Some years ago, after embarking on long journeys through Asia and Central America as a couple, we decided to adjust our work reality in order to travel and work simultaneously. It would be the only way we could afford to live the travel lifestyle that we loved so much! After figuring out how to make it happen, we acquired the necessary skills and started programming and teaching Spanish and English online. That’s how we first traveled as a couple, accompanied by our furry companion, and later became parents, continuing to travel with our daughter Sol, with high confidence that this lifestyle fulfills and brings happiness to the entire family. Each way of traveling and every destination has enriched us in one way or another, and the ever-changing nature of this nomadic life is really exciting for us.
Fears
The decision to have a child and continue being nomads was not easy, as it is sometimes difficult to ignore the fears that come to us: she’s too young, what about her health? And family, how will she bond with them? And how will she socialize with other children if we keep changing places? And when we have to work, how will we manage with her? All this noise accompanied us in the process, but in the end, the desire outweighs everything, and you just have to take the first step to see that everything flows. Being a parent is always a challenge, regardless of whether you lead a conventional life or not.
Resources
There are many ways to find peace of mind if we want to lead a nomadic life as a family. We want to share some key points that help us and make it possible to continue with this lifestyle:
- Health: We always travel with our Iati health insurance, which protects us in many unexpected situations (we had a motorcycle accident in Borneo, a food poisoning in South Africa, and a very annoying virus in Mexico). They assisted us promptly with everything, and in the case of our little one, a doctor came to our accommodation with everything necessary to treat her so that we didn’t have to travel. We recommend always traveling with insurance because life always brings surprises, and accessing healthcare in certain countries can be both difficult and expensive.
- Accommodations: We usually use the Airbnb platform and the best way to get discounts is by renting for a minimum of one month (or by contacting the owners directly, although it’s a slightly riskier option). Taking care of houses and pets while the owners are on vacation is also a very interesting option that allows us to reduce costs and have enriching experiences with animals. We use the Trusted House Sitters platform, and we encourage you to try it because it can be very worthwhile.
- Community: One of the ways we ensure that we meet and connect with like-minded people (for us and for Sol) is by looking for destinations where we know there are communities of traveling families and worldschoolers. If you search for Facebook groups about traveling with children, worldschooling, or nomadic families, you’ll find many ideas and it’s easy to connect with people planning to go to the same places at the same time as you. Additionally, parks exist all over the world and are one of the best places for spontaneous meetings with other kids and parents.
- Flexible educational centers, family coworking spaces, and hubs: Although our priority is to spend as much time as possible with our daughter and as a family, sometimes we simply can’t. That’s why we started contacting and gathering information about different spaces (nurseries, schools, coworking spaces with childcare, supervised activities, and hubs organized by other traveling families) that don’t require long-term registration. Some of them operate on an hourly, daily, weekly, or one- or two-month basis, and their flexibility allows us to have work time while Sol experiences and learns in a different setting with other children.
- Internet: Before making any accommodation reservation, we ask the host to send us a screenshot of the Wi-Fi speed. Only then do we know if it will be sufficient for our online work (it usually is). It’s also a good idea to get a local or international data SIM card like Holafly for any unexpected issues that may arise.
We hope that our experience and some of our tips can help you take the leap into the greatest family adventure of your life if you were feeling hesitant. We can assure you that it’s possible to live and travel as a family. There are thousands of ways to do it, and the world will always be the best school for children.