By TED Staff
July 2021
Worldschooling is not for the faint of heart. Leaving your home, social circle, school, and desk job to educate your children while traveling full-time is a huge step, though its many benefits could very much outweigh the risks. Still, if you are thinking of ditching public school to go worldschooling, then you might be in want of some inspiration. Below, we look at the best books about worldschooling that are bound to both educate and inspire.
The 5-Hour School Week: An Inspirational Guide To Leaving The Classroom To Embrace Learning In A Way You Never Imagined
Kaleena Amuchastegui and Aaron Amuchastegui
If you’ve ever worried that school is taking over your children’s lives, then you and the Amuchastegui family have something in common. In The 5-Hour School Week, the authors discuss the thinking that led to them pulling their kids out of school in order to learn while traveling. They share their successes and pitfalls, plus a ton of practical advice for keeping your kids sane, educated, and inspired, but not bored or overwhelmed.
360 Degrees Longitude: One Family’s Journey Around The World
John Higham
Author John Higham and his wife, September, spent more than 10 years planning their one-year adventure around the world. Together with their two children, the Higham family crossed 24 time zones to experience 28 countries. They tell all about it in 360 Degrees Longitude, which serves as both a travel narrative and an inspiring how-to for families who wish to do the same.
At Home In The World: Reflections On Belonging While Wandering The Globe
Tsh Oxenreider
Author Tsh Oxenreider and her family, including three kids under 10, spent nine months traversing the globe. They traveled to places like New Zealand, Ethiopia, Italy, and more, finding adventure and learning the true meaning of “home.” The result is the best-selling At Home In The World. Oxenreider’s stories are funny and moving, and she doesn’t shy away from the challenges the family faced during their year on the road.
Changing Gears: A Family Odyssey To The End Of The World
Nancy Sathre-Vogel
In 2012, author Nancy Sathre-Vogel, her husband, and their two young children rode their bikes more than 17,000 miles from Alaska to Argentina. They tell the story of their incredible journey in Changing Gears. This inspiring book documents the family’s ups, downs, and moments in which they realized that putting their noses to the grindstone would help them to achieve the impossible.
Exit Normal: How We Escaped With Our Family And Changed Our Life
Domini Hedderman
If it’s inspiration you are looking for, then look no further than Exit Normal. Domini Hedderman recounts the six months her family spent living on the beach in Belize, spending time in local villages, and relaxing and recharging more than they ever realized they needed to. Hedderman discusses how they planned for their journey, and what returning to normal looked like afterwards.
Give Your Child The World: Raising Globally Minded Kids One Book At A Time
Jamie C. Martin
Whether you are on the road or just dreaming about it, Jamie C. Martin’s Give Your Child The World is a reference you are going to want to have on hand. This best-selling book for worldschoolers and homeschoolers is a compendium of books and stories from countries around the world. More than 600 books are listed along with a short description, and are arranged by region of the world, country, and age range. Many worldschooling families report using this book to find stories that will get their children excited about visiting a particular country.
Grab The Kids & Go: A Practical Guide To Your Family’s Gap Year
Taryn Ash
Grab The Kids & Go by Taryn Ash is a helpful guide for planning and executing a year traveling the world with your family. Ash recounts her family’s gap year camping in Namibia, teaching English in Zimbabwe, and helping to restore a medieval house in France. Woven into her family’s own adventures are practical tips for planning one’s own trip.
One Year Off: Leaving It All Behind For A Round-The-World Journey With Our Children
David Elliot Cohen
Author David Elliot Cohen, co-creator of the bestselling Day in the Life book series, recounts how his family decided to sell everything in order to travel the world for one year. One Year Off tells the story of how the Cohens found adventure in places like southern Africa, Australia, Costa Rica, and Greece. Cohen discusses what it was like being together 24/7, how his children viewed different parts of the world, and some of the unexpected challenges they faced along the way.
Roadschooling: The Ultimate Guide To Education Through Travel
Nancy Sathre-Vogel
As a long-time advocate for unschooling and worldschooling, Nancy Sathre-Vogel knows about what she calls “roadschooling.” In her popular how-to guide, she covers everything parents are likely to worry about as they consider hitting the road full time. Sections of the book discuss letting go of our traditional views of education and ways to keep up with learning while traveling. She also provides assurance that worldschooling can be beneficial for children, who learn just as well on the road.
The Road Taken: How To Dream, Plan, And Live Your Family Adventure Abroad
Michelle Damiani
The Road Taken is described as “the definitive manual for parents who crave the family-bonding and horizon-broadening of an international expedition.” Michelle Damiani shares the stories of 36 contributors who have decided to take their families abroad. Included is the author’s own story of spending a year with her family in an Italian village. In addition to inspiring personal stories, The Road Taken covers financing the worldschooling adventure, different educational approaches, and much more.
The World Is Our Classroom: Extreme Parenting And The Rise Of Worldschooling
Jennie Germann Molz
In The World Is Our Classroom, author and traveling parent Jennie Germann Molz asserts that worldschooling has evolved from an alternative method of education to a whole new type of lifestyle. Molz draws on interviews, family blogs, and personal stories to explore what inspires families to leave everything in order to travel the world.
The World Is Our Classroom: How One Family Used Nature And Travel To Shape An Extraordinary Education
Cindy Ross
The World Is Our Classroom is the personal account of author Cindy Ross and her family, who visited 12 countries and made a 3,100-mile Canada-to-Mexico trek with their young children. Ross describes the unorthodox approach to her children’s education that evolved along their journey. She also discusses the unexpected and intangible benefits and gifts such an approach provided her children and family.
The World Is Their Classroom: A Practical Guide For World Schooling Families
Taryn Ash
In The World Is Their Classroom, author Taryn Ash offers aspiring worldschoolers, roadschoolers, and unschoolers a step-by-step guide to getting started with education on the road. Ash focuses on how parents can seek out learning opportunities wherever they happen to be. A special focus is placed on teaching and learning history, geography, language, and math and science while on the road full time.
We Call It Rome-Schooling — The World Is Our Classroom: One Family’s Homeschooling Scrapbook
Sarah Janisse Brown and Joshua William Brown
In We Call It Rome-Schooling, the Brown family documents how they left small town Indiana to travel around Europe with their 10 (!) children. Over the course of four years, the family traveled to villages and cities in France, Germany, Portugal, Italy, and more. They did this without smartphones, or even much technology. Along the way, they captured memories and life lessons that are sure to inspire your own journey.
World Schooling: How To Revolutionize Your Child’s Education Through Family Travel
Ashley Dymock De Tello
Ashley Dymock de Tello’s World Schooling is a how-to guide for any family considering full-time travel. The book is split into three sections: exiting the traditional educational system, the four main approaches to worldschooling, and the resources a family can use on their worldschooling journey. Throughout the book, the author draws upon the real-life stories of worldschooling families from various nations.
