What is Worldschooling?

Worldschooling is the purposeful engagement of the world around us as a basis for learning.

Worldschooling emerged in the 2010s as an educational and lifestyle trend in the Global North. Worldschooling most commonly refers to families travelling the world as a form of alternative education.

The worldschooling movement has been enabled and influenced by the confluence of several factors in contemporary society:

• Dissatisfaction with the prevailing education system and highly scheduled childhoods
• Birth of digital nomads thanks to technology, widespread internet networks, contractual and remote labor in the knowledge economy, and accessibility of travel
• Urge to rebel against the prescribed path and break out of the capitalist rat race (a new generation’s version of Tune In, Turn On and Drop Out?)
• Cultural values that emphasize--for better and worse--individualism, entrepreneurialism, globalization and the righteous pursuit of one’s own destiny

Some also see worldschooling as a response to 21^st century risk stemming from structural job insecurity and the rise of the gig economy, weakening social safety nets including the slow degradation of public education, and climate change uncertainties, among other factors. Worldschooling can thus be viewed as a rational approach to preparing the next generation to thrive in an unpredictable world (see The World is Our Classroom by Molz).

In an era where digital nomadic life is increasingly feasible and when growing numbers of parents are seeking to “hack” the best possible education for their children, it seems to me that it was only a matter of time before families hit the road in growing numbers. A 2016 Guardian article heralded the rise of world-schooling. Today, family educational travel has indeed become big business. A Facebook community called “Worldschoolers” counts over 54,000 members and dozens of posts a day, and there are hundreds of traveling families with blogs, YouTube channels and huge Instagram followings (examples).

Why Do People Opt for Worldschooling?

Families that practice worldschooling tend to be educated, socioeconomically privileged and hold North American, European or Australian passports. They often share similar goals, such as these big five:

• Reinforcing their children’s curiosity, creativity and innate drive to learn (partly in reaction to an educational system that is seen as undermining natural learning)
• Instilling adaptability, resilience, practical problem-solving skills and the self-confidence to tackle real-life obstacles
• Cultivating compassion, a well-rounded understanding of the world, a recognition of inequalities and an interest in social justice
• Equipping their children to communicate successfully across linguistic and cultural divides
• Making time and space for deeper and more meaningful parent-child and sibling relationships

What Does Worldschooling Look Like in Practice?

While they may have common aims, how families go about worldschooling varies widely. As a form of alternative education, worldschooling typically draws on some combination of homeschooling, unschooling and hands-on experiential learning in a variety of settings. There is debate about whether obligatory features of worldschooling include travel and eschewing formal school.

Examples of some forms that worldschooling can take include:

• Full-time, long-term travel: A location-independent family travels continually for an indefinite period. They may have their own car, recreational vehicle or boat, or they may rely exclusively on public transport and temporary lodging such as AirBnBs, hostels or woofing arrangements.
• Full-time, time-bound travel: Families capitalize on a sabbatical, unpaid leave or a gap year to delve into an extended trip or life abroad for a defined period. Some people plan a specific itinerary or immerse themselves as expatriates in a single location, while others choose a starting point and let their itinerary unfold spontaneously as they go along.
• Short-term travel: A family bound to a fixed address for any number of reasons (location-dependent job, a homebody family member, a child’s sports or instrument training, etc.) opts to maximize vacation time through educational travel. They intentionally select locations and activities to address their worldschooling goals—whether through tourism, volunteering or intensive language and cultural immersion programs.
• Worldschooling from home: A homeschooling or even conventional schooling family integrates worldschooling goals, principles and approaches into their regular lives. They make an intentional effort to draw on the world around them to spark curiosity, broaden horizons, build life-skills and instill compassion and resilience.

Regardless of how different families make room for it in their lives and their children’s upbringing, worldschooling is a mindset centered on adventurous, natural learning in the world around us.

What Is the Future of Worldschooling?

Worldschooling in all its iterations is rapidly growing in both popularity and practice. While COVID-19 put a hold on most discretionary travel for the last few years, the pandemic also demonstrated the viability of remote work, revealed some unexpected benefits of homeschooling, and accentuated many people’s desire to “seize the day” and make the most of their lives. As a result, there is growing momentum—with a proliferation of conferences, meet-up hubs, books, blogs, social media and other resources—around worldschooling.

At the same time, there are several reasons to check our collective enthusiasm for worldschooling, including: climate change, global inequalities and the need for quality education that is accessible to all.

• The increasing consequences of human-induced climate change—along with recognition that transport-related emissions play an important role—have caused our own jet-setting family to reconsider how far, how frequently and via what means we travel. (See this BBC article for example.)
• Many parents worldschool with the explicit purpose of showing our children their relative privilege and building bridges across cultural and socioeconomic divides that we hope will inspire them to promote change; yet we must acknowledge that in exercising this privilege, we may be inadvertently exacerbating the very cultural imperialism and lopsided opportunities that we seek to dismantle. (See Nurturing Mobilities by Maxwell, Yemini & Bach, for example.) 
• Finally, if the same set of core reasons for worldschooling resonates with an increasing number of parents in the Global North, then shouldn’t we look more deeply at what is not working and apply our worldschooling courage, conviction and risk-taking adventurism to revamping our education system and social structures to fit more people’s needs and better serve society overall?

Ultimately, not everyone can travel the globe to educate their kids, and even if they could, the planet could not handle such widespread mobility in the longer term.

As an international development professional, Returned Peace Corps Volunteer and worldschooling mother who has lived, traveled and thrived in dozens of countries on five continents, I do not advocate for zero travel. I am exhilarated by being tossed outside my comfort zone; I am passionate about exploring and discovering alongside my children and partner; I am convinced that immersing ourselves in the lifestyles, languages, joys and challenges of other people is one of the best ways to combat discrimination, to open our eyes to our shared human plight, and to promote world peace. Nevertheless, I do take a keen, ongoing interest in finding creative ways to worldschool without leaving home, developing innovative solutions to improve public education for all, and paving the way for all people to pursue their dreams—equitably and sustainably.