Some of the most efficient and fulfilling ways to raise global citizens are humbly exposing children to meaningful world travel and teaching them to understand and speak other languages. Our family has sought out practical ways to do both through worldschooling.

While researching travel possibilities, we discovered an entire global community of people who learn and live while traveling the world. These families are aptly known as “worldschoolers,” and their lifestyles are more varied than you can imagine. From full-time homeschooling nomads to suburbanites who hit the road during extended school breaks and everything in between, there is no limit to the creative arrangements we’ve seen.

Once exposed to the ethos of worldschooling, we were hooked. Because of our desire to know people and their stories, our strategy shifted from regular short trips to less frequent, prolonged opportunities for slow travel. We still enjoy family vacations, but “vacation” is not a word we ever use to describe our intentional people-knowing trips because it mischaracterizes our intentions.

When we travel, we intend to learn the history, narratives, hardships, and joys of local families as we try our best to build relationships and community. There are bumps and bruises, both physical and emotional, during our stays. There are times when I think about giving up and returning home to Starbucks, Target, a lower altitude, or our comfortable way of life. But we carry on, and I’m so thankful that we do because worldschooling has been life-changing for all of us.

Earlier this month, we set off on another worldschooling adventure. Our main destination for this trip is Ghana (West Africa), but we started (and will be ending) with a European detour to help redeem the trip that unraveled during the pandemic. This 2 1/2 month journey includes stays in the following destinations:

• London, England
• Paris, France
• Accra, Ghana (Part 1)
• Accra, Ghana (Part 2)
• Madrid, Spain (Why we didn’t get to go to Spain)

I’ve already posted our Worldschooling packing list, and as we move through our trip, I’ll be adding posts for each location and linking them to this page so readers can find them quickly. For many more details about how and why we worldschool, including how we afford it, please read Chapter 11 (“Theory to Practice”) in my book, A PLACE TO BELONG. You can also check out posts about our time in Greece and Bolivia. I blogged quite a bit while in South America, so search for ‘Bolivia’ on my site to learn more.

I’ll also be sharing photos and stories from our worldschooling trip on Instagram @heritagemomblog.