When a young adult travels internationally it’s “An adventure.” When older adults travel internationally it’s “Living life.” So why does it scare the crap out of people when a family travels internationally?
Since we first decided to take a couple of years off and travel the world as a family we have had the oddest thing happen when we tell people about it. It usually goes something like this:
Us: “We’re going to take 2 years off and travel around the world”
Them: “Wow that sounds awesome. I would love to do something like that.”
After a brief moment the big smile on their face turns to a look of concern and then they ask: “But… what about your daughter?”
What about our daughter? Are we supposed to leave her with the grandparents while Kerri and I travel around the world without her? Do they fear for her safety, education, or something else? When I was a kid I dreamt of traveling the world. I would spend hours designing plans to turn my bicycle into a flying machine, single person submarine, or a pedal powered boat so I go to a tropical island paradise. I read the stories about the ancient world and imagined how exciting it would be to visit those places where history was made; Egypt, Europe, and Asia. Our daughter does not have to dream about how great it would be to visit these places someday; she will be there to experience it first hand in the next couple of years. Something most people only dream about.
Our daughter Sydney, not just another piece of luggage...
Homeschooling
One of the concerns about traveling with a child long term is the continuation of their education once plucked from the safe embrace and formal education of the institutionalized school system. We have looked at the various homeschool curriculums and talked to other traveling parents about what they used and found that there is no preferred system or method. Many of the all-inclusive homeschool curriculums require that you send in tests and get constant feedback from them. With us traveling non-stop, this is not an option and we need to be self-sufficient. The other issue is why we feel that we must conform to a single education curriculum. I feel that modern society has made us so dependent on learning institutions that we feel we can no longer properly teach our children the basics of 2nd and 3rd grade reading, writing, and arithmetic? Kerri and I both have college degrees and help Sydney with her homework every night. How hard could it be to teach her the basics? Our current thinking is that we will pick up the recommended books, What Your Second Grader Needs to Know and What Your Third Grader Needs to Know to be guides on what learning benchmarks she needs to be at, and also purchase the appropriate writing and math workbooks. When she finishes a workbook we can pick up a new one or even make up our own problems for her to work on. Since she is already reading chapter books all by herself (not bad for a first grader) we can pick up books for her to read along the way and help her with some of the bigger words. Besides the writing, reading, and arithmetic she will also get history, geography, art, architecture, foreign language, and a political education as we travel. I have a feeling that she just might skip a grade when we are finished with our two years of traveling.
Safety
There is nothing we want more than to keep our daughter safe. Many people feel that it is unsafe to leave the United States and to do so with a child is foolhardy. Yet, there are many people that live outside the United States who think it is dangerous to visit here. I feel that most people simply fear the unknown and are easily swayed by the media. You see a news story about a conflict in a distant country or even something bad happening on the other side of your own town and immediately the thought of that place being dangerous is planted in your mind. All you need to do is open your local newspaper and you will never want to leave your house again. The media loves to report on bad things. But the reality is that there are real dangers everywhere and we must be prepared. The same “don’t talk to strangers” and “look both ways before crossing the street” goes for everywhere in the world. Common sense is the best thing you can have to keep your child safe.
Safety tip: When in big cities or crowds always dress your child in bright colors to easily spot them.
If anyone would like to offer us tips on homeschooling on the road or kid safety while traveling, we would love to hear them.
Indeed. Well said. It still cracks me up when people ask us, “Oh, are you taking the kids?” Um… we’re on an open ended world tour here… been traveling four and a half years straight so far… still going… can’t really imagine leaving the kids out of that… “OF COURSE WE’RE TAKING THE KIDS!!” That’s the whole danged point!! Ours were 5-11 when we started traveling full time (four of them) They are 10-16 now. The oldest has finished her high school work and is starting Uni classes online in the fall. They ALL love travel and are plotting their own independent adventures (and executing them on their own too, I might add!) It’s the best education we could hope for for them, the only life we can imagine. Your daughter is going to turn out to be one amazing lady and you’re giving her the best gift you could… the whole world!!! Good for you!
I think most people just see travel with kids as being a hassle and more trouble than it’s worth. We love traveling with our daughter and can’t imagine doing the trip without her. She gets excited about the little things that most adults take for granted and this adds a refreshing twist to travel that would not be there without her.
We’re about to take the plunge ourselves. We’re leaving next week to drive the length of U.S. Route 1 and then on to other travels from there. Our oldest (5) is school age, and we’ll be making travel a key part of her homeschool education. We’ve come across a lot of the same concerns about our kids’ safety; I like your point that many people in the world think it is dangerous to come to the U.S. Best of luck with the preparation process, and we look forward to following your adventures when you set out this fall!
That sounds like a great trip! I look forward to following your adventures as well.
Hi, we sold up a few years ago and took our then 5 and 9 year old travelling. They experienced lots of wonderful places and met some amazing people. They are now 10 and 14 and although we have stopped travelling for a while (to sort out finances) we still homeschool them. We managed to do a complete curriculum with them both whilst travelling. You are the best teacher they can have and the world makes a fantastic classroom. X
Forgot to mention we live in the UK. We travelled around France, Spain, Belgium, Portugal and Italy . Could recommend a huge amount of places both in the UK and Europe if needed. Plus you can always pop in here when you hit the UK for a cuppa and homeschool playdate.
Hi Helen
Thanks for the post. Would love to pop by for a cuppa and home school play date when in the UK. Admittedly though I had to look up what a cuppa is :). What were some of your favorite places in Spain and Italy. What did your children like the best? Any suggestions around home schooling that have worked for you?
Hey! I am so excited for your adventure! I am currently tutoring 1st, 2nd and 3rd grade students in a homeschool setting. I have taught in public and private schools as well. If you need any ideas or help with this aspect of your trip, let me know. One website I highly recommend. It is called DreamBox Learning and it is excellent for teaching 1st, 2nd, and 3rd grade math. It has lots of online manipulatives and games that make learning fun and real – it goes way beyond skill and drill so that the kids really understand why and how math works, instead of just memorizing the rules and math facts! It also automatically adjusts to your student’s skill level, which is very cool, and gives parents feedback and progress updates.
Kerri – I am so exited for you! You three are going to have a grand adventure!!! Let me know if you need any help or ideas – or if you get to Virginia Beach somewhere on your trip! 🙂
Hey Becky
Thanks for the suggestion. Please share any other ideas that have worked for you. The more the better. I think I am a little more nervous about home schooling versus Jason – especially around not having a specific program.
Hi again sorry about that. Cuppa just means cup of tea. We made our own curriculum for the girls. Whilst there are good options out there for a “school in a box” we felt it restricted their learning to a set year group/grade. Both our girls worked at a higher level. Our eldest is now taking her qualifications 2 years early. She is a wonderful self motivated young lady with huge goals and ambitions. She feels that the travelling has made her realise there is so much more out there if you really want it. We have a huge number of places we could recommend. Our website has a few photos on it although we haven’t updated it for a while. Since coming home we have a new addition to our crew. A little boy named Kieran. One of our reasons for stopping for a while! You are going to have so much fun. Helenx
Sorry website is http://www.dizzzy.co.uk. 🙂