Fernweh Families: The Almonds
Next up in our Fernweh Families series is the Almonds.
Andi Almond and I have a mutual friend in common, and while she and her family were worldschooling, I followed her on Instagram. She has a knack for creating engaging and artistic posts. Watching their family’s fun brought up so many memories of my own. And there were all the destinations I added to our bucket list by couch traveling with Andi. When she returned, I reached out for lunch, and we had a nice connection. Andi has recently come out with a worldschooling book of her own, which complements our own Wonder Year: A Guide to Long-Term Family Travel and Worldschooling. We’ve co-promoted our books at a local event at Trident Bookstore in Boulder. We look forward to more synergistic events. Here, she shares more about her personal story.
Please tell us your family.
We’re a family of four: Andi (48), Randy (51), Finn (16) and Aria (13). We have always been avid travelers who tend to prefer adventures off the beaten path. When not backpacking and exploring far-flung places, we call Colorado home.
Perito Moreno Glacier
Please tell us a bit about your journey.
We spent thirteen months as a family backpacking and worldschooling from June 2022 until July 2023. While we had a general idea of the flow and direction of travel, we planned as we went and ended up exploring 27 countries across all seven continents. We knew early on that we wanted to expose the kids to many different cultures and ways of living around the world, so we’d be on a path of somewhat fast travel, though we settled into a rhythm that included stints of slower, more immersive stays. Along the way, we worldschooled Finn and Aria, who were 13 and 10 when we started and in eighth and sixth grades. Our aim was to expand their worldview, experience other cultures and traditions, step out of comfort zones, and broaden mindsets through the experience.
What was one of the most important ingredients in getting your family on the road – what did you do that worked out well?
We planned and saved for five years to make this trip happen. As soon as we were relatively sure that we’d be able to pull it off financially, we told our kids, even though our departure was years away. This gave them a lot of time to process the magnitude of this undertaking, as well as to become part of the planning. As we got closer, we bought a big world map and put pins where we were all keen to go. A pin didn’t necessarily mean we’d travel there, but it gave us a sense of where our collective interests lay. We also each picked three countries we were most excited to visit, researched them, and presented at family dinners why we thought we should go there. All of this gave the kids a say in the adventure from the start, and I think was a critical part of getting them excited about embarking on this life-changing trip.
Nepal!
What’s outside your window right now? What fascinates you about where you are?
Outside our window, I see Longs Peak, a 14,259-foot summit that stands out in the foothills of the Rockies here in Lafayette, Colorado. Its snow-capped peak is a constant reminder of the natural beauty all around us. After traveling the world for 13 months and seeing many incredible places, I’m fascinated by how much we all appreciate being back home. Exploring and worldschooling will always be core to who we are as a family, but there’s a sense of rootedness in Colorado that we also appreciate. There’s no place any of us would rather be than here… until our next trip, that is. 🙂
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?
One of the most profound learning experiences for our family occurred in Varanasi, India. We knew visiting India’s holiest city would push our comfort zones, but we didn’t anticipate how much the experience would challenge us, move us, and expand our horizons. Participating in the Ganga Aarti ritual at dusk, surrounded by chants and flickering lamps, and witnessing the cremations and funeral rites on the banks of the Ganges immersed us in the spiritual heart of Hinduism. This unplanned involvement, along with a local priest’s explanation of the rituals, provided our children with deeper insights into faith, life, and cultural practices. It was a powerful lesson that transcended traditional learning, enriching our understanding and empathy in ways we hadn’t imagined.
Learning to cook!
What have you discovered about your family by being on the road together?
During our time on the road, we discovered a lot about our family dynamics. We learned that while we enjoy spending time together, we also need personal space and one-on-one time with each child to break up the 24/7 togetherness. This balance helped maintain harmony and allowed us to recharge.
From a worldschooling perspective, we gained deeper insights into our kids’ learning preferences. We adapted our curricula to meet their individual needs, making learning more effective and enjoyable – for all of us! This experience taught us the importance of flexibility and personalization, helping each child thrive in their unique way.
Tanzania
What does community mean to you, and how have you found it during your travels?
To me, community means connection, support, and shared experiences. During our travels, we found community in many ways. First and foremost, we met new friends in each place we visited, forming new ties quickly with locals, friends of friends, homestay hosts, or fellow travelers. These connections enriched our experiences and gave us a sense of belonging wherever we went.
Thanks to technology, we were also able to maintain ties with friends and family back home easily. Social media, especially Instagram, played a significant role in this. We discovered a supportive online community of kindred spirits—fellow travelers and worldschoolers—who provided us with connection, ideas, empathy, and inspiration. This network was invaluable, making our journey even more rewarding.
What do you wish a fellow worldschooling family had told you before you left home?
I wish we had been warned that there would be emotional ups and downs to worldschooling two kids on the road. We anticipated there would be bumps along the way, but knowing it’s okay to feel overwhelmed at times and that these feelings are normal would have been reassuring. Traveling full-time with kids can be both incredibly rewarding and challenging. There are moments of pure joy and discovery, but also times of doubt, frustration, and fatigue.
Having strategies to adapt, learn, and modify our educational approaches to meet our kids’ needs and what works best for our family would have been immensely helpful. Recognizing that it’s perfectly fine – even healthy – to change plans, slow down, or take breaks is critical. It’s important to be flexible and responsive to each child’s learning style and emotional state, understanding that what works one day might need adjusting the next.
Embracing the journey with its roller coaster of emotions and being gentle with ourselves during the tough times, would have made the experience even more enriching and less stressful. This mindset allows for a more balanced and enjoyable worldschooling adventure.
What’s your favorite story to share about this experience?
This has to be our unexpected trip to Antarctica! Initially, we thought visiting Antarctica would be way too expensive for our backpacker budget, but we managed to secure heavily discounted last-minute berths on an old research vessel for a 10-day expedition. Braving the Drake Passage was challenging, but the experience was incredible! We encountered diverse wildlife and observed firsthand the raw beauty of one of the world’s last wild frontiers. This expedition offered profound learnings for our family. It taught us the value of persistence and seizing opportunities, reinforcing that sometimes the most unexpected moments can be the most life-changing.
What’s one learning or pursuit you’ve carried forward from your travels?
I’m a passionate advocate for expanding access to opportunities for more people to be able to travel, live, and learn abroad. I think travel changes us for the better – it expands our worldview, teaches confidence, empathy, a deeper understanding of diverse cultures and ways of living, pushes comfort zones, and fosters personal growth. But I realize it’s a privilege that’s a stretch for many, so there are two non-profits I partner with closely to help enable these kind of opportunities for others.
I serve as the Vice Chair of the Board for a Denver-based non-profit called The Global Livingston Institute, which aims to empower the next generation of global leaders through immersive, cross-cultural experiences between US and African youth. It’s amazing to hear the testimonials of students – some of whom have never traveled abroad before or even been on an airplane before – after spending time in our global classroom programs in East Africa. In addition, I am donating a portion of the proceeds of my book, The Everywhere Classroom, to IES Abroad, a non-profit that enables study overseas for students.
What are you excited about seeing/doing/learning next?
Since returning home, I have written and published the book that I wish we had when we first started planning our year abroad. Called The Everywhere Classroom: How One Family Turned Wanderlust into Worldschooling and How You Can Too, it’s part travel memoir, part how-to worldschool guide with practical tips for families looking to travel purposefully and infuse learning into trips of any length.
The Everywhere Classroom
Before we set off on our journey, we read any family travelogue we could find. They were fun reads, but they glossed over the details of how to pursue worldschooling. That’s the focus of my book. It blends stories from our travels – the highs and the lows! – with strategies for enriching educational travel, emphasizing deep cultural immersion and adaptable learning experiences for all families.
It has been amazing to see the reception the book has had since its launch in early March. We have been featured on Good Morning America and have more national and local coverage in the works. It’s clearly tapping into a growing interest and trend, resonating deeply with readers, which is thrilling.
For me, there’s nothing more meaningful than inspiring others to dream big, get out there, and make the world a classroom on travels near or far from home.
We wish Andi well on her book journey. We hope it’s as fulfilling as ours has been for us.
To follow along with Andi and her Almonds, follow her at:
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