When talking to a worldschooler, the question “What’s your favorite place you traveled to?” might seem like a harmless inquiry. However, this seemingly innocuous question can be problematic and does not fully capture the essence of worldschooling. This question annoys Lucas and Henry because it is such a broad question. They feel pressured to choose one place over another, even…
Many of our family and friends think we lead an unusual life (OK- they think we are batsh*% crazy). I acknowledge that what we are doing is not the norm but, to Michael and me, it makes the most sense. For as long Lucas and Henry are school-aged, we will constantly be asked, “How are they learning?” and “What ‘school’…
We said goodbye to Vietnam and headed to southern Thailand. We signed up for a 10-day worldschooler eco retreat in Krabi, Thailand with NatureMind-ED, an organization “aiming at restoring connections between the human and non-human world, reigniting a spirit of discovery and adventure, cultivating respect for diversity and love for otherness, embracing the unknown as a place to grow, offering…
Reuniting with our worldschool family is always a highlight of our travels. We originally signed up for a worldschool hub in Vietnam and Thailand with three other families we met in Bulgaria, but the organizers canceled the hub. We decided to come together in Asia with those families anyway. We will be in Hoi An for one month. We are…
Southeast Asia was supposed to be our first stop when we started traveling four years ago. We had tickets to Japan and then to Bali to participate in a Worldschool conference called Family Adventure Summit. We had plans, and then they changed. Two months before our departure, Michael was diagnosed for a second time with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. Michael had Hodgkin’s…
In January this year, we met a fabulous group of worldschooling families in Ecuador. These are our people, and we were excited to reunite with them over the summer. The McIntyre’s drove their RV from California to Kentucky. We hung out for a two days in Kentucky before caravanning with them and the Lesmeisters up to Lake Charlevoix to see…
Happy anniversary to us! After 15 years of marriage and 19 years of knowing each other, Michael and I know our strengths and weaknesses. I know Michael will throw up if he sees vomit, so I clean up the vomit. Michael knows I get stressed out on big travel days (like crossing borders), so he takes the lead in those…
Lucas and Henry attended Sol y Luna School for the three weeks we stayed in Urubamba. Sol y Luna was started by a couple who moved to Urubamba in 1988. The school began as an association to support local education and then decided to open a school Sol & Luna Association (asociacionsolyluna.com). The school offers English, computers, physical education, math, reading…
Our month on the beach in San Jose, Ecuador with ten other families was one of the best times we have had traveling. It was not what we expected, but it was magical. We booked the trip through a company that over-promised, under-delivered. Luckily, the groups of families attending the meetup are amazing. All the families stepped up to create a…
I chose to stop posting on social media for a variety of reasons, but we do use Facebook as a way to get to know a city before visiting. It is also a great way to meet people in the places we visit. Through Ecuador and Cuenca-specific Facebook groups, we met people and families that live in Cuenca. This allowed…