anywhere, any season, any time of day. It just requires a little curiosity and a lot of wonder. 

One of the limitations of classroom learning is that we tend to learn about others. With worldschooling, we begin to learn from others. It’s an exchange. Learners create their own opinions based on direct experiences rather than simply repeating what they hear from others or read in a textbook. You can’t fake a personal interaction. Your kids might reach the conclusion, for example, that countries maligned in the mainstream US media are full of good and kind people. Worldschooling is fact-finding; worldschooling is peacebuilding.

Worldschooling can be:

• learning to tap a rubber tree in Krabi, Thailand
• visiting WWII sites in Normandy, France to understand the legacies of those who battled
• sourcing ingredients and learning to cook kebabs with a hostel owner in Istanbul, Turkey
• taking the Junior Ranger pledge after completing educational activities at Dinosaur National Monument
• visiting the bridge on the ferry from Helsinki to Tallinn to learn about navigation equipment
• collecting river water in your neighborhood and looking at it under a microscope at your kitchen table
• calculating currency conversion to buy Uyghur currants at the Xinjiang market
• visiting with a Ski Patrol team in Colorado to learn how dogs become avalanche rescuers
• talking with your elderly neighbor about what life was like when she was a kid
• listening to an audiobook about the ancient Mayans while exploring the temple regions of Guatemala
• learning how to say hello, goodbye, please and thank you in a local language new to you
• drawing a picture and naming the phase of the moon every night for a month from your campsites

The possibilities are endless.

Learning to weave from local experts in Laos

Worldschooling varies in its ties to formal educational structures. Worldschooling can be closely aligned with unschooling (see below), theme-driven, subject-driven, or opportunistic based on where a family is traveling and what the day presents. It can also include online learning while on the road, with students completing tasks independently or connected with remote classmates. 

Over the past couple of decades, the term worldschooling gained traction. Several traveling families who considered themselves worldschoolers brought awareness to the concept as they shared their experiences online and in popular media. You might also come across the term roadschooling. For clarity, here at Wonder Year we use the term worldschooling to mean it all. We want everyone to feel welcome whether you are traveling in the US or overseas, full-time or part-time, following a curriculum or going with the flow. This growing all-comers inclusivity around the term is also what we see reflected on the internet and social media.

Worldschooling is not something you sign up for. There’s no one to register with, no dogma or governing institution. There are many resources to help you design what worldschooling looks like for you and your family. We walk readers through many of them in our upcoming book, Wonder Year: A Guide to Long-Term Family Travel and Worldschooling.

What is Wonder Year?

A Wonder Year is a season of discovery. It is an experience of being in motion with your family and adopting a mindset of growth and curiosity. Not necessarily wedded to one year, the notion applies to any length of time–three weeks, three months or three years. For these reasons, it is also the name of our book.

Worldschooling is the educational foundation of a Wonder Year. Our belief is simply this—the world is a very good teacher, and the more interaction our children have with it through family travel, the more their hearts and intellect will open and grow. 

Wonder Year = long-term family travel + worldschooling

Finding favorite books at a market in Beijing

Can anyone do this?

You may not know this, but as a parent in the United States, you have the right to withdraw your child from traditional school and choose an alternative means to educate them. Some districts now have fully online options that you can do from anywhere. In most states, you will need to register your kids as homeschoolers. In some cases, you will need to record what you teach and how you teach it. But then you get to watch the magic unfold. What happens when your concept of education expands beyond the four walls of a classroom? What happens when you notice learning opportunities can be anywhere at any time? The world becomes your school. 

Changing his own flat on the Oregon coast

Won’t my kids fall behind if they don’t go to school?

By rolling into worldschooling, you are choosing to step forward and align yourself with the forefront of innovative educational models. Public and private schools are recognizing the value of travel as part of education. International Baccalaureate (IB) programs promote “intercultural understanding and respect…as an essential part of life in the 21st Century.” Leading universities encourage study abroad programs. Some people may say worldschooling lacks academic rigor, but the evidence will be clear when your kids return to traditional school from a Wonder Year with grit, confidence, and a global frame of reference.

What are some terms used in the worldschooling community?

• Homeschooling: learning at home rather than at a public or private institution    
• Worldschooling: learning through direct interaction with the world
• Roadschooling: a form of worldschooling that most often refers to domestic travel
• Nature schooling: using the natural world as the primary classroom; sometimes called forest schooling
• Gameschooling: a form of homeschooling that teaches concepts and skills through games like chess, cards, board games, and manipulative toys like Rubik’s Cubes  
• Unschooling: using students’ curiosities and interests instead of prescribed curricula to drive self-paced learning (more on this soon)
• Hybrid schooling: anything goes! a blend of any of the above

We hope these definitions and context help you enter the conversation and community. For a peek at what worldschooling can look like, check out our Fernweh Families posts in this blog. We hope they help inspire your own journey!

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Our first book marathon, that is. There’s a saying that writing a book is actually like running two marathons: the first is writing the book, and the second is getting news of that book out to audiences who might find it helpful and interesting.

We recently sent our book off to the printer – a milestone that capped years of endurance training and learning new skills. For each of us, Wonder Year is our first book, and every step in the creative process has required massive amounts of new learning. Close friends and family have kindly asked us about the process of how to write a book, and others have expressed curiosity because they, too, have an idea that keeps them up at night thinking, “maybe I need to write this book” (check out our blog Birth of a Book). Maybe you have an incredible story you’d love to get published. In response to those inquiries, we thought we’d shed some light on what the process of writing a book has been like for us.

The race course was a tricky one because there were so many routes from the start line to the finish, and sometimes we didn’t know which direction to run. Plus, writing a book with co-authors meant that during some stretches, one of us was ready to sprint while another needed to rest (here’s a blog on coauthorship). And the number of published books has exploded in the last several years, making for an increasingly crowded field. That said, there are a slew of resources (a few of our faves are Jane Friedman, Jen Louden, and the Write Life) out there to support would-be authors. 

Miles 1-3: Ideation

When we three authors first came together, we had much to discuss: our respective trips, what had gone well, what hadn’t, what we wished we’d known before leaving, and what we learned while traveling. We also journaled together and captured our thoughts about the experience. We then brainstormed and considered our potential audience. What problems were we trying to solve for others? Who were our future readers and what needs do they have? Through those reflective discussions, a draft outline of key ideas and interconnected concepts started to emerge…the beginnings of eventual book chapters.

Miles 4-12: Writing

This stage was all about getting ideas onto the page. Our goal was for what Annika, via author Annie Lamott in Bird by Bird, calls a “shitty first draft.” Exact words and correct punctuation weren’t important yet–ideas and creativity and voice were. Finding these meant writing, researching, writing, discussing, writing, and writing some more. Oh, and keeping track of sources as we went, so we wouldn’t have to hunt them down again later. 

Co-authorship brought a twist to the writing process. On the one hand, it was incredibly helpful to divide and conquer, and we divvied up the chapters based on our backgrounds and strengths. On the other, whatever was written then had to be shared to ensure we were literally on the same page. A lesson learned: we left each author to figure out the direction of her chapters, and it would have been more efficient to outline a direction together before launching into writing. Nonetheless, we were well aligned on what felt important to share with readers.

Refueling Station

Once we had a rough draft of several chapters (note: not all!), we evaluated ways to bring our book to market and decided to send out submissions to potential publishers. We’ll talk more about that process in a future blog post. We ultimately decided to sign with a publisher who showed great enthusiasm for our book, Wonderwell Press. Since joining forces at the halfway point, their expert team of editors, project managers, designers and marketers have been supporting our journey. 

Miles 13-23: Editing

Book editing is typically divided into three major stages – the developmental edit, the substantive edit, and copyediting. 

Developmental edit – This is a review of the major elements of the book and their construction. Our editor provided the first read-through of the manuscript by anyone outside our little team, and we awaited her feedback with bated breath. Through an editorial letter and a series of collaborative discussions, she shared that she liked our direction and found our messages resonant. She also suggested that readers needed more opportunities to connect with the three fellow travelers guiding them. We had initially leaned away from this, thinking we didn’t want the book to be “about us,” but her perspective was helpful and we added several new sections as a result: more descriptive biographies, background on why we each took a Wonder Year, and the “Stories from the Road” vignettes that now appear throughout and help anchor the book.

Substantive edit – For a non-fiction book like ours, the substantive edit looks at the organization and flow of ideas, assessing it to ensure messages are clear, consistent, and engaging. With three authors co-writing, we also had to make sure we didn’t unwittingly repeat material or contradict ourselves across chapters. Recognizing a desire for readers to be able to easily carry our book while traveling, a sharpened page count goal prompted significant content-cutting (exactly why it’s not worth spending too much time on grammar and punctuation in those early drafts). This reworking and revising also delivered a smoother blend of our three writing styles. We had worried that switching voices between chapters could be jarring to readers, but as we traded edits and helped each other with rewrites, it became difficult to tell who had written what (in fact, our editors still don’t know to this day).

Copyedit – This is the nitty-gritty phase: the line-by-line, word-by-word edit. Like whether the H in hector’s dolphins is capitalized or how to stylistically include words from other languages like khang bed. We worked with another talented editor for this round. The four of us tracked a maelstrom of changes, comments and suggestions over several iterative rounds, and collectively worked through every. single. one. Under tight deadlines. Let’s just say it involved a lot of red, and sometimes that red seemed like real blood oozing from blisters inside our running shoes.

Miles 24-26: Proofreading

Although we did our own review and passed along suggestions, this phase was primarily out of our hands and left to our publisher’s proofreading team. They made final corrections and ensured consistent use of spelling, capitalization and punctuation rules according to their selected style guide. After everything was complete and we all signed off on the manuscript, it was passed like a baton to our designer for next steps!

Mile 26.2

The (first) finish line! We wrote a book!!

Part two of this series will look at the next marathon–the one we’re running right now: building an author platform and marketing the heck out of our book.

It sure is nice to hold it in our hands.

The post How to Write a Book: the First Marathon appeared first on Wonder Year Travel.

The conversations made the final product more than the sum of its parts.

What does the collaborative writing process look like? We started with individual brainstorms for what information we wanted to include and bullet points of what would go into each chapter. Then we combined, refined, and created an outline. It was uncanny how in sync we were. After we talked through each chapter, adding anecdotes and stories, we divided them up to write our–as writer Anne Lamott famously coined–“shitty first draft.” Then, we gave each other extensive feedback, interviewed other travelers and influencers, and incorporated new information and fresh perspectives into the second and “less shitty” draft. Next we sought outside feedback, beginning the long march toward publishing.

Web conferences made the meetings convenient while we could share screens and have multiple documents open.

 How do you blend the voices of three writers? We wanted our book to read like advice from encouraging and experienced friends. Friends who are willing to take off the Instagram veneer of ecstatic travel and show the underbelly–the obstacles and the

perseverance required to take a dream and turn it into a Wonder Year. In our minds, multiple voices and points of view are the benefits of a collaborative piece of writing. In the final drafts, we each inserted a bit of our own voice to the text. Even if a chapter wasn’t first written by Angela, if we decided that it needed more of her organization and clarity, she would rewrite sections. Another chapter might need a bit more of Julie’s humor. We found that collaboration helped fill out our advice and stories. 

The paybacks to collaboration are many. First, I got to spend time with two inspirational women who share my passion, urge me on when I doubt myself, and keep me on task. Collaboration is joyful when it’s a shared passion project. In many ways, the writing of this book has been another Wonder Year for me.

Oh so many drafts!

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If you’re following along here, maybe you are thinking of heading out to travel with your family. You might be in the idea stage or even actively planning a long-term trip. Perhaps your experiences with virtual work and remote school have created new opportunities for your family, or you are simply ready to shake things up and head out on a life-changing adventure. Maybe you are already living on the road together as a traveling unit, discovering all the world has to teach us.

We call the experience of long-term family travel a Wonder Year. A Wonder Year is a season of discovery; it’s being in motion as a family and adopting a mindset of growth and curiosity. The journey can be for any length of time–be it two months, two years, some months traveling and some at home, or even an open-ended, full-time adventure–whatever works for your family.

 The educational component of a Wonder Year is called worldschooling, which is learning through direct interaction with the world. We authors believe that the world is a very good teacher and the more interaction our children have with it, the more their hearts and intellect will grow.

Wonder Year = long-term family travel + worldschooling

 This blog–and the accompanying book we’ll tell you more about soon–will walk you through the key aspects of planning, executing, and hopefully thriving during a Wonder Year. We aim to provide you with insights and inspiration as we share our experiences and offer resources along the way so you can travel with your family. 

 Welcome to your Wonder Year.

The post What is a Wonder Year? appeared first on Wonder Year Travel.

The post The Birth of a Book appeared first on Wonder Year Travel.

Maybe you’ve happened upon our site from an online search, or perhaps someone told you about our project, or then again maybe you know us and you’re wondering what we’ve actually been up to these past few years.

This blog is also an accompaniment to our forthcoming book, Wonder Year: A Guide to Long-term Family Travel and Educational Adventures. 

So, what is Wonder Year about?

Part inspiration and part how-to, our upcoming book addresses the most important and challenging questions about family travel and education. Adding to our personal experiences and insights, we conducted extensive interviews with traveling families from diverse backgrounds, resulting in a book that lyrically blends stories with tangible wisdom and practical tips to inspire.

Wonder Year, the book and the blog, is for readers who are actively planning or considering extended travel with their family. We’re also here for families who have already made the decision and are currently traveling. We hope you will find value and inspiration in the educational ideas, tips and tricks and philosophical insights. Even if you aren’t quite ready to launch, or are a family who travels shorter-term, homeschoolers who want to embed next-level field trips into your curriculum, military families who homeschool due to frequent relocations, teachers, travel guides and those interested in the “rewilding” movement, we hope you will all discover ideas and wisdom you can incorporate into worldschooling closer to home.

Wonder Year is here to save you time and worry–it is the blog and the book we wished we’d had before embarking on our own journeys.

Pull up a comfy chair, pour yourself a cuppa.

We’re glad you’re here.

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