The Everywhere Classroom: How One Family Turned Wanderlust into Worldschooling and How You Can Too

Almond, her husband, and their two children (then ages 10 and 13) spent a year abroad world-schooling in Morocco, France, Zanzibar, South Africa, Jordan, Brazil, Antarctica, Vietnam, Australia, and more. It all commenced with a two-week spring break backpacking voyage in Europe. By the conclusion of their year of world-schooling, the Almonds had traveled 102,000 miles in 400 days, sightseeing in 27 countries on all seven continents. This form of road-schooling focused on real-world experiences, being present in the moment, and connecting with the setting. The family planned the trip as a whole, considering each child’s learning styles and interests. Their school activities were consistent and included reading books by local authors, watching documentaries, learning common words and phrases in each language, eating street food, using public transportation, learning to exchange currency, and so much more. For readers who might consider this lifestyle unattainable, Almond’s book includes ideas to make travel more affordable. The chapter titles come from the countries visited, and each chapter concludes with a report card in which family members reviewed what they loved about their time there and what they would improve, which in turn offers helpful advice to avoid mistakes they made.