Wonder Year: The Art of Long-Term Family Travel and Worldschooling

Deviate with Rolf Potts

“The parent’s job as teacher on the road is to just create surface area between your kid and yourself and the world.” –Julie Frieder

In this episode of Deviate, Rolf and Julie talk about what a “Wonder Year” is, how she got involved with family travel, and why traveling with children is possible and enriching for everyone involved (1:30); how to get started planning a family vagabonding journey, where to go, how long to go, how to save money, and why travel is good for your mental health (14:00); how to involve your kids in planning a travel journey, why being open to serendipity can wok better than micromanaging activities, what “worldschooling” is, and how to plan education activities on the road (27:00); how parents can learn alongside their kids on the road, and how to deal with challenges like homesickness and culture shock (39:30); the task of returning home after a long journey, and how travel makes us better parents (46:00).

Julie Frieder is the coauthor (along with Angela Heisten and Annika Paradise) of Wonder Year: A Guide to Long-Term Family Travel and Worldschooling.

Notable Links:

• The Vagabond’s Way, by Rolf Potts (book)
• Hydrogeology (geology focusing on groundwater)
• Temple Grandin (animal behaviorist)
• “Awe Is Good for Your Brain,” by Florence Williams (Outside article)
• WWOOF (World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms)
• Unschooling (experiential learning method)
• HSLDA (homeschooling resource website)
• Worldschoolers (Facebook group)
• Lands of Lost Borders , by Kate Harris (book)

The Deviate theme music comes from the title track of Cedar Van Tassel’s 2017 album Lumber.

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