It’s a muggy July night, and my kids and I are ankle-deep in a sand dune, looking for a hawksbill turtle. We’ve flown a thousand miles from Florida, where we’ve signed up to participate in Turtle Week at the Four Seasons Nevis. Tonight, there are no cell phones or iPads, but there is a palpable buzz when our team leader declares that he’s found a turtle, which we excitedly gather around while it’s tagged and prepared for its release the next morning. The experience was the ultimate field trip that brought their science textbooks to life in the most unforgettable way.
“Educational programs like Turtle Week transform travel into a truly immersive experience,” says Gillian Stoney, Digital Marketing Communications Manager at the Four Seasons Nevis. “From participating in nightly beach walks to observe nesting turtles and attending educational sessions led by experts, guests can engage in hands-on experiences that not only deepen children’s understanding of marine ecosystems but also foster a sense of responsibility toward environmental stewardship.”
Experiences like these represent a growing trend among families seeking real-world learning opportunities. For the following Black families who have chosen to “world school,” or travel full-time while homeschooling, it means trading a traditional classroom for a global education where school is always in session.
Life-Changing Destinations
Orlando-based Portia O’Laughlin travels full-time with her youngest two children, ages 11 and 12, and homeschools while on the road. O’Laughlin says they use Florida as a home base while taking long, slow trips that expose her kids to different cultures, like a recent visit to Egypt.
“It was our first time in a Muslim country, and we were embraced with unexpected beauty and hospitality,” she says. “I hired a driver to take us to Luxor for a few days and stop at Dendera Temple along the way. My videos of the kids exploring the temple in absolute awe are my favorite moments; from heading to the rooftop to staring at the walls and columns and finding the famous Dendera zodiac, it all still feels surreal.”
Monique Jones also adopted a world-schooling lifestyle with her 11-year-old daughter, which was inspired by their trip to Korea together while she was stationed in the military. Jones says that witnessing her daughter “at the tender age of four, speaking a new language and embracing a new culture was an awe-inspiring moment.” The duo has been traveling around the world, continent by continent, for the past five years. Their South American era has landed them in Colombia, and Jones says she has her eyes set on Africa next. Along the way, she’s introduced her daughter to hands-on history.
“There are so many places to choose from, but one of our most memorable trips has been to Palenque, a town where the enslaved escaped to in Colombia,” she says. “In Palenque, my daughter learned about traditional African bush medicine and how herbs and barks have healing properties. She also learned how drums were used to transmit messages and how women would also braid maps of the land into their hair for the enslaved to follow.”
Filmmaker and writer Ashey Shante Deese and her family split their time between Tanzania and North Carolina. Shortly after the pandemic, she and her husband began researching living abroad, initially settling in Mexico before ultimately deciding to commit to Tanzania. They’ve since accumulated thousands of frequent flyer miles from traveling and world schooling their two young sons, ages 3 and 5.
“Moving to Tanzania has provided such a wide array of learning experiences for our boys, especially the language and culture,” she says. “They also get to experience the nature and agriculture of Africa. Roosters are a part of their morning soundtrack, and they see goats and cows on our daily route. My eldest, who is autistic, gets to be one with nature here, in a way that is so vital to the way he is able to center himself.”
World Schooling Impact
For these families, traveling and homeschooling have also had an immediate positive impact on their relationships. “Living, learning, and traveling together made us closer than we would’ve been in a 9-5 or classroom-based life,” O’Laughlin explains. “We share a deeper appreciation of each other and the world around us. We have inspirational talks during nature walks, laugh at ourselves in street markets, and push past our own limits one step at a time.”
Jones and her daughter have forged a close relationship, bonding over their love of food. “We have a tradition of collecting recipes that document the dishes we’ve encountered across the globe,” she says. “As a result, we bond over cooking, and our dinner table becomes a vibrant representation of international flavors.”
And Deese says one of the most significant benefits of homeschooling your kids while seeing the world is spending valuable, quality time together, especially when they’re young. “Because of world schooling, I get to have different routines with my sons,” she says. “With my eldest, it’s going to the supermarket, which is one of his favorite places to go. I make a lesson out of it by asking him to read labels and identify certain fruits and vegetables. With my youngest, it’s going to a cafe for breakfast or lunch. It’s our little time together.”
Advice for Prospective World Schoolers
World schooling children requires job flexibility and a lot of planning, and it also presents its own set of challenges, as traveling full-time can be expensive. “Comfortable hotel rooms for four people can be expensive and hard to find,” O’Laughlin says. “So, I’ve turned trip-planning into an extreme sport, leveraging every tool I can: points, miles, loyalty perks, honor society benefits, AAA and AARP discounts (which you don’t have to be over 50 to use), and travel agent resources. That resourcefulness has carried us to 31 countries and 22 cruises so far, and it keeps us moving.”
O’Laughlin also says that if you can’t be a full-time world schooler, start small and work educational trips into your everyday routines with your kids. “Be a tourist in your own town,” she says. “Take the weekend road trip. Learn how to stretch your budget. Build confidence as you start navigating airports, new cities, and new languages. The more you do, the more the world opens up, and you’ll see that global adventure isn’t just for other people.”
Jones suggests that if you’re considering world schooling, reach out to online groups for questions and support, and start with a long-term trip. “It might mean taking a month-long vacation during the summer to observe how your family adapts,” she advises. “Choose a location, pick a vacation rental, and embark on this journey.”
Like O’Laughlin and Jones, Deese suggests surrounding yourself with others who have done the same or reading up on the realities of world schooling. “World schooling has its challenges, but one of the best educations you can give a child is allowing them to see the world outside of their window,” she says.
