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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