Homeschooling is becoming more prevalent in many countries around the world that allow it. While there are pros and cons to schooling a child at home, many parents conclude that the positive effects of homeschooling outweigh the negative. One homeschooling trend, world-schooling, involves homeschool families who teach their children while traveling the world. Through world-schooling, children can gain valuable experiences during their travels that they would otherwise not have the opportunity to be a part of.

How can a child benefit from world-schooling?

With world-schooling, the child’s classroom is essentially the entire world. Listing every possible benefit a child could receive from traveling the world throughout his or her children would be out of the scope of a single blog post. However, here are some of the reasons world-schooling has become so popular.

Interaction with people from all over the world. Socially, children who are world-schoolers are more used to communicating with people who are different than they are. They will witness people from all different backgrounds, economic situations, ability, and ages.

More global awareness. Children who have traveled significantly will be more aware that there is an outside world beyond their own home and that the world doesn’t revolve around them. They will also be more familiar with different countries through the memories attached to each one.

Less accessible electronic entertainment. Many world-schooling families don’t bring TVs or video game consoles with them. “Unplugging”, for many families, allows them to create a closer bond and take time away from constant screen-based entertainment.

What constitutes a child’s world-schooling education?

The short answer? It depends. One of the more common myths surrounding homeschooling is that it describes a single method of teaching. Homeschooling manifests itself differently within each homeschool family. The ability to customize a child’s education to align with their abilities, interests, and needs is one of the top reasons families consider homeschooling.

This means that world-schooling education looks differently for each nomadic homeschool family. Some families might begin their day by sitting down with vocabulary workbooks and completing math assignments. Other families may have a specified reading hour, followed by a discussion. Some world-school families may not schedule traditional educational activities into their days whatsoever and rely on experiences gained during travel to educate their children for a period of time.

How to make world-schooling a financial possibility

Families who decide to pack up and take their children on the road for a permanent adventure face a unique financial situation. Many will choose to save up for several years before leaving and living off of their savings, as well as money generated from renting out or selling their home. Working during travel is possible as long as the parent has a skill that can be provided from anywhere in the world, like web development or graphic design. Long-term nomadic families often choose to document their experiences by blogging or vlogging and creating a full-time income centered around their lifestyle.