What Is Worldschooling? The Complete Guide for 2025

Written By Colleen

Learn What Worldschooling is, How it Works, & Whether it’s Right for Your Family

“The best education I have ever received was through travel.”
— Lisa Ling

Sophie & Rachel, doing schoolwork at an Airbnb in Étretat, France.

Article update on November 14, 2025

Worldschooling is revolutionizing how families approach education, and it's not just homeschooling with a passport. When our family spent three months in France watching our daughters learn French on playgrounds and history at Normandy's beaches, we discovered something profound: the world itself became our classroom. If you've ever wondered, “What is worldschooling, and could this work for my family?” You are in the right place!

As remote work has become increasingly common and online learning platforms have expanded, more families are discovering a boundless way to approach their children's educational experience. This comprehensive guide explores what world schooling is, why families choose this educational philosophy, and how you can get started on your own world schooling journey.

Unlike traditional schooling or conventional homeschooling, worldschooling represents a fundamental shift in how we approach learning. It's not just about changing where your child receives education; it's about transforming the entire learning experience. Rather than relying on textbooks, your child's education becomes centered on travel, cultural exploration, and real-world experiences that create lasting memories for the entire family.

 
 

Understanding Worldschooling: More Than Just Travel

Before delving into the practical details of how worldschooling works, it's essential to understand what it actually entails and how it differs from other educational approaches. We're breaking down the core philosophy and principles that make worldschooling a transformative educational model.

 

Worldschooling is a travel-based educational approach that utilizes cultural immersion, real-world experiences, and geographic exploration as primary learning tools while homeschooling. Unlike traditional homeschooling, worldschooling emphasizes location-independent learning where countries, cities, and cultures become living classrooms that enhance formal curriculum.

While homeschooling can happen anywhere, worldschooling specifically leverages travel to transform education. Families combine online or portable curricula with experiential learning, visiting historical sites instead of reading about them, practicing languages with native speakers, and studying geography by actually living in different countries.

Worldschooling isn’t a traditional style of homeschooling, as it focuses on geography rather than content and methodology. You can homeschool without worldschooling, but it’s difficult (though not impossible) to worldschool without homeschooling. The key distinction is that worldschooling emphasizes travel and cultural immersion as central to the learning experience, while traditional homeschooling can happen anywhere.

Parents who embrace the worldschooling community believe that the more you immerse yourself in new places, different cultures, and diverse experiences, the more your children will learn and grow. This involves completing traditional subjects through an online program or set curriculum while using travel experiences and real-world environments to enhance and reinforce that education.

This educational approach can, and likely will, change the way your family approaches everything in life. We found ourselves diving into this concept shortly after we began homeschooling our two youngest daughters, and then set off to explore France for 3 months. We fell in love with the idea and how well our girls adapted to it.

 

Key Principles of the Worldschooling Philosophy

Just like homeschooling, there are some fundamental reasons a family might choose to worldschool. While some of these apply to both homeschooling and worldschooling, they might look a bit different depending on whether you’re in a stable geographic location vs. on the road.

Experiential Learning is Superior to Passive Instruction.

Rather than learning about history from a textbook, students visit historical sites where events actually occurred. This hands-on approach creates a more profound understanding and retention than traditional classroom settings.

Different Cultures Provide an Enriching Global Perspective.

Direct exposure to different languages, customs, and ways of life creates a more authentic understanding of our diverse world than any textbook or curriculum can provide.

Real-World Experiences Build Confidence & Life Skills.

Beyond academics, worldschooling develops problem-solving abilities, adaptability, resilience, and cultural understanding that benefit children for the rest of their lives. It creates real-world opportunities for kids to better understand how they respond to challenging circumstances, how to leverage their strengths, and when to ask for help. They must learn to be organized, make confident decisions quickly, and advocate for their own needs.

Flexibility Accommodates Individual Learning Styles.

Worldschooling families recognize that each child's pace and learning style is an asset rather than something to overcome. Kids can take extra time for challenging concepts, move faster when something really clicks, and even step away from a class in favor of an opportunity to dive into something they’re passionate about for a bit before returning.

 

The decision to worldschool isn't made lightly. It stems from a deep desire to provide something different for both your children's education and your family's life experience. Understanding these motivations can help you determine whether worldschooling aligns with your family's values and goals.

 

A Passion for Travel & Shared Family Experience.

Families that worldschool believe shared travel experiences bond a family and create memories for a lifetime. Rather than experiencing vacations as brief escapes, travel becomes a way of life.

A Desire for Educational Flexibility.

Families that worldschool seek to allow their children to explore their passions and specific talents in ways that traditional education systems can't provide. For example, a child passionate about marine biology can study it in coastal destinations, creating a real-world context for their learning.

Recognition of Diverse Learning Needs.

Parents understand that their child's unique learning style and pace reflect their current capacity to process information, rather than indicating their learning ability or potential.

Cultural & Language Immersion.

Worldschooling offers the entire family the opportunity to immerse themselves in diverse cultures, languages, and customs. This leads to a more accurate global perspective and greater cultural awareness.

Emphasis on Experiential Learning.

Families recognize that hands-on experiences and learning opportunities provided by travel lead to stronger educational outcomes than those achieved through classroom-based instruction alone.

 

The Long-Term Benefits of Worldschooling

When every day presents an opportunity to learn through interactions and experiences, families approach life in a more thoughtful and informed way. Children explore more passionately and retain what they learn by reinforcing it with real-life experiences. When there's no limit to when and where you can learn, education happens on weekends and holidays, while traveling the world, or during a simple walk through a new neighborhood.

Children develop a boundless curiosity and begin to see every new environment as a rich source of learning opportunities. This shift in perspective often leads to greater academic success and more motivated, engaged learners.

 

The beauty of worldschooling is that learning becomes a way of life rather than a confined activity.

 

To truly understand what worldschooling is, you need to know how it differs from traditional education. While worldschooling shares some elements with both traditional schooling and homeschooling, it's fundamentally different in its approach to education and the role of travel and cultural immersion. Understanding these differences can help you evaluate whether worldschooling is the right fit for your family.

  • Traditional schooling typically operates within a physical school system, with set curriculum requirements, rigid schedules, and standardized grade levels. While it provides structure and socialization, it may limit flexibility for families with different educational goals.

  • Traditional homeschooling removes the classroom but may still rely heavily on textbooks and a set curriculum. It offers more flexibility than conventional education, but doesn't necessarily incorporate travel or cultural immersion.

  • Worldschooling, by contrast, uses travel and cultural immersion as primary educational tools. It combines structured academics (often through online programs) with experiential learning in various real-world settings.

The key difference is that worldschooling families view each new location as an extension of their homeschooling curriculum. They intentionally research and plan their educational activities to complement their child's formal studies. A visit to an ancient historical site becomes a lesson in history. Time in a French-speaking country becomes a language learning opportunity. A local hike becomes an environmental science classroom.

 

When we first decided to worldschool, we had been planning to pull our girls out of public school to travel the United States in an RV for a year. We had even set the date to leave on our adventure. Then, in March 2020, just a few months before our scheduled departure, the world as we knew it changed dramatically.

Like most parents, we began working remotely while our daughters' schools closed in favor of virtual learning. This unexpected shift became an opportunity to really observe how our daughters actually learn.

Over the next year of virtual classes, we noticed something interesting: our girls thrived in an online format, but they were often frustrated by the pace of instruction, the distractions of other students, and the rigid schedule for live classes.

After watching this play out, we made a significant decision not to send them back to a school building. We felt that if we wanted them to be successful in the long term, we needed to take more responsibility for their education. So, we decided to homeschool. But more than that, we decided to do it on the road.

We began homeschooling in August 2021, and less than a month later, we took our first major trip. A three-month journey to France was the beginning of our worldschooling adventure. Kevin and I became digital nomads, and our whole family stepped out of our comfort zone to learn new things in the real world together.

 

How We Worldschool: Our Family's Educational Approach

Understanding worldschooling, in theory, is one thing. Seeing how it actually works in practice is quite a different matter. This section walks through the specific decisions we made, the resources we chose, and how we structure our days to balance academics with the incredible learning opportunities that travel provides.

One of the main reasons we chose to homeschool was to enable us to travel without the limitations of a school calendar. When we travel, we take as few items as possible. Our goal is to avoid checking luggage when flying. As a result, each person has a rolling carry-on suitcase and a backpack. That's it! This means our educational materials have to be lightweight and accessible.

Choosing the Right Online Program

We knew that taking our homeschooling on the road would mean we couldn't carry heavy books and equipment. We researched several programs and decided on the online program that best suited our family's wants and needs.

We appreciate that our choice allows us to select courses and add or remove them throughout the year. It also provides the flexibility we need, allowing our girls to access the platform from anywhere at any time.

That said, there are many different ways to worldschool, and families need to find the curriculum and learning style that works for them. You are only limited by your own thoughts and perceptions.

Other worldschooling families utilize alternative online programs, enroll in local schools in different countries, or establish pop-up worldschooling hubs. They also employ unschooling approaches, which involve hybrid methods that combine structured lessons with project-based learning and experiential activities. We continually refine our approach as needed.

 

There is no right or wrong approach to worldschooling!

 

Our Curriculum Structure

We enrolled both of our girls in their core classes, like Math, Science, Social Studies, and Language Arts. We then chose some elective courses. Sophie has taken coding courses through our preferred online program, and Rachel has used Khan Academy for Art History and Quill to help with language arts and writing. We also set them up on Duolingo so they could begin learning French about a month before we traveled to France.

This combination worked well for us, providing the flexibility to travel without hauling a truckload of books. They carry a pencil, a notebook, a laptop computer, headphones, and a 8x10 travel whiteboard with dry-erase markers. It all fits into their backpack along with other travel necessities. They can be set up for a school day in under five minutes, anywhere in the world!

Structured Social Engagement

While online learning is convenient, it does lack the social structure that traditional schooling naturally provides. While our girls interact with new people daily as we travel, we wanted to give them regular social engagement with peers who are also being homeschooled. We discovered a couple of platforms that have provided each of them with a regular outlet for socializing and learning.

Rachel has a weekly homeschool meeting through Outschool (get a $50 credit when you sign up) that she's been a part of for over two years. These kids have become really close and even get together on Discord several times a week to play games and just chat about what's going on in their lives.

Sophie has a weekly call through a platform called Recess (get a $20 credit when you sign up) that pairs her with other girls to play Minecraft. While that might seem like play, their adult guides are providing them with goals and projects and monitoring aspects such as leadership, engagement, and teamwork skills. Sophie also takes a weekly animation class that stretches her creativity and indulges her passion for animation.

These extra socialization opportunities have made them feel connected and anchored, even while we travel the world.

 

Real-World Learning Experiences

The rest of our daughters' schooling is experiential. These are the learning opportunities that a traditional classroom setting could never provide.

Language Learning Through Real Interaction

In addition to Duolingo, our girls learned French by playing with local children on the playground in Nice and Avignon, as well as by interacting with waitstaff in restaurants. In Malaysia, Indonesia, and Thailand, we learned how to say “hello,” “please,” and “thank you” to quickly connect with locals.

The girls even managed to communicate with a deaf driver in Kuala Lumpur thanks to the knowledge they gained from their American Sign Language (ASL) class. After a quick online check, they discovered that “thank you” in ASL is the same as in Malaysian Sign Language (Malay: Bahasa Isyarat Malaysia, or BIM).

While language barriers (even sign language) are challenging, simple words and phrases show locals that you’re willing to try. They almost always respond with a smile and work hard to engage with you. This real-world, hands-on approach to language learning has proven far more effective than classroom instruction alone. 

Geography as Living Study

Our geography lessons have consisted of more than just studying maps of faraway places. We actually go there to live for a while and experience the weather, plants, animals, unique landforms, economy, and language alongside the locals.

The world map comes to life with each new country we visit. Before traveling to Malaysia, most of us wouldn’t have been able to point it out on a globe! Now, we’re even educating our friends and family about geography while they follow our travels.

We’ve studied the various regions of France and their unique landforms, resources, and challenges. While traveling through the Occitanie Region, we encountered the Canal du Midi. It prompted us to learn how, in the late 1600s, a trade route was established from the Atlantic Ocean to the Mediterranean to avoid pirates in the Strait of Gibraltar.

These personal experiences help create context and understanding that traditional education cannot replicate. Because we live it, we also retain it far longer than we would if we’d only studied it in a textbook.

Physical Education Through Adventure

Physical education is as easy as taking a walk to get groceries and as fun as a trip to a local zipline park in Bayeux, France, where they learned how to use their gear to properly traverse the obstacles.

By incorporating pet-sitting into our travel strategy, we’ve made dog walks, hikes, and pet care regular parts of our travels (Sign up for free at TrustedHousesitters).

We’ve also climbed so many steps! From countless narrow stone steps at the Devil’s Bridge in Wales to the 200+ steps of Batu Caves in Kuala Lumpur (alongside some cute monkeys), we learn while we exercise, making it an adventure rather than a chore.

History Comes Alive at Historical Sites

We toured several places in France that really helped our girls understand the events of World War I and World War II. From the beaches of Normandy to damaged statues in Caen, impactful field trips to places where actual real-life events took place helped reinforce their history lessons. A trip to Puy du Fou, a unique immersive theme park, flooded them with information about French culture (from ancient history and the Renaissance to Napoleon and the World Wars), all while they were entertained instead of sitting in a boring classroom.

It was so impactful that Sophie wanted to know more. Seeking to build on her knowledge, she found the book "I Survived the Nazi Invasion" (one of a series of historical fiction books written for tweens). This led her to read several books in the series. I can't imagine a better history lesson taking place in a traditional classroom with a textbook! It's incredible how exposing your kids to one learning opportunity can trigger a passion for knowing more.

 

Ready to explore worldschooling for your family? The transition from traditional education to worldschooling requires thoughtful planning and preparation, but the journey is absolutely achievable. Here are the practical steps we recommend taking before you set off on your adventure.

  1. Determine Your Worldschooling Timeline & Commitment Level

First, decide how much time you want to spend worldschooling. Full-time travel demands different planning and financial commitment than part-time worldschooling. Consider whether you're working remotely, how often you wish to move between locations, and how much teaching time you can manage alongside other responsibilities.

Many worldschooling families (like ours) find that staying in one location for a few weeks allows them to integrate into their environment while maintaining both school/work days and sightseeing days. This rhythm prevents travel burnout for both parents and children.

  1. Research & Understand the Legal Requirements

This is crucial: U.S. citizens remain subject to the homeschooling laws of their home state even while traveling abroad. Different states have different requirements regarding curriculum, standardized testing, and record-keeping.

Additionally, if you'll be in any single country outside the United States for more than six months, you'll likely become subject to that country's laws. It's essential to know before you go because homeschooling is not legal in all countries.

 

Important Consideration:

Countries like Germany, Greece, and Sweden prohibit homeschooling and require in-person school attendance. Always research both your home state's requirements and the education laws of your destination country before extended stays abroad.

 

  1. Plan Your Financial Strategy

Determine your budget for your worldschooling journey. If you already work remotely and aren't limited to your hometown or country, you're in a strong position to consider working while worldschooling. Otherwise, you'll need to plan ahead and save enough to cover your expenses during your adventure.

Worldschooling costs vary widely depending on your destinations, accommodation choices, and travel style. Many families find that costs are comparable to, or even lower than, traditional living expenses, especially when factoring in what they would have spent on conventional schooling.

 

A Vital Mindset Shift: When you worldschool, you must get out of the "vacation" mentality. You may be in an excellent location with amazing travel experiences available, but schoolwork still needs to be done.

Travel must become a way of life rather than a special occasion. Otherwise, tasks go undone and expenses accumulate quickly.

 

  1. Select Your Educational Platform & Curriculum

When first considering worldschooling, the idea of carrying mountains of books seems overwhelming. The solution many families find is to choose an online curriculum or program that can be accessed from anywhere at any time on any day of the week.

Options include established online platforms, as well as unschooling approaches, local school enrollment in various countries, or hybrid methods that combine structured lessons with experiential learning. The best curriculum is the one that aligns with your family's learning style and travel flexibility needs.

  1. Research Learning Opportunities at Your Destinations

This is where worldschooling becomes truly special. Research your planned locations to take full advantage of learning opportunities that enhance your child's education. Look for experiences that build on your children's interests and passions. Get creative in making even recreational activities into learning experiences.

For example, after visiting Claude Monet's House and Gardens, our daughters wrote short essays about the artist and the Impressionism movement. A simple garden visit transformed into an art history and creative writing lesson.

Consider what each location offers in support of your educational goals: historical sites for history studies, museums for various subjects, local communities for language practice, natural environments for science studies, and cultural events for social studies.

  1. Build Your Worldschooling Support Community

Since you won't be based in one location, think globally about your support community. Numerous Facebook groups and online communities dedicated to worldschooling provide invaluable resources.

Groups like Worldschoolers (with over 70,000 members), Worldschooling Families with Tweens/Teens, and Worldschooling On A Budget serve as platforms to ask questions, find resources, and share experiences.

Many families also use social media to connect with other worldschooling families in the same town (try searching for expat groups + the city you’re in on social media), creating in-person friendships and support networks while traveling.

  1. Start Your Adventure & Embrace the Journey

Begin your worldschooling journey with realistic expectations. There will be challenging moments, but these challenges provide opportunities for problem-solving and character development. Your children will learn by doing, and the life skills gained through this educational experience are priceless (often more valuable than any traditional academic credential).

 

Our journey into worldschooling has transformed far more than just how we approach our daughters' education. It's changed how we see the world and experience life as a family. After three years of this educational adventure, we can speak to the real, tangible benefits we've witnessed and the exciting possibilities that continue to unfold.

With three full years of homeschooling (and a bit of world schooling) now under our belt, we don't anticipate returning to a traditional school environment in the foreseeable future. Since leaving traditional education, we've seen so many excellent benefits!

Real-World Skill Development

Worldschooling develops critical life skills that traditional schooling and even homeschooling struggle to teach: adaptability, problem-solving, cultural competency, independence, resilience, and genuine curiosity about the world.

Children in worldschooling families learn to navigate new environments, communicate across language barriers, understand cultural differences with nuance, and approach challenges creatively. These real-world skills often prove more valuable in modern careers than traditional academic credentials alone.

Educational Success & College Readiness

A Common Question: Can world-schooled students attend college?

Yes! Worldschooled students can attend higher education institutions. They typically maintain transcripts, take standardized tests (such as the SAT/ACT), and document their unique learning experiences, which colleges often view quite favorably as evidence of motivation, a global perspective, and initiative.

Creating a Boundless Way of Life for Our Family

Perhaps most importantly, worldschooling has created lasting family bonds and shared experiences. Rather than spending these years in separate locations (us at work, the girls at school), we share adventures, challenges, and discoveries. We've created more freedom for our family to travel and spend more quality time together in these years that we have them under our roof (wherever that might be). Those opportunities are truly priceless!

 

Ready to Start Your Worldschooling Journey?

After three years of worldschooling across multiple continents, we've learned that the most challenging part isn't the logistics, curriculum choices, or even the costs; it's simply making the decision to begin.

Our Worldschooling Adventure Continues

We have more world travel on our schedule, with plans to return to Europe and Asia, make our first visit to Australia, and explore more hidden gems across the United States. Our ultimate dream? Visiting all seven continents as a family. But we're taking it one adventure at a time, letting our daughters' interests and our work schedules guide our path.

The beauty of worldschooling is that it grows with your family. What started as a three-month experiment in France has transformed into a lifestyle we can't imagine leaving behind. Our online curriculum format makes it possible to learn from anywhere while creating memories that no classroom could ever provide.

Your Turn: Taking the First Step

Is worldschooling right for your family? If you're reading this, you're already asking the right questions.

Here's what we've learned: You don't need to have everything figured out before you start. You just need to take that first step.

Common Concerns We Hear from Families Considering World Schooling:

  • "We can't afford to travel full-time!" → Start with shorter trips or slow travel in affordable regions.

  • "My kids need stability." → Worldschooling creates stability through routine, not location.

  • "I'm not qualified to teach." → Online curricula handle the academics; you facilitate the experiences.

  • "We can't work remotely." → Many families save in advance or worldschool during sabbaticals.

  • "It sounds too complicated." → It's simpler than it seems once you understand the basics.


What's holding you back from worldschooling? We'd genuinely love to hear your questions, concerns, or dreams. Leave a comment below or reach out directly—we're here to help families like yours explore whether worldschooling could work for you.

 

Continue Learning About Worldschooling

If you're seriously considering worldschooling or just want to follow along on our journey, we share practical tips, honest behind-the-scenes experiences, and resources you won't find anywhere else:

 

Join our free weekly newsletter for:

  • Real-world worldschooling strategies and curriculum tips

  • Budget breakdowns from our actual travels

  • Destination guides written specifically for traveling families

  • Challenges we face (not just the Instagram-perfect moments)

  • Exclusive resources and checklists to simplify your planning

 

Because everything always works out, especially when you have the right information and community support.

 

Considering the leap from traditional schooling to world schooling?

Ready to combine homeschooling with travel?

The worldschooling movement is growing exponentially, and there's never been a better time to explore whether this educational approach could transform your family's life the way it has ours.


What questions do you have about worldschooling? Drop them in the comments below!

 

Is worldschooling legal?

Yes, worldschooling is legal for U.S. families as long as you comply with your home state's homeschooling laws. You remain subject to your state's educational requirements even while traveling internationally. Requirements vary significantly by state; some require minimal notification while others mandate standardized testing, curriculum approval, or regular assessments.

How much does worldschooling cost?

Worldschooling costs typically range from $1,500 to $5,000+ per month for a family of four, depending on your destinations, accommodation style, and travel pace. Many families find that worldschooling costs are comparable to, or even less than, traditional living expenses when factoring in the elimination of costs such as housing, commuting, and conventional schooling fees.

Do worldschooled kids get into college?

Yes, worldschooled students absolutely get into college, including top-tier universities. Admissions officers often view worldschooling favorably because it demonstrates initiative, cultural competence, adaptability, and self-directed learning. 

What curriculum do worldschoolers use?

Worldschoolers use a variety of curricula depending on their family's learning style, budget, and travel flexibility needs. The most common approaches include:

  • Online Platforms: Most popular for full-time travelers

  • Hybrid Approaches: Families often combine structured online courses for core subjects (such as math, language arts, and science) with experiential learning for social studies, geography, and cultural education.

  • Unschooling Method: Some worldschooling families embrace child-led learning where travel experiences drive the curriculum entirely, with minimal formal structure.

  • The best curriculum is the one you’ll actually use consistently!

Can you worldschool with a toddler/preschooler?

Absolutely! Many families start worldschooling with toddlers and preschoolers, and it's often easier than worldschooling with older children. Young children don't have formal curriculum requirements, school schedules to maintain, or standardized testing obligations.

What age is best to start worldschooling?

There's no single "best" age to start worldschooling; it depends on your family's circumstances and goals. The truth: The best time to start is when your family is ready. We started when our daughters were in elementary and middle school, and the timing proved perfect for our family dynamics.

Can you worldschool with one parent working full-time?

Yes, many families successfully worldschool with one parent working full-time, though it requires strategic planning and realistic expectations about responsibilities.

How do worldschoolers handle standardized testing?

Worldschoolers handle standardized testing the same way traditional homeschoolers do, but with additional logistical planning for location. State-required testing: First, check your home state's requirements; not all states mandate standardized testing for homeschoolers. We use the California Achievement Test (CAT) annually. SAT/ACT college entrance exams are available at international testing centers worldwide. Register early (3-4 months in advance) as spots fill up quickly.

What's the difference between worldschooling and unschooling? 

Worldschooling and unschooling are related but distinct educational approaches that can overlap or remain separate. Worldschooling is about where and how education happens, while maintaining some structured curriculum (often online). Unschooling is about what drives education, such as following a child’s natural interests and curiosity without a structured curriculum or formal lessons.

Do worldschoolers follow a school calendar? 

Most worldschoolers don't follow a traditional school calendar; that's one of the greatest benefits of this educational approach. However, families create their own rhythms based on their unique needs and preferences. You can schedule to chase weather (visiting Europe in summer and Southeast Asia in winter), to avoid crowds (traveling during traditional school weeks), and/or to take advantage of lower prices.

 

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Colleen
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