We’re certainly not the only family who have left the rat-race to travel the world, but might be one of the few who did it with older kids and a tag-along-teacher. Our travels caught the attention of blogger and podcaster Jason Jenkins of An Epic Education. In his recently published podcast we discuss travel resources, spreadsheets, coffee makers, Rick Steves, library cards and the challenges of family travel with teens.
Some highlights about world-schooling while traveling (cited from An Epic Education’s show notes):
EPIC INSIGHT They knew they were coming back, so researched their state’s laws regarding homeschooling. Enrolled Bella into specific online courses associated with her high school. Considers their year on the road as world-schooling and experiential learning.
EPIC RESOURCES Fuel Education Minecraft Youtube & Khan Academy VRBO (especially in South America) AirBnB (especially in Europe) Rick Steves Europe Year subscription to Adobe Creative Cloud, using the student discount (50%!) Bella also uses Instagram and Travel Fashion Girl Rodrigo has a pro membership to Vimeo Also, bring sketchbooks!
EPIC ADVICE Stay in locations at least 7 days each Cook a lot: it saves money and you learn more about the people and the culture
Regarding travel with teens and tweens, actively seek the right balance of: * Togetherness and alone time * Activities that are required and that are optional * Everyone needs a job
For more on teens and long-term travel, read our popular blog posts Three types of not-so-touristy teen travel and I don’t think there’s a ‘Goldilocks Moment’ for Family Travel. Listen to the interview here. (This post originally published on LinkedIn 10/28/15.)