Travelschooling or Just Taking Vacations – How to educate on the road

No matter where you go, learning never stops! But the best way to ensure your child has a well-rounded education is to travel while you homeschool. This is a great way to learn about the world around us. Travel is fun and exciting, and is the best education for your child. However, as a parent who homeschools their children, you don’t want to hamper their education for the duration of a trip. Try these effective tactics to balance traveling and homeschooling.

Take Your Time To Find the Right Accommodation

Excessive space on a trip might be hard to come by. Once you have an idea about the location of the vacation, you can start browsing accommodations.

Condos, suites, and cabins come at a higher price, but they’re incredibly spacious and less stressful. A kitchen, several bedrooms, and living space make a week-long trip especially comfortable.

At home, you may have a designated room for learning. While learning can happen anywhere, it would be great for a high school student to have a quiet place to get some lessons done, especially if they are doing online learning or you don’t want them to get behind in specific subjects such as algebra or physics. 

Many subjects, such as reading or Bible lessons, can be successful in a cramped hotel bed, but some core subjects in those same circumstances can cause tensions to rise. Booking vacation accommodations in advance will guarantee your entire family receives the proper space you require on this trip. You can effectively separate relaxation from traditional schoolwork so everyone feels at ease.

Tips for Balancing Traveling and Homeschooling: Ditch the Lesson Plans

You may feel flustered if you don’t have the proper lesson plan and worksheets readily available on the trip. Consider ditching traditional schooling in exchange for your children participating in good old hands-on learning. If you will only be gone a week, set aside those lesson plans and have a full-time family vacation. Trust the process and know that your children will be learning wherever you go. Your child will still receive a quality education if you forget about learning and just have a good time. Family time is so important, and you don’t want it overshadowed by not being flexible and going with the flow.

As a homeschool mom of 29 years, I know firsthand the amazing things your children can learn while traveling. We did so much traveling, and real life happens outside of school books, the school schedule, and a traditional school environment. The longer I have homeschooled, the more I am convinced that educational travel is amazing, but all travel is beneficial. Your child’s education while on the road can consist of learning new cultures, trying foods they have never encountered, visiting monuments, National Parks, and learning social skills. 

Online Courses

If your children are enrolled in online courses, see if you can pause the courses before you leave for the trip. You may not have reliable internet everywhere you go, especially if you are driving. The good news is that many courses come with the ability to pause the course until you get back. I know the math program, Teaching Textbooks, allows you to quickly pause the course and pick right up when you get home again.

​Unfortunately, if your children are enrolled in an online charter school (which is not considered homeschooling), you may not have these options available to you. Charter schools are still public school and you may need to log in or risk your child being truant.

Plan Educational Activities on the Trip

New locations are full of fun history and information! Hiking on a mountain, checking out historical landmarks, visiting a zoo, and taking a trip to a museum are educational opportunities you can incorporate into the vacation to benefit your kids’ knowledge. Take advantage of asking the knowledge staff at each location questions you may have. A Park Ranger at a National Monument or National Park are extremely helpful and look forward to discussing their knowledge with you.

Once everyone is settled back at the hotel, have a discussion, or have the kids write in a journal about what they encountered that day. They’re more likely to retain more information with this follow-up activity. Once the trip ends, your excellent students will know much more about the world around them.

Look for Homeschool Friendly Learning

As more and more families begin homeschooling, many museums, science centers, and nature centers offer programs to homeschool children and families. Grab hold of each unique opportunity you find. Not only can you save money, but you can also have the facilities to yourself during the off-season.

Allow for Distractions

Sometimes we overschedule our vacations and trips and do not allow enough time for off-the-beaten path travel destinations. Go see the big ball of string, or take a detour to see Ruby Falls. You will be glad you did.

Furthermore, if you are at the beach (a beach vacation is really a great trip with a family), make sure to allow time to play in the sand and waves!

Expect Sibling Conflict

When you are homeschooling, your children are always together. Fortunately, before conflict escalates, they often find ways to escape the constant onslaught of family members. Maybe they go to the basement and play video games or sit down at the piano and practice without younger children in the way. However, being together on a regular basis is different than being on vacation and not having anywhere else to go. 

Learn to expect sibling conflict while traveling. It is a good idea to plan a few moments for each person to feel special or to be able to get a break. Maybe Dad can take one sibling for a walk or for ice cream, or mom can read a bedtime story to a younger child while an older one showers. Having a plan can mitigate sibling conflicts.

Balancing Traveling and Homeschooling during An Extended Trip

Sometimes it is necessary (or wanted) to travel for an extended period of time. There are great online resources for people who do full-time travel or do world schooling. Many people blog about their adventures, and you can easily follow a roadschooling family to see how they achieve a great balance. Family life and the bonding that occurs can be the best thing about extended travel.

Plan Your Trips to Avoid Making Every Outing About Education

Kids need breaks too. Remember learning can happen in different ways during family travel.

Before leaving, remember which lesson plans and assignments you’ve decided on. Then, consider which outings will be education based or simply for fun!

Look at the list once it’s complete. Ensure there aren’t too many assignments loading down your trip’s itinerary. With the proper balance, you can efficiently blend traveling and homeschooling.

With a clear plan for the trip and your children’s education, your life as a parent and teacher will be much easier!