Worldschooling- What Are We Afraid Of?

The decision to uproot our family and start a worldschooling journey was not easy. We knew we wanted to travel long-term, but doing it has been fraught with doubts and fears. We still carry those doubts and fears with us, but going out on this journey, despite those fears, has been rewarding. We are glad we pushed through our worries and took the leap. Here are our concerns about worldschooling and how we overcome them.

Money and Medical Care.

The question most asked by people is ‘how do we afford to travel the way we do?’ The simple answer is that the way we do worldschooling is cheaper than the life we live in Atlanta. 

Health insurance is about 70% cheaper when the policy does not cover the United States. Also, medical and dental care in most places around the world is affordable, and the care is good. 

Housing, food, and transportation in the places we visit are, for the most part, cheaper than the cost for those things where we live in Atlanta. Our lifestyle is not a permanent vacation. We do not stay in fancy resorts sipping piña coladas all day. We do not pack our days with tours, although we do explore. We shop at local markets and cook most of our meals. 

While choosing this lifestyle means we may have less money, we have more freedom to do things we enjoy. We are having our adventures now instead of waiting until we retire when we might not be able to do the things we want to do. We are choosing to take time now to experience these adventures with our kids. We have made a choice that we will not regret.

Career Jeopardy.

Michael and I have chosen to put our careers on hold to spend more time with our kids and see the world. We are giving up career advancement. We feel insecure about that decision at times, but we both know that on our deathbed, neither of us will say, “I wish I had continued working and advanced further in my career.” We have already found opportunities to make money while traveling, and we know that we will figure out how to continue to do that to keep going.  

Many of our family and friends think it is reckless to take time out from our careers to travel. It is not a usual path, but we both understand that tomorrow is not guaranteed. That became crystal clear after Michael fought cancer twice. Sitting in an office all day, seeing our kids on nights and on weekends is not what we want to do. Everyone is entitled to choose the path that is right for them. Ours is unique, but it is what works best for our family. 

Would we have made more money if we stayed in Atlanta and kept working until the traditional retirement age? Yes. We know that money cannot take the place of spending time with our kids and the experiences that we are having now. Although it is scary, we know that we have made the right decision in taking the time now despite the jeopardy to our careers.

Judgment.

The best way to go through life is not caring too much about what others think, but that is easier said than done. What we are doing is not traditional. People, while kind, are judging us for our choice.

Our family and friends are skeptical that our boys are getting a sufficient education. We understand that skepticism because traditional American education is all they know. Michael and I still have trouble sometimes breaking out of the traditional education mindset, but we know that we are giving our boys a unique, enriching, and rewarding opportunity.

People think that we are doing an injustice to Lucas and Henry by not having a home. They think what we are doing is not providing stability. We would say just the opposite. We are spending more quality time together as a family than we ever did before. We make our home wherever we are and it is full of love and laughter. This has made Lucas and Henry more adaptable.

Socialization.

We are confident that our boys are learning to be social. No, they are not sitting in a classroom eight hours a day with kids their age. No, they are not in traditional extracurricular activities. Sometimes we ask ourselves if the boys need those things to grow up with the proper social skills, but we know that is not true.

There are many things we are glad the boys are missing by not being in a traditional school setting such as bullying, clicks, and peer pressure.  We hear more and more about school-aged children struggling with depression and anxiety because of the stress of traditional school. We do not think that traditional school is a healthy option for Lucas and Henry right now. They thriving and happy in their worldschooling environment.

Lucas and Henry are with us every day, but they meet and interact with people of all ages and backgrounds. The interactions they have are real-world interactions that they will have as adults. They talk to adults when they buy things at stores or when they play tennis and pickleball with adults. They practice their social skills when they meet other kids on the playground. We are confident that they are on their way to becoming confident, well-spoken, compassionate human beings. 

Safety.

Our friends and family are concerned for our safety when we travel. Living in the United States, fear is driven into us about anything different. The constant stream of news makes us think the world is a dangerous place. There are bad things in the world, but for the most part, what we have seen when we travel is that the majority of people in this world are kind and helpful. 

When I was 20 years old I traveled alone in Australia. I took buses by myself and stayed in hostels. In law school, my friend Maureen and I traveled all over Europe. As two women traveling alone, we always felt safe. As a family, we have been all over Central America. We have taken public transportation and crossed borders on foot. We have let our kids go shopping by themselves in Nicaragua. So far so good.  

Can bad things happen? Yes, but they can happen anywhere. I have felt more scared in big cities in the United States, than in the places we have been abroad. We talk about safety while traveling with the boys, and we take precautions when traveling, but we will not stop traveling because of our fear of the unknown and for fear of what might happen.

Fear is a healthy part of life. We have decided to trade in some of the comforts in our life to face our fears and have adventures. It would have been easy for us to stay in Atlanta working at our jobs and going through the motions until the kids left home. We had a great life in Atlanta, but it was too comfortable and monotonous. Stepping out of our comfort zone is what makes us feel alive. We have fears and doubts just like our family and friends, but we only have one life to live. We want to live it to the fullest, and facing our fears on this epic journey is how we are choosing to live it.