Please tell us a bit about yourselves and your journey. 

We are a family of five Joe, Misti, Joshua (14), Melanie (14), and Madeline (12) Tokarksy. We have traveled (nearly) full-time for the past seven years. Three years of our travel was in an RV, and the last four years of travel have been via our two overlanding rigs.

We focus on experiential education, environmental stewardship, volunteerism, and family values achieved through off-grid living and remote travel. As a family, we made a pact to share our life and travels with the world so that others could experience the true beauty of the world through our content. We started our journey with a simple blog, documenting our adventures, sharing photos of our favorite destinations, and providing tips for fellow travelers. Our passion for exploration led us to breathtaking landscapes, vibrant cultures, and unforgettable experiences. Our journey is not without its challenges, but the connections we’ve made and our impact on others made every obstacle worthwhile.

Joshua and Madeline Tokarsky– Hiking the fins in Arches National Park, UT – 2019.

What was one of the most important ingredients in getting your family on the road – what did you do that worked out well? 

Letting go of “stuff.” We sold our two homes and most of our furniture, and kept downsizing. The less we own, the happier we are! 

What’s outside your window right now?  

We are currently sitting in a cabin on top of a mountain, overlooking what is called the Grand Canyon of Arkansas. It’s the deepest valley in the state, and it’s beautiful! I am fascinated by the surprising beauty of the Ozark mountains, along with all of the creeks, rivers, and waterfalls that are abundant here in northwest Arkansas! 

Calypso (4Runner) and Castaway (Jeep) at Boar’s Tusk, WY – 2023.

What have you discovered about your family by being on the road together?

Our family travels taught us the value of togetherness, the importance of exploring the world, and the joy of creating unforgettable experiences as a family. Our adventures took us to new places, exposed us to different cultures, and created memories that would last a lifetime. 

During our travels, we learned to appreciate each other’s company without the distractions of everyday life. We laughed, explored, and overcame challenges together, and in the process, we grew stronger as a family.

What does community mean to you, and how have you found it during your travels?

Honestly, you can find community wherever you go! The world is full of amazing people with epic things to teach you. It’s the feeling of belonging, of being part of something larger than myself. It means knowing that I can count on my friends for help, support, and friendship. Community means looking out for one another, sharing both joys and sorrows, and working together to make wherever you may be a better place for everyone. It’s a feeling I carry with me wherever I go, and it’s something I strive to recreate in every community I become a part of.

Joe making coffee in the back of the Jeep – 2023.

Is there another traveling family you are particularly inspired by?

Yes, I am very inspired by We Harts Travel (Korey and Anna Hart and their four children). They are a tightly-knit family of six who cherish their strong family bond and create incredible experiences for their children through world travel!

What do you wish a fellow worldschooling family had told you before you left home?

Don’t stress about curriculum, testing, how many hours of traditional schooling your kids get…they are always learning, and so are we! Experiences are the best education! 

Joe and Josh – Snowmobiling in Granby, CO – 2024.

Metaphorically speaking, what is something you’ve lost and something you’ve found during your journey?

I’ve lost the worry about the expectations and the judgment of others. I’ve found myself and strengthened my relationships with my spouse and my children. (Or maybe, I’ve lost my mind but found my soul)! Either way, I am a better mother, wife, and human because of my experiences on this journey.

One of our favorite things about our Fernweh Family series is to see the varied and unique paths each worldschooling family takes. Overlanding is a powerful and adventurous one! Misti and family share their journey and the traveling lifestyle through social media and podcast series. Check them out:

Instagram

@barefootoverlander

@ladyoverlander.radio

Podcast – Lady Overlander Radio

Also:

The Day We Make website has links to their family blog and YouTube channel. So fun to follow along!

Joshua and Madeline – Taking a break on Goat Bluff Trail, AR – 2020.

The post Fernweh Families: The Tokarskys appeared first on Wonder Year Travel.

I connected with Ashley Davis as we were leaving our campsite in Galveston, Texas. My husband and I hadn’t spent much time in the “yard” of our site that week, so we hadn’t met as many of our neighbors as usual.  As we were breaking camp, I glanced next door and noticed a nicely kitted workout space in our neighbor’s fifth wheel. Figuring that might point to full-timers, I struck up a conversation with Ashley and her husband, Lennon. We quickly connected over our love of RV life and expressed a shared wish that we’d met sooner during our stay. In lieu of more time together, Ashley thoughtfully offered to share more of their family’s story here in our Fernweh Family series. We know you’ll enjoy meeting the Davises, too.

Please tell us about your family. 

Lennon’s background was in manufacturing and he made the shift to a new career field as a drone pilot shortly after we got on the road. He’s also a reservist in the Air National Guard. He’s always loved to travel. I work remotely as a Marketing Manager; together Lennon and I also work as video content creators for brands. I’ve always loved travel and grew up going abroad more than state-side, so a life of travel is a literal dream. Lennon and I traveled quite a bit together before we had our son. Ace is 5 years old and the light of our lives. He loves traveling full time and is always excited to go to new places and try new things.

Please tell us a bit about your journey.

Lennon and I have been together for 15 years, married for 10. We’ve lived in 3 states together and owned 3 houses. Every time we were in a house we never felt “settled.” It always felt nice, but like something was missing. We’d moved from Charleston, SC to Pennsylvania to be closer to family back in 2019, and while that was great and we enjoyed our time with them, COVID hit and we felt so incredibly trapped. We had a big beautiful house, but what did that really matter or mean? 

Lennon and Ace walk to the Washington Monument in D.C.

I came to Lennon with the idea of RV life after seeing someone doing it online, and he was interested in it. We actually drove around Iceland in a camper van back in 2017, so an RV seemed like it would be significantly simpler! We talked more about it and agreed it was what we wanted to try. Neither of us had lived in an RV or even spent time in one before buying ours and hitting the road. But, we renovated our house, sold it during the height of the market, researched the RVs that were best suited for us, and got ours. 

We already planned on homeschooling our son even in a house, so that was not going to be a big change for us. We hit the road at the end of April 2022. When we first started out, we hit a new state once a week for 7 weeks and while it was fun, it was exhausting. It felt too fast-paced like we couldn’t enjoy where we were enough, so we slowed down tremendously, and now we spend at least 3-4 weeks in each location, sometimes more, sometimes less. Our goal is to hit all 50 states and then make our way through Central America. But we are in no hurry! We also plan to continue mixing international travel in–our goal is four trips per year abroad…maybe more someday!

The Davis family at the immersive art exhibit WonderSpaces in Austin, TX

What was one of the most important ingredients in getting your family on the road–what did you do that worked out well?

We discussed the idea for a while and didn’t just jump in. We researched heavily and created a plan to achieve our goal. We knew we wanted to buy the truck and RV outright to not have payments on these items because debt heavily weighs you down. So, we renovated our house and sold it at the height of the market to capitalize on earnings. This was the best thing we could’ve done. We also had to ensure we were in a good place in terms of income, since Lennon quit his day job and I would be working remotely. 

What’s outside your window right now? What fascinates you about where you are?  

Right now I am looking at palm trees on one side and the Gulf of Mexico on the other. This is our first time in Galveston, TX, and it’s definitely beautiful. We’ve spent this winter in Texas, mostly because I thought it would be warmer (oops). I think what fascinates me about this particular area is how it doesn’t feel like “Texas.” Whenever I envision Texas, I picture cowboys and ranches and farms, maybe some desert. I thank movies for these depictions. When it’s actually warm here you feel more like you are on an island or in a tropical climate. 

Can you describe a time when learning for your child or family happened organically and profoundly…when you learned outside any “plan” you started with? 

As I mentioned, we always planned to homeschool. But with travel, our son is learning things where they have actually happened, or experiencing them in person. I think had we stayed in a house, we’d be doing a very specific program and while the education would be there, it would’ve been drastically different. Instead of reading about everything in a book, or watching it in a movie or documentary, he gets to learn about it in person. He’s seeing and doing so much, all the time, and getting endless information, but it’s also fun for him. I truly can’t imagine him trying to sit all day in a classroom, it feels so incredibly foreign.

Lennon and Ashely in front of Seljalandsfoss in Iceland.

What have you discovered about your family by being on the road together? 

How much we truly love being together all the time. I’ve heard of families full-timing only to learn they don’t mesh well in such a small space and so much togetherness, but we love it. Our only regret is not doing it sooner. 

What does community mean to you, and how have you found it during your travels? 

This community is incredible, especially fellow full-timers. We love meeting other traveling families on the road. It’s great when you meet people you can relate to in so many ways, and usually when they full-time with kids that also means they homeschool. Our son is so incredibly social, so when he gets to meet other kiddos on the road and make new connections, he is ecstatic. This community is always eager to help out one another. It’s like a beautiful traveling “village,” if you will. We’ve met friends on the road that we’d never have met if we didn’t get on the road, friends who I believe will be lifelong. We’ve also met friends who we plan to caravan with in the future. 

Are there other traveling families you follow online who particularly inspire you?

Oh goodness, yes! I didn’t know how many people actually full-timed until about 5-6 months on the road. I started discovering more people online which was really awesome. I’ve made some really close friends via Instagram which sounds so crazy, but it’s so awesome. Some families and couples who really inspire me are @outherewandering, @gills_on_wheels, @heartandsaultravel, @georgeandcris, @wanderlusttravelcouple. 

What do you wish a fellow full-timing family had told you before you left home? 

To really spend some time in the RVs and write out a list of must-haves. I did so much research and knew we wanted a separate room for our son, but mistakenly thought that could also double as an office, and that hasn’t really worked that way. If we went back in time, we’d have opted for a toy hauler instead of our current fifth wheel. It’s kind of like buying your starter house and learning what you do and don’t want for your next house. Now we know, and we will make our next decision according to what we’ve learned. 

What’s your favorite story to share about this experience? 

Not sure I would say it’s a story exactly, but something we didn’t realize would happen is the complete lack of interest in settling down in one location now. In fact, traveling has made it way harder to determine where we’d want to be! We love something about many places we’ve been to and have so many places we want to see. We know we’d want to be someone warm, but have no idea where that would be! We plan to do this for at least 5-7 more years.

What are you excited about doing next?

We are so excited to continue our journey in general, but we specifically look forward to visiting all 50 states and continuing to add in international trips. I think we just love the journey itself, because that is what it’s all about, and it is something we are always excited about. Now that we are constantly traveling and having endless new experiences, I can’t imagine not doing it.

Thank you so much to Ashley, Lennon, and Ace for sharing their story with us. To follow along with their journey, find them at:

Instagram

Facebook

TikTok

YouTube

You can also check out other Fernweh Families on this blog to get inspiration for your own adventures.

Fantastic view from the front of the family’s rig in Key West, FL.

The post Fernweh Families: The Davises appeared first on Wonder Year Travel.

Below, Jamie shares a bit about their experiences in her own words.

Please share a bit about your journey.

When I was in college, I had my first opportunity to live in another country when I went to Baja, Mexico for a 6-month school program. It changed my life. I loved the experience of being immersed in another culture and thoroughly enjoyed the beauty that surrounded me with the people, their way of life, and the natural landscape. It was an experience that I have wanted my son to have. I had been looking for opportunities for a while and more so in the last few years, knowing my son would not want to be going on these excursions with his mom much longer and leaving his friends and his activities. An opportunity came my way last year and I was able to start up my own business and make enough money to be able to travel and work. 

Jace making a bowl in pottery class.

What was one of the most important ingredients in getting your family on the road – what did you do that worked out well? 

Determination. I had my mind set and was going to do whatever it took to make it happen, which included finding someone to take care of my house and dog for a month, setting up my business to still function while in Peru, getting his dad on board for this trip to Peru, saving up enough money to be able to go, and not letting my anxiety about such a huge undertaking so far away from home stop me.

Why did you decide to attend a Working Without Borders program? How did it fit into your overall journey and worldschooling plan/approach?

I had a childhood friend that I had reconnected with on Facebook recently and was reading her posts on her worldschooling journeys. As soon as I saw what she was doing, I thought to myself, “This is it!” Working Without Borders was the perfect program for me because it offered programs that were during my son’s summer break. I felt a month-long program was the perfect amount of time for us. It was long enough to really get to know the area and the people and he could still have half his summer to do other things at home. WWB also had everything planned out for us, including safe and comfortable living arrangements, transportation, schooling, after school classes, and weekend adventures. 

Where was the WWB program you attended? Please tell us what the experience was like for you and your son. Are there specific aspects of the program you feel are a good fit for single parents?

We attended the Sacred Valley program in Peru. It was the most wonderful experience and was above and beyond my expectations. Jace left for classes at a local school around 7am and returned around 5pm after attending different classes after school each day that taught the visiting kids about local cooking, music, outdoor adventure, art, and pottery. While he was busily engaged and learning during the day, I was able to do my job remotely from my home office–my bungalow’s back patio overlooking a river and mountains! Jace was totally immersed in the culture and made friends with local students in spite of the language barrier, and that was one of the most important experiences I wanted for him. 

What are the lasting impressions of your WWB experience? How has it impacted you and your son?

It was an incredible eye-opening experience that allowed my son to experience getting to know kids from another part of the world and to learn how much they had in common, as well as understanding and appreciating the cultural differences.

What are some of the unique aspects of long-term travel and/or world schooling as a single parent? What do you wish you knew before you started, or what would you like to share with other families before they launch?

It was financially difficult to come up with the money and it was a little scary to be the only available on-site parent being responsible for making decisions for my son in a foreign country.

Learning how to harvest potatoes with members of the Huama Community.

What does community mean to you, and how have you found it during your travels? Have you attended other organized programs besides WWB?

Community is essential to thrive, to learn from others, to share experiences with others, to make this world a better place. WWB provided a great community for all the families who participated–both visiting families and local families. Building community is one of the best strengths of WWB.

What have you discovered about your family by being on the road together?

I loved traveling with my son, Jace, and this experience reaffirmed my belief that he is an incredible human being. I am constantly amazed and impressed with who he is becoming. His willingness to try new things is delightful. It is not easy to go to a totally new country without friends, cousins, or siblings. His trust in me and my decisions for this trip humbled me. He took all the new experiences in stride and fully participated in all the opportunities and adventures the program provided him. He even handled being the only boy of the visiting families without complaint.

What’s your favorite story to share about this experience?

On the last day of school, the local teachers and students held a gratitude ceremony that was heartfelt and beautiful. The students, both local and visiting, all went around a circle and shared words of gratitude. At the end of the ceremony, my son was surrounded by a large group of kids chanting his name and giving him hugs. He was loved. He had made his mark. This is exactly what I had hoped would happen for him.

What are you excited about seeing/doing/learning next? 

I would love to go on another trip next summer with Jace. If we cannot afford another extensive trip abroad so soon after Peru, then I am hoping we can visit a National Park or two this coming year.

From the Wonder Year team: We so appreciate Jamie telling us about her family’ travel experiences, including the time she and Jace spent attending a Working Without Borders program. If you are interested in learning more about WWB for your family, you can start with the blog post here.

One of the many dishes the kids made in cooking class.

The post Fernweh Families: the Neilans appeared first on Wonder Year Travel.

We’re the Hunter family; Kyla (mom), Randy (dad), Calais (2010) & Kacela (2012). We consider ourselves part-time, full-time travellers. We have a house in Canada we call home for about half of the year and spend the other half travelling together.

 Please tell us a bit about your journey.

I’ve wanted to visit Machu Picchu since studying Peru in Grade 7. It’s one of the things that sparked my early wanderlust & curiosity about the world. It was so special to finally get to see it, and to be able to share the experience with my family.

Our first BIG trip was a 12.5-month gap year in 2017/2018. We backpacked through 30 countries, travelling by every mode of transportation imaginable! When we started to plan our route, we had 2 rules; no English & no Western countries. We broke this rule twice, because we had to! We travelled extensively through Asia, spent a bit of time in the Middle East, then transited through Germany to spend ~4mo in Central & South America. (We flew from Panama to Ecuador via Toronto, Canada for my cousin’s wedding!).

That trip solidified our desire to spend longer periods of time travelling. We returned home, purchased a 2003 Land Rover Defender & spent COVID converting it into an overlanding vehicle. We’re currently driving it around the world, in 3-6 month chunks of time.

What was one of the most important ingredients in getting your family on the road – what did you do that worked out well? 

Involving the kids in the planning phase, even at a young age, was immensely helpful in getting everyone on board & getting us on the road. This was also hugely important to keep up while we were travelling. We always talked about our plans ahead of time. This way everyone knew what to expect and it helped eliminate the feeling of being out of control. 

What’s outside your window right now? What fascinates you about where you are?  

The pyramids were a special place for me, because they broke me out of my travel fatigue. We’d been on the road for 8 months, seeing and doing incredible things constantly, and I was travel-tired. Walking inside the 5000-year-old pyramids snapped me right out of that! They are truly incredible, everything I imagined they would be!

I’m currently in Norway, looking out the vehicle window at the spectacular fjords. The natural beauty of this place is breathtaking, even in the rain!

Can you describe a time when learning for your kids or family happened organically and profoundly…when you learned outside the “plan” you started with?

Learning happened constantly, even if we weren’t looking for it! We didn’t have an education plan when we left for our gap year, but we took every opportunity to incorporate organic learning into our travels. We discussed currency exchange & figured out the value of things in our home currency. Learning also happened at museums and temples, on transportation and hikes, during meals & everything in between. 

What have you discovered about your family by being on the road together?

We really like each other!! And we always have each other’s backs. We got into a great rhythm when it was just the 4 of us. It surprised me how resilient we could all be when required, and how we’d step in for each other when one person’s resolve was failing. It was so incredible to watch our girls get comfortable in uncomfortable situations at such a young age. 

What does community mean to you, and how have you found it during your travels?

The Taj Mahal was something the girls knew about prior to our travels, and they were very excited to see it! To make it even more memorable, we had visited the Gur-e Amir (Timer’s tomb in Samarkand) earlier in the trip, which was the inspiration for the Taj Mahal. We all felt more connected to it because of this, it made it more meaningful.

We’re all extroverts who love community. We love connecting with others and have made this a priority while travelling. During our gap year, we met up with many other families who were on similar journeys, many of whom we initially connected with on social media. Nowadays we still connect with people on social media, but we also participate in World Schooling pop-ups & meetups. It’s the best way to connect with other families living a similar life. 

What do you wish a fellow worldschooling family had told you before you left home?

I wish someone would’ve told us to slow down and savour the journey. There were definitely times when we moved too quickly and everything turned into a blur! But, we’d also get restless staying in one place for too long. There’s a great balance there somewhere, and I wish we would’ve taken the time to find it early on.

Metaphorically speaking, what is something you’ve lost and something you’ve found during your journey?

Our gap year made us appreciate just how much there is to see in the world, and the realization that a lifetime is not nearly long enough to see everything we want to see! We lost our desire to stay at home for any extended length of time & the ability to be content just staying home. 

We found a deep connection to the world, and an insatiable desire to explore as much of it as we possibly can. 

What are you excited about seeing/doing/learning next?

We are currently (slowly) driving our Land Rover Defender Gimli through every country in Europe. And while Europe is truly incredible, we’re excited to eventually get to places that push us out of our comfort zone again. For that is where we truly feel like we’re growing, learning, and going on an adventure.

My blog is https://www.whereistheworld.ca

And social media (FB, IG) are @whereistheworld

Thanks for sharing your story with us, Kyla and the gang. Like all of our featured Fernweh Families, you inspire and help us all have a bit more wonder in our lives. Safe travels!

The post Fernweh Families: The Hunters appeared first on Wonder Year Travel.

Please tell us a bit about your journey.

In 2005, Austin and I moved into our very first home together: a tiny popup camper. We lived in that camper for months and traveled to all 48 contiguous United States and as many National Parks as we could. It was the trip of a lifetime, and we have wanted to recreate as much of that experience as possible for our children. We spend most of each summer road tripping in our camper (a larger popup to make room for the 5 of us plus a dog!) and we recently got a Sprinter van as our new tow vehicle to increase our adventure options. We take advantage of pretty much any opportunity to travel, and plan to take our first international trip as a family at the end of this year.

Austin and Mariah moving into their first home together in 2005: a popup camper named Donna.

What’s outside your window right now? What fascinates you about where you are?  

Can you describe a time when learning for your kids or family happened organically and profoundly…when you learned outside the “plan” you started with?

My husband and I have been visiting National Park sites together for many years. Our favorites tend to be the ones with beautiful natural landscapes, abundant wildlife, and opportunities to immerse ourselves in nature. However, earlier this summer we happened to be near Castillo de San Marcos National Monument in St. Augustine, Florida. This National Monument preserves the oldest masonry fortification in the continental United States. Originally built by the Spanish, the fort holds 450 years of history. We weren’t sure whether the fort would even interest our children, so we were astonished to discover that our middle kiddo became absolutely absorbed within moments. This became an organic learning experience for both of us! My 9 year old started to piece together his interest in weapons and military things with actual U.S. history, and I came to the realization that I need to take my children’s unique interests into consideration when planning our travel routes. In the future, we plan to incorporate many more historical sites and battlefields in our travel routes!

This summer in their current home on the road, Zephyr

 

What have you discovered about your family by being on the road together?

Travel teaches kids amazing amounts of adaptability, and has helped our children learn that experiences are more important than things. These life lessons helped our kids remain resilient when we recently experienced a tragedy. In December 2021, along with 1,000 other families in our Colorado hometown, we lost the only home my children had ever known in the Marshall Fire. Our house and entire neighborhood burned to the ground, and nothing was saved from the blaze. Of course my kids were sad to lose all their favorite possessions, but they also understood that if we stayed close as a family we could get through anything. I truly attribute much of the strength of our family to the experiences we have had while on the road together.

Is there another traveling family you are particularly inspired by? How are they inspiring?

What do you wish a fellow worldschooling family had told you before you left home?

Boys, 7 and 4, proudly show their junior ranger badges along Hurricane Ridge in Olympic National Park.

What’s your favorite story to share about this experience? 

Stuck in the North Dakota mud, along the Enchanted Highway!

I think it’s funny how some of the strongest memories I have of our time on the road often come from adversity. We recently drove the”Enchanted Highway” in North Dakota, which, despite its name, is basically just a couple of large sculptures in the middle of huge stretches of corn and sunflower fields – nothing life-changingly exciting, but we figured it might be more interesting than a regular highway. However, it had been raining for several days in a row, and as we pulled into the parking area to look at one of the sculptures we got our van and popup camper ridiculously stuck in some thick, clay-like mud. While our van does have 4WD, we weren’t able to turn it on once we were already stuck! So, there we were, alone with 3 small kids and a dog with our van and trailer super stuck in the mud. Luckily, we were prepared with traction mats and a tow strap, but we still had to get really creative. We ended up having to unhitch, fight the van slowly out of the mud so we could get the 4wd turned on, and then tow the camper out of the mud with the tow strap so we could get to solid ground to re-hitch. In the process my husband and I got absolutely covered in mud! Was it fun? Definitely not! But I’m proud of us that we didn’t panic and we worked together on the issue until we solved it – and our kids got to watch us do that. And now all of us will certainly remember North Dakota’s Enchanted Highway forever!

What are you excited about seeing/doing/learning next?

Thanks to Mariah for sharing inspiration and an important perspective. To follow along with their journey, you can find them at @zephyr.travels. Also if you’re a family facing chronic illness, check out Mariah’s website mamasfacingforward.com.

Check out other Fernweh Families on this blog to get inspired and learn all the different shapes your Wonder Year might take.

First trip as a family of five to Mount Rushmore

The post Fernweh Families: The Z-Leaches appeared first on Wonder Year Travel.

Maxime stretching across a “rock fall” area in Capitol Reef National Park

Our fifth Fernweh Family are the Lebobes. A French-American family, the Lebobes were living and running their own business in Italy prior to launching their long-term travels. We caught up with Terry (41), Guillaume (44), and their three sons Maxime (9), Léo (7), and Noah (5) as they were tent camping in the Southwest United States. 

Please tell us a bit about your journey.

We were originally inspired by friends to do a 3-month trip in the summer. But after realizing how complicated it would be to organize

The boys made some friends who lent them their transparent boat in Moalboal, Philippines

putting everything on pause for three months, we decided to go all the way. We left our jobs and sold our business to travel for 15 months. We initially expected to be traveling more slowly but with one-month visas and a compelling desire to see everything, we have traveled more quickly than planned! We usually spend between four days and a week in most places. We tend to crave more time in places close to nature and move relatively quickly through cities as we find that we are all happier in nature! 

What was one of the most important ingredients in getting your family on the road – what did you do that worked out well? 

Selling our business and renting out our home were two essential yet potentially challenging items we needed to achieve before making this trip a reality. But in both cases, the universe was on our side. We found friends and acquaintances for both almost immediately!

What’s outside your window right now? What fascinates you about where you are?  

Does a tent window count? We’ve been camping for the past three weeks on a road trip through some of the most amazing American national parks of the southwest. The geology and nature in these places just take our breath away! 

Can you describe a time when learning for your kids or family happened organically and profoundly…when you learned outside the “plan” you started with?

We have learned so much about geology! We knew we would learn a bit but the US National Park Junior Ranger programs have sparked an incredible interest from the kids to learn about how these wonderful rock formations were first created! 

What have you discovered about your family by being on the road together?

That our kids are incredibly adaptable and can thrive in many situations if we give them the opportunity! For example, now they can sleep anywhere (and we parents almost can too).

Noah making art with nature in Canyonlands National Park

What does community mean to you, and how have you found it during your travels?

We have had less of a community than expected during our travels but we have met a surprising number of families traveling long term and have connected well with them! We clicked immediately with several of those families and have kept in touch and even met up in subsequent places on the road. 

What’s your favorite story to share about this experience? 

Seeing elephants in the wild in Sri Lanka! We prefer to avoid visiting zoos or even elephant sanctuaries, anywhere where animals are in captivity, so we were very excited to go on a safari in Sri Lanka to see elephants in the wild. And it did not disappoint! We spent hours

Working on zip line and jumping skills in Laos

following around an incredible group of 20 elephants and it was definitely one of the most amazing experiences of our trip. 

What are you excited about seeing/doing/learning next?

We’re excited to see where we will be one year from now as we currently have no idea! We will be returning home to our house and school for one year but the kids want to do another year of travel and the parents need to figure out what new business we will create! We are excited about the possibility of moving long term to a new city in Europe but only time will tell! 

We appreciated Terry and her family checking in with us to share a bit about their many adventures. To follow along with their journey, you can find them at @greentribu.ontheroad and  facebook.com/greentribu.ontheroad. 

Check out other Fernweh Families on this blog to get inspired and learn all the different shapes your Wonder Year might take.

The post Fernweh Families: The Lebobes appeared first on Wonder Year Travel.

Our fourth worldschooling family are The Salty Vagabonds: mom Amanda (36), a retired Air Force Veteran, dad Alex (36), and their children Addison (15), and Audrey (8).

Please tell us a bit about your journey.

Helping with the Todo Santos turtle release

If I’m being completely honest, our journey has been somewhat of a roller coaster. We originally went into this lifestyle on a one-year plan that started in 2018…not knowing we would move onto our boat and have our lives flipped upside down (literally) within three months. Our journey started in Panama City, Florida, and took us across the country to Olympia, Washington, after Hurricane Michael changed the entire trajectory of the life we thought we had planned. We spent a year and a half finishing a new boat for our family to live in, moved onto it during COVID in 2020, and sailed it down the entire U.S. west coast in 2021 and into La Paz, Baja California early 2022. This last year we went to Europe and spent a few months there, a few months road-tripping the United States, and just recently got back from spending a couple of months in French Polynesia. We travel full time and home base from our sailboat seasonally, with plans this summer to head to Asia for a few months. We’ve found that our family does best with slow travel, which fits well with our “boat life” lifestyle. 

What’s outside your window right now? What fascinates you about where you are?  

Currently we’re back in Baja California, living in a marina with the most beautiful sunsets. We leave this week to travel up the Sea of Cortez to explore the coast. We’re most excited to see new species of sea animals that we’ve never seen in real life and to continue learning Spanish as a second language for all of us. The Gulf of California is said to be the aquarium of the ocean, and we’re so excited to get to experience it hands-on. 

Listening to the audio tour at the Tahiti Musuem

Can you describe a time when learning for your kids or family happened organically and profoundly…when you learned outside the “plan” you started with?

We recently got back from a trip where we spent some time in French Polynesia. This trip was different because I usually have the girls do their planned school work while we actively travel, but this time I decided we would completely leave it behind and just fully be present in whatever we did for the day. One afternoon, we decided to check out a museum specific to learning about the Tahitians. We were offered an add-on option to get the audio tour, where you plugged in the number for each exhibit and then listened. I normally skip these things, but this time we decided to get it. Literally the best decision ever! I was so surprised how both girls went off independently and experienced the museum in their own way. Audrey would come back to me excited and want to tell me an interesting fact she just learned. Addison enjoyed taking a deeper dive into the topics that interested her more, too. At the end of the audio tour, we all got together and then discussed things that we found surprising throughout the rest of our trip. It also helped us better understand the culture and relationships between things we found scattered throughout the islands we visited on this trip. 

Audrey and Addison in front of Big Ben

Is there another traveling family you are particularly inspired by? Why are they inspiring?

Worldschooling looks different for many families, and there are so many families that inspire us to travel to new places. I particularly enjoy watching the adventures of the family With the Blinks: Find the Magic in the Everyday. Diana is always sharing some pretty awesome packing tips, as well as interesting travel she takes her kids on. Another family I enjoy is @topflightfamily. While sometimes unrelatable to us because of their family’s luxury travel, I enjoy Carmen’s travel tips that she shares weekly on her Instagram stories. They’re also a POC family, and it’s inspiring to see other families like us out there following their travel dreams, too. 

What do you wish a fellow worldschooling family had told you before you left home?

That you’re leaving this lifestyle behind for a reason–be mindful about not getting stuck in the same routines that will essentially limit you and box you right back in. 

What I mean by this is that there will be so many people who will not understand why you’re choosing this lifestyle for your kids. There are going to be questions second-guessing your parenting, as well as questions regarding your choices on how you will educate your kids. The implied judgements may make you feel like you need to stick with the traditional structure of schooling. However, in my opinion, sticking to a completely strict schedule that mimics the traditional school system to quiet the questions is not realistic. It’s somewhat unattainable when traveling full-time and will make you miserable trying to keep up to this standard. Enjoy the time it takes to adjust and be gentle with yourself during the transition to find what works best for you and your family. Worldschooling looks different for many families, and that’s okay. 

Metaphorically speaking, what is something you’ve lost and something you’ve found during your journey?

The more we worldschool, the more I learn, and the more I learn, the more I realize there’s so much I still don’t know. Our whole family is learning together. I think my kids being able to see that Alex and I still learn right along with them shows them that their parents are just as human as they are. The dynamic in being seen as only a parent by your kids is bridged, and the joy in learning as a family has just been really cool to experience. 

Trading language lessons

What’s your favorite story to share about this experience? 

This one’s such a hard one to pick from because I can literally give you a huge list of instances, but there’s an experience from last year that will always hold a special place in my heart. It was definitely a life-changing moment for us where we knew we made the right choice in choosing this lifestyle.

We were taking our boat down the coast. About five months into this journey, we stopped at this tiny island off the Pacific Coast of the Baja California peninsula. Cedros Island is known to be a small Mexican fisherman town with dirt roads, rundown buildings, and really nothing to do. One day we were walking into town with the goal of finding Wi-Fi. A small restaurant had it, but they weren’t open yet. Randomly this person calls out to Alex in English from his car, asking if we needed anything for us or our boat. Alex hesitantly told him we were good and I was just looking for Wi-Fi. I was immediately nervous at the realization that we completely stuck out as foreigners there, but the conversation continued, and the man then insisted that we come to his house to use his Wi-Fi. 

He told our whole family to get in his vehicle and that he would take us to his house right around the corner. I wasn’t comfortable at all with that, quickly trying to dismiss the whole idea and insisting that we really were okay. The conversation ended with him telling us where his house was, and that if we felt more comfortable later that the offer stood to come by whenever. After he drove off, Alex said he felt like he seemed really nice and genuine. The girls said they wanted to go to his house, and after talking it out for a few minutes, we decided to cautiously go and give it a chance.

Tostadas prepared by our host, Mai

As we got to his house, he was outside working on a boat, where we learned that Luis makes a living by taking customers out sports fishing. He quickly introduced us to his wife (Mai) and son. They did not know any English, so there was a huge language barrier as we knew very little Spanish… but even with that barrier Audrey got along great with their son. Over the next four days, they kept inviting us back, and his wife made many dishes specific to their island to try: abalone salad, mako shark ceviche, seafood tostadas, fish tacos, posole… the list goes on. I was so nervous the girls would instantly say no to trying these new foods and potentially offend our hosts, but I was pleasantly surprised watching the girls enjoy everything because they intrinsically knew how special this was.

Luis translated for his wife and son when our Google translate app wouldn’t relay the correct context for what we were trying to say, and after a conversation, we found out that they had never tried food from the United States. So we insisted that we wanted to cook for them the next night. After much debate, we decided to make a Thanksgiving-type dinner. We cooked fried chicken, stuffing, green bean casserole, cornbread casserole, and even brought over a bottle of Chick-Fil-A sauce for them to try. 

Another day Mai invited Addison to have her hair braided. It’s something the girls do where she’s from, and in exchange, Addison gave her a henna tattoo–that was a first for Mai, too. Luis learned that we were struggling to catch fish, so he explained what we needed to do in this region and gave us the appropriate lures to use for future success. Luis’s son ran around their house asking how you say certain household items in English, and then he would tell the girls the Spanish name for them. Addison also hand-translated a few recipes Mai wanted; she really loved the cornbread casserole. 

Reflecting on the amount of learning and life lessons our family gained from having one week with this kind family gets me somewhat emotional. It was random, and had we not said yes we would have never had these experiences. Their family will always be a part of our journey in making this worldschooling life so rewarding and special. 

What are you excited about seeing/doing/learning next?

We’re currently working on our summer plans, and as of now we’ll be leaving the boat behind to head to Asia. That will be a completely different cultural experience for us, and we’re excited to experience it. We’ll be taking military Space-A hops, so we’re not exactly sure where we’ll end up, but we’re looking forward to the mystery of what this adventure will bring. 

Amanda was also kind enough to contribute to our upcoming book, and we’ve loved learning about her worldschooling family’s journey over the past couple of years. If you’d like to follow along with them, too, you can find their adventure-filled stories and gorgeous photography here:

Website: https://saltyvagabonds.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/saltyvagabonds

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@saltyvagabonds

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC_30o2ZvRAMatf0IdSRTXkg

Boatlife at its best.

The post Fernweh Families: The Salty Vagabonds appeared first on Wonder Year Travel.

Fernweh is a German word coming from fern (“far”) and weh (“pain”) – literally, “far pain,” most often translated to English as “a desire to travel,” or, more simply, “wanderlust.”

Our third traveling family is the Diop Family: mom Helga (44), a political scientist from Iceland working in development cooperation; dad Yaya (45), an ex private bodyguard from Senegal; and their children Klara (27), Mariama (22), Daniel (20), Ingibjorg (16), Idrissa (15), Joseph (13), Cheikh (12), Alexander (9), Richlove (7), and Hekla (5). They also have two grandchildren Jökull (22 months) and Salka (20 months).

Please tell us about your family.

Homeschooling in Dakar, Senegal

We are a large family, with nine of us living at home at the moment. I have an incurable travel bug and  cannot stay put in one place for a long time. I’m either traveling with my family; traveling for work, mostly in sub-Saharan Africa; or dreaming of traveling to far away places with daddy and the kids in tow.

Please tell us a bit about your journey.

Our travel style varies. We mostly slow travel, staying for extended periods of time in other countries–most often Africa. At the moment, however, we just finished a two-month trip in Europe to Poland, Italy, and France. 

I work remotely, which allows us to travel when we want and homeschool our children when on the move. Until now, we have taken flights and rented accommodation, but we are preparing a van to bring abroad soon. We believe the van will be a better fit for our large family and be more budget-friendly. 

What was one of the most important ingredients in getting your family on the road – what did you do that worked out well?

The most important part for us was to be able to sustain ourselves financially while on the road, and have a base to return to when we wanted. We tried the “sell all and travel the world“ thing, but that did not work for our family. It is stressful to have children and not have somewhere to call home when you feel like returning to your home country. It also proved stressful not to have a stable income and be able to plan our future financially. Hence, we took a break for some years to build our little base in the countryside of Iceland and secure our income remotely. We are happy and proud to have managed to work it out, and we are excited for our future slow travels.

Buying souvenirs in Senegal

What’s outside your window right now? What fascinates you about where you are?

Last week it was downtown Nice, France. We decided to visit there for three weeks so I could take courses in professional French and all enjoy a sunny European city. It’s amazing to step outside your apartment and walk only 200 meters to a beautiful beach. Today it is the Icelandic countryside, beautiful Icelandic horses and a glacier. Iceland is the most amazing country in the world during the summer. We don’t want to be anywhere else during that time. 

Can you describe a time when learning for your kids or family happened organically and profoundly…when you learned outside the “plan” you started with?

Recently we have been strictly following their curriculum from home and it has worked out fine, but I love when we let the kids choose. Once while in Africa they wanted to make a bow and arrow, so we went to the market, bought everything they needed, and then built it ourselves. Another time our son wanted to learn computer programming, so we signed him up for courses on Khan Academy. I have multiple examples like this when the kids decide what they want to focus on and we follow. When we do that, they are more interested and seem to learn more than when the ideas come from us and are imposed on them.

What have you discovered about your family by being on the road together?

How much I enjoy being with my family without outside distractions, but at the same time how important alone time is. I wouldn’t change being able to show my children the world this way, but I´m happy to mix it up with normal routines back home in Iceland in-between. I’ve also discovered that travel does not solve problems, it magnifies them.

What does community mean to you, and how have you found it during your travels?

Visiting their grandmother’s sister in Senegal

We don’t seek community while traveling. On the contrary, we enjoy not being part of a community and being only us. We like not having to answer to anyone or think about anyone other than just us in our small bubble.

Are there other traveling families you are particularly inspired by? Why are they inspiring?

Yes, I love following:

@nestaautourdumonde we met them during their travels here in Iceland, and we love their view on life and their travel style. They slow travel with their three kids and are expecting the fourth one on the road.

@worldschoolfamily is a large family like ours that homeschools and travels. They just finished a three-month Europe trip and are now creating a base in Portugal. 

@malimish live in their Sprinter van with their three kids and cats. They share their everyday life and show us what life on the road looks like.

@worldtowning have tried it all, starting by living in a town in France, living in an RV driving around Europe, and now living aboard a sailboat. They share vlogs about their daily life. 

@macs_explore for their exceptional photo and video capture skills and their adventures with their two teenage boys. We met during their travels in Iceland and had inspiring talks about travel and life.

What do you wish a fellow worldschooling family had told you before you left home?

It will not be like you expect it to be, everything will go wrong and the kids will get homesick. But that’s ok–it’s all part of the adventure and this journey you are on together. 

Grabbing WiFi where she can, Helga works remotely in Dakar.

What’s your favorite story to share about this experience? 

When I was stuck at the border of Western Sahara and Mauritania at 3 o’clock in the morning, with one suitcase and two kids in tow, trying to hitchhike my way to Senegal. I decided to take public transport from Spain to Senegal because my car broke down in Spain, and I had to be in Senegal in a couple of days for work. I knew everything always works out in Africa, so I decided to just go. And of course it worked out, and we reached Senegal after four days and four nights on the road.

What are you excited about seeing/doing/learning next?

Bringing my van outside of Iceland and experimenting living in it with my family. We are converting it into a camper and hope to be able to give it a try soon.

Many thanks to Helga and her family for spending time with us to share their experiences. You can follow along and learn more about their journey at:

• Facebook: MommyNeedstoTravel
• Instagram: @mommyneedstotravel

Or on their website, www.mommyneedstotravel.com

The post Fernweh Families: The Diops appeared first on Wonder Year Travel.

Fernweh is a German word coming from fern (“far”) and weh (“pain”) – literally, “far pain,” most often translated to English as “a desire to travel,” or, more simply, “wanderlust.”

Our second traveling family is the Tolk Family – Stephanie and her husband Scott are in the second year of world travel with their daughters Mira and Penelope, ages twelve and thirteen. In her own words, Stephanie shares with us her insights of both inward and outward journeys.  

We are a family of four originally from Portland, Oregon. Prior to leaving the country, we had a fairly traditional lifestyle, with both my husband and I working nearly full time while our children attended public school. Because my husband and I had experienced the joys and personal growth associated with international travel, we’d known for many years that we would take our children abroad. 

Worldschooling in Giza, Egypt near the Great Pyramid

Please tell us a bit about your journey (trip duration or how travel fits into your lives, “big picture” view of your route, slow vs. fast travel, any trip themes or shared travel goals).

After a pandemic-related postponement, we left the US in September 2021 and have taken two school years out of the country with a visit home for a few months in between. During the first year, we traveled quickly, visiting 13 countries on three continents, and during the second year, we chose slower travel, prioritizing learning Spanish in three countries in Latin America. As we plan to return to the US in the summer of 2023, we’re organizing a hybrid that includes part of the year in Oregon and part of the year abroad.

What was one of the most important ingredients in getting your family on the road – what did you do that worked out well? 

My husband and I knew for a long time that we would travel with our daughters, and we always envisioned the journey beginning in middle school when the girls would be old enough to independently engage with our surroundings but young enough to value family time. We spent a lot of time talking with the girls about our trip, bringing up pieces in conversation over many years so that they never felt the idea was sprung upon them. Where appropriate, we engaged them in research, asked them about their dreams and wishes, helped them envision what a typical day might be like, and more, to build buy-in and excitement.

What’s outside your window right now? What fascinates you about where you are?  

Exploring the famed library at Ephesus, Turkey

I’m writing from Merida, Mexico in Yucatan State, a few blocks from the oldest cathedral in Mexico, built just after the arrival of the Spanish. While we’re here for just a short time as we move between cities, I’m fascinated by the way in which Yucatecos embrace and celebrate their cultural heritage. On two consecutive nights we’ve attended cultural events: one night, we watched traditional dancing in the Parque Santa Lucia, and on the following night, we saw a multimedia display on the cathedral cataloging the history of the city and state in a vibrant exhibition.

What have you discovered about your family by being on the road together?

My children had been in public school for many years prior to our first year of worldschooling, and on average, we spent six waking hours together each day. When we pulled the children from school, we doubled that number, and when we left the US, my husband and I began working remotely. With all of these additional hours together, we began to understand one another more, to notice our patterns, what drove us mad, and who needed breaks when. We tapped into one another’s rhythms in ways we hadn’t been able to do while living a busy American life, developing empathy for one another’s needs and deeper connections.

What does community mean to you, and how have you found it during your travels?

I believe there are two types of community for worldschoolers–other traveling families and local people living in traditional, non-touristy spots abroad—and both are important to access and know. Sometimes, worldschoolers gravitate toward other travelers from the US, Canada, or Europe, visiting worldschooling hubs, expat communities, or towns that are popular with digital nomads. These communities offer camaraderie, comfort, and like-mindedness. But as we’ve all chosen to travel to transcend our comfort zones, immersion into local communities is also vital for expanding our perspectives and building respect and understanding of other ways of life. We’ve found the latter through Workaway experiences, overland travel, stays in less popular destinations, and simply by wandering markets or public squares.

Snorkeling near Krabi, Thailand

What do you wish a fellow worldschooling family had told you before you left home?

I wish someone had told me not to be too attached to my assumptions before I left home. Worldschooling is a process of evolution. Perhaps at first you think that five nights in a hotel is a long stay, but months later, you’re booking for a minimum of two weeks. Maybe you envision keeping pace with school at home through online courses or workbooks, but months later, you’ve opened to a completely different way to learn. As we travel, we become inspired by the places we see and the people we meet, and we become influenced to evolve and change.

Metaphorically speaking, what is something you’ve lost and something you’ve found during your journey?

When I was 22-years-old, I moved to Mali, West Africa for two years, and while I’d thought I had a global worldview from previous travels, it expanded enormously in Mali. I spent another 25 years using that worldview in daily life, perhaps understanding the impact of foreign policy differently or seeing social issues in an expanded light. What I didn’t expect from worldschooling in my 40s is that my worldview could expand even more, matching the current chapter of life. As a middle-aged woman, an entrepreneur, a mother, and an educational guide for my children, I’ve gained another layer to my global perspective, borrowing ideas from the world around me to be a better businessperson, teacher, and mother.

Wandering ancient Inca agricultural terraces near Cusco, Peru

What’s your favorite story to share about this experience? 

One of my family’s favorite worldschooling experiences took place in rural, eastern Czech Republic, on the opposite side of the country from Prague and quite close to the Slovakia border. We had arranged a Workaway with a Czech host family, our “work” being simple: we were just to speak English. On one lovely fall day, we joined the family—parents and three sons—to the country home they shared with the adult siblings and their families. The cousins amounted to 13 children in all. 

Within walking distance of Castle Hukvaldy, constructed in the 13th century, we spent the day wandering the castle grounds and surrounding park and enjoying meals and games back at the family home. In the evening, the Czechs sang traditional songs by a fire while the children played on a swing, and most of us spent the night in a jumble of thick blankets on the floor. Later that year, we would venture inside the Great Pyramid at Giza, snorkel with sea turtles, hike in the mountains of northern Vietnam, tour Machu Picchu and much, much more, but those moments of connection and play in rural Czech Republic reminded us that relationships matter more than just about everything else.

From Annika on the Wonder Year team: 

Stephanie is an interviewee for our upcoming book Wonder Year. I’ve appreciated the depth of our conversations about power and privilege, ethics and true volunteering as a family. Another Returned Peace Corps Volunteer, we talked about authentic ways to make travel a true exchange rather than an act of consumption. I deeply admire Stephanie’s intentional mindset in parenting, education and travel as well as her entrepreneurial spirit. 

Stephanie has a fantastic Udemy course on Worldschooling here. She also is a contributor to an anthology of essays by worldschooling families called Worldschooling: Innovative Parents Turing Countries into Classrooms. Also, you can check out her website, Deliberated Detours www.deliberatedetour.com, for fabulous resource offerings including private coaching. To read more of her writing, go to stephanietolk.medium.com.

You can follow her on social media: 

Facebook Deliberate Detour

Instagram @deliberatedetour

Personal Page @traveling_zolks

Fulfilling a bucket list dream in Machu Picchu, Peru

To read about more inspiring families, click here to meet the Pages.

The post Fernweh Families: The Zelenka/Tolks appeared first on Wonder Year Travel.

Fernweh is a German word coming from fern (“far”) and weh (“pain”) – literally, “far pain,” most often translated to English as “a desire to travel,” or, more simply, “wanderlust.”

Our first travelers are the Page Family – dad Andrew (46), a geologist from the UK born in Indonesia; mom Yasmin (42), an ex-teacher and now co-op facilitator who grew up in Sweden with parents from Finland and Pakistan; and their children Teo (11), Viggo (8), and Avani (21 months). Yasmin shared insights from their family, and to preserve her voice, her answers are provided in British English.

To help introduce your family, please tell us a bit about your journey.  

Andy and I lived in Sweden for a little while and then in the UK together for nearly 12 years before setting off on our trip. We resided in many different locations and really enjoyed our life there. All our children were born in the UK. We lived down south in a village by the Hampshire/West Sussex border for seven years before making the decision to sell our house and travel. After shipping our campervan from the UK to South America, we have been slow traveling in Mexico and Belize. We’ve recently settled in Sattva Land, an off-grid retreat centre in the jungles of the Maya Mountains on the Hummingbird Highway.

Teo and Viggo climbing palm trees in Hopkins

(Read a more in-depth story from Yasmin about how they came to be in Belize, published as a “Stories from the Road” entry in the Wonder Year blog here.)

What was one of the most important ingredients in getting your family on the road – what did you do that worked out well? 

The most important practical ingredient was Andy getting the green light from work. Being able to keep his job meant that he could work remotely while traveling and potentially moving to Belize. The long-term idea is to go down in work time, so he can spend more time in the community and with the family. Right now it’s working really well even though he’s technically full-time. 

On a more ideas, or perhaps even spiritual, level is the understanding that we are only here in this particular physical form once. When freaking out about overwhelming life decisions, we try to remind ourselves how fleeting things are and how we don’t have much time together, really. Trying to stay connected to our own mortality, might make us a little bit braver/crazier. We are incredibly happy with the decision to spend more time together, and less time working and having to be away from each other. 

What’s outside your window right now? What fascinates you about where you are?  

Right now we’re inside the wooden Garden House, looking out at the lush jungle outside, with a couple of buildings nestled into it. Nature and all the extraordinary creatures here are awe-inspiring! We have toucans, butterflies and hummingbirds flying all around us. There are also plenty of bugs that we are learning to live with.  

We feel that it’s a life less sanitised. It’s more intense in every sense, more awe-inspiring and more challenging. All at the same time!

Avani, 21 months, at Sattva Land

Can you describe a time when learning for your kids or family happened organically and profoundly…when you learned outside the “plan” you started with?

We unschool pretty confidently so don’t have many plans for the children except to facilitate their interests. They will probably do more ‘formal’ academic work as they grow older, and perhaps have a clearer sense of what they want to pursue. During this journey we have all learned and experienced so much that we haven’t felt the need to incorporate much else. The boys have a weekly maths video call with their grandad that they really enjoy, which keeps them in touch at the same time. They also take some online classes with Outschool, such as chess and history. Most of the time learning happens organically, such as when they make a smoothie recipe book, experience a cultural event or attend horse camps.  

When our oldest son Teo turned 10, he wanted to take the junior open-water diving certification. Never having taken an exam before, we wondered how he would fare with the theory. He did fail the first time, with one point, and got extremely frustrated. Then he got determined and (still studying on his own) finally passed the test. That showed us that you don’t need years of preparation once you put your heart and mind into something. 

What have you discovered about your family by being on the road together? 

That we can do anything together. That we value our connection and our time together. We don’t try to escape each other or our feelings when things are hard, but we deal with it. And really try to see each other. Saying that, there’s still plenty of sibling rivalry and all that! And us parents regularly get overwhelmed and don’t do parenting right, absolutely. But overall we feel pretty grounded in all this. 

Also that we can experience both the joyful and the challenging together. We don’t want to shy away from the realities of life, as there are plenty of difficult things that you will encounter while travelling. To fulfill everyone’s needs can be hard, and sometimes it isn’t possible. Particularly our oldest, who will be 11 soon, needs more friendships and autonomy now. We try to meet that need as best as we can, but it isn’t always easy when living quite isolated, albeit in a community. Most children who are here at the moment are younger than him, so we’re very much trying to invite other families with older kids! The football team and other homeschooled kids we know do provide some of that for now. 

Hands-on geography at the co-op

What does community mean to you, and how have you found it during your travels?

Community to us means almost everything. That people who connect with each other on some level come together, and that there is alignment. A community can be diverse, and there must be a welcoming of different perspectives and disagreements, but there should always be a foundation of care for each other. 

We have met other travelling families along the way, and here in Belize we regularly meet with the other families we have gotten to know. It’s a small country so almost everyone knows each other, and it’s a growing community. It is amazing that we’ve found other homeschooling families who want to do fun things and learn together. There is also quite a lot of interest in what we are doing, so we can really feel the potential and the energy that comes with that. The intentional living community is our shared dream, although it took me a bit of convincing Andy to begin with! The kids seem happy for now living here, and if things change we’ll cross that bridge when we get to it! 

Metaphorically speaking, what is something you’ve lost and something you’ve found during your journey? 

It is as if we have expanded. Our hearts, minds, everything. Our love for everyone back in our home countries has only grown, even though we don’t see each other regularly, and has also been extended to the new people and places we meet. Of course one doesn’t need to travel far for this to happen, but it has been our experience.

Yasmin and Avani drumming at a friend’s birthday party

The other aspect is the more challenging one. The shadows that we perhaps could escape from a little more easily back home (to some extent at least), we are very much faced with here. It’s the way the world is run and the stark injustice of it. The imperialism and post-colonialism that the majority of people are affected by here. Although we’re in no way wealthy, having a ‘western’ salary in a ‘developing country’ (we don’t really agree with the terms but just for clarity here), is a hard thing to navigate. Travelling, worldschooling etc, is a privilege most people in the world can’t afford. Perhaps it’s not the right thing to do. But then again, living in a country such as Britain, we witnessed the effects of world politics and fair share of injustice there, too. We’re hoping that our children will grow up seeing the whole world as theirs to take care of, a deeper understanding of differences, and with an open mind and heart. 

The other day the kids at our learning co-op were setting up a lime juice stand, wanting to earn some money. I suggested they could also try and raise some money for the local ecology centre here. They then decided that they wanted to raise money for the kids in need here in Belize. They have seen real poverty first hand, and heard the stories of struggle from the children themselves, while buying them a meal. 

What’s your favorite story to share about this experience? 

That we basically just visited Sattva Land once and kind of just knew intuitively that we wanted to live there. We’re now renting a home here and are starting our house build. A pretty life-changing decision!

Boat trip with friends to Moho Caye, Belize

What are you excited about seeing/doing/learning next?

We are looking forward to continuing to build the learning co-op here, which we will also be extending to worldschooling families and others visiting the area in the future. We are planning to host worldschool hubs and similar gatherings. We’re also opening up to those looking to potentially join a community long term. We have a lot of gratitude that we have found people who deeply care and are offering their time, knowledge and love to our children, and all the children involved. We feel so excited to continue on this journey, and to see where it takes us.  

Many thanks to the Page family for spending time with us to share their experiences. You can follow along and learn more about their journey at @thefreewheelingfive. And make sure to read Yasmin’s guest post in Stories from the Road to learn more about their life in Belize.

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