Worldschooling and Roadschooling: The World’s Your Classroom

The way we work and raise our families has changed in the last few years, allowing for more travel flexibility in our everyday lives. As growing numbers of distance workers are not tied to a location, families are hitting the road! With this freedom, more parents take their children with them and adopt worldschooling or roadschooling educational methods.

If you have never heard of this, worldschooling is the educational philosophy that there is no better way to learn than by interacting with the world around you, often living abroad or in various locations, to experience this. Parents integrate curriculum with their travels and use the opportunity to explore and learn as a family. Similarly, roadschooling is an educational method in which families pack up and live on the road while using the things they see and experience to enrich their schooling experience. How would this look? Imagine visiting Philadelphia and studying the founding fathers in history while walking in their footsteps and seeing the Liberty Bell. Or studying space at an Astronautics Museum or visiting NASA and speaking with astronauts or at a planetarium! Does this sound impossible? Sound incredible? Read on to discover a whole new way of learning!

What are the benefits of roadschooling or worldschooling?

Traditional schooling isn’t for everyone. Thankfully, many different educational models accommodate families’ wide range of needs. Well, the same applies to roadschooling and worldschooling. 

• Learn by doing. Traveling or being on the road isn’t a vacation for many families. It’s an amazing lifestyle. When bringing education on the road or around the world, there are no limits to what your child can learn. 
• Experience is the best teacher. Every museum, nature walk, or new cuisine can be a segue into learning and an opportunity to expose your student to new material. 
• Bond with your student through education. Traveling and learning together is a great way for families to bond. What sounds better than discovering the world and learning with your child?
• Enjoy the freedom of working on what’s most relevant today. Working without a set curriculum allows you as a parent total freedom in deciding how to introduce concepts and ideas.
• No homework. Now here’s a win for you and your student! There’s no need to add additional work in their downtime with the world as your classroom.

Protip: Some classes still need a little “cracking of the books,” like math. But there are great math programs to take on the road.

Downsides of Worldschooling and Roadschooling

While traveling the country or world with your family may sound like a dream come true, there are some things to consider. 

• There can be a higher degree of parental involvement. Increased involvement is not necessarily a downside, but you should consider it. Parents must be very hands-on with this teaching style, and the variety can be overwhelming. It involves extensive planning to create a cohesive plan of study. However, this can also be an opportunity to grow and learn with your child firsthand! Not to mention, you will be enjoying the same new experiences and learning!
• Tight quarters can create tensions. While possibly more symptomatic of being on the road together than road or worldschooling itself, getting through tough material while on the road together nonstop can be a challenge. If rainy weather strikes and the family cannot get out and explore as intended, try heading to a museum or public library on your route to mix it up and break out of close quarters!
• Affordability of worldschooling or roadschooling. Being on the road can be expensive. For some, the solution may be saving money and being very frugal in preparation. For others, remote work for mom and dad so that income is consistent while on the road may work. In any case, preparation is key! Be certain to fully explore your options before embarking on this path.

Is Roadschooling and Worldschooling Legal?

Roadschooling is legal in all 50 states in the U.S.; however, certain states have tighter restrictions than others. The laws you must abide by are that of the state where you have residency, regardless of where you’re traveling at the moment. Similarly, worldschooling is legal in the United States. There are many countries that it’s not legal in, but the laws you must abide by are that of the country where you claim residency.

How Do Children Socialize on the Road?

A big concern for parents who want to try worldschooling or roadschooling is the lack of socialization for their children. While social interaction is sometimes limited on the road, moms and dads have already come up with an answer to this big question! Many online communities host events throughout the year where students can interact and build relationships. While it may not be traditional, it’s an option to expand your child’s social experience on the road. 

Many roadschooling communities often communicate through Facebook and other mediums. If you are heading to a new area, you can connect with local homeschool families, find other roadschoolers, and more. This is not a solo experience. It’s a community of mobile learners.

How Does It Work?

Traveling with your student and combining education with adventure sounds like a dream. But, you need some help getting started. First, decide whether you’re going to use a curriculum. Many families opt out of using a curriculum and develop their own based on travel destinations and available materials. Through unit studies, parents can find ways to tie upcoming events into an overarching theme creatively. If you’re leaning no-curriculum, many educational resources offer roadmaps for unit studies, online study groups, and support.

For those who want more structure, you can always find a curriculum. While pre-designed curriculums may be easier in theory, you’ll need consistent access to the internet or public venues with Wi-Fi. These can be found readily in coffee shops, parks, museums, and many other city-based locations for free. For some, using online curriculums is simplest as it doesn’t require carrying books in limited spaces.

After finding or designing your curriculum, the next step is getting all of your materials. Remember, if you’re roadschooling, everything you plan to use needs to fit in your vehicle. Certain tools can help maximize your space, like Kindles or tablets to store digital books instead of carrying hard copies.

Lastly, look at the sites you’ll visit and what each destination can offer. Will you be in an area with many hikes and beautiful nature sights? Perfect! Use those stops to explore biology and the sciences. After that, maybe you’re headed somewhere rich in museums, history, and politics, like Washington D.C.? Use that stop to highlight social studies topics and art. Make plans according to the curriculum you’ve selected and take advantage of the traveling experience. 

After choosing your curriculum, retrieving supplies, and establishing travel plans, take your kiddo on the road and start learning!

Final Thoughts

For families with an on-the-go lifestyle and love to learn through experience, worldschooling and roadschooling are great educational options. Through the guidance of curriculum and online communities of like students, parents can provide their child with an immersive education with scholastic benefits and lifelong memories and experiences that will grow them as individuals. If this sounds overwhelming for you to embrace at once, consider looking at vacations and travel as micro-roadschooling experiences. Explore with your children and discover the merits of this style.