How to Start Worldschooling: A Real Family's Guide
How Our Worldschooling Journey Started
For years, Louie listened to our travel stories from before he was born. Then one day he asked: can we do this too?
School wasn’t a disaster for him. He was reading ahead, strong at maths and even won a spelling bee! But he got bored between the things he was good at. When his final year brought a difficult teacher dynamic, he started counting down the days. So did we.
We’d already been worldschooling on family trips. Louie hand-fed dolphins at Tin Can Bay, drifted down the Mossman River and went croc-spotting in the Daintree. He came home from every trip lit up in a way school weeks never managed.
Were we nervous? Absolutely. Would he fall behind? Would he get bored with just us? Those fears still visit some days.
Louie finished school in July. By September, we were in Vietnam. This guide covers the steps we took to get here, including the hard parts, and what we’d tell any family starting out. 🌍
New to the idea? Start with our complete guide to worldschooling, or read about the real benefits and challenges of worldschooling first.
Your Worldschooling Journey Starts Here.
Not sure where to start? Neither were we.
Our free Worldschooling Roadmap walks you through choosing a learning approach and finding other families on the road.
Step 1: Work Out What Worldschooling Means for Your Family
Before you research anything practical, answer one question: what does worldschooling look like for your family?
Every family we’ve met does it differently. Some follow a full curriculum from a new country each month. Others let learning grow from curiosity and daily life. Many land somewhere in between, like us.
Questions worth sitting with before you start:
- What does my child need that they’re not getting right now?
- Are we choosing this because something isn’t working, or because something better seems possible?
- How much structure does my child thrive with, and how much do I need as a parent?
- What’s our realistic timeline? A few months? A year? Open-ended?
- Does my partner feel the same way, or do we need to talk it through first?
- If we have older kids, how will they feel about leaving their friends?
Your answers will shape everything that follows. Don’t skip this step in the rush to pick destinations. If you have older kids, our guide to worldschooling with teenagers covers their side of the move.
Step 2: Sort the Legal Side Early
This is the step many families leave too late. Education rules vary by country, and they usually depend on where your family is officially resident, not your passport.
Some countries support home education with clear rules. Others don’t allow it at all. Some sit in a grey area with little official guidance either way.
Our situation: the Netherlands
We lived in the Netherlands, where homeschooling is almost never allowed for children registered as residents. When we first looked into it, it felt hopeless.
We spoke with Louie’s school and our municipality before leaving. Exemptions do exist, but they usually come with conditions, like attending a physical school abroad. We move every few weeks, so that didn’t work for us.
In the end, we deregistered from our municipality as a whole family. We share the full story, and what it meant for insurance and admin, in our unschooling guide. The rules for Dutch families are strict and can change, so check current details with your municipality.
What to check for your home country:
- Is homeschooling or home education legally permitted?
- Is registration or notification required?
- Are there regular assessments or reporting requirements?
- What happens to your residence registration, health insurance and benefits if you leave?
What to check for destinations:
- Do local education rules apply to you once you’re living there long term?
- How long can you stay on your visa, and does it allow remote work?
- Is there a digital nomad or remote work visa that suits a family? Several countries now offer one, but always check the official government source. See our visa guide for nomad families.
Keep in mind that permission to enter a country isn’t the same as permission to live, work or homeschool there.
Step 3: Choose a Learning Style
Once you know your legal position, the next question is how your child will actually learn. Most families use one of four broad approaches, and many mix them.
- Unschooling: child-led learning with no set curriculum. It can suit curious, self-directed kids and parents who are comfortable with uncertainty. Read our unschooling guide.
- Homeschooling on the road: a structured curriculum or online school, done from wherever you are. It suits kids who like routine and families keeping a clear academic path. Read our homeschooling guide.
- A blend: core subjects like maths and reading, with the rest of the learning coming from the places you visit.
- Local or international school: joining a school for a term or longer. It usually needs longer stays and the right visa. See our international schooling options guide.
We landed on a blend. Structured maths and Dutch keep Louie on track to slot back into a Dutch school if we ever need to. Everything else follows where we are and what he’s curious about.
Step 4: Figure Out the Money
Let’s be honest about this, because it’s the question most parents ask us first.
Worldschooling isn’t automatically cheaper or more expensive than life at home. It depends mostly on where you go, how often you move and how you live.
Our numbers, briefly: Marty works remotely, and I freelance around caring for the boys. A month in Da Nang cost our family of four about €2,400 in core costs (accommodation and food, 2026). We rented out our house rather than selling it.
We share the full breakdown, and what it doesn’t include, in our digital nomad family guide. Your numbers will look different, so treat ours as one real example rather than a promise.
How worldschooling families usually fund it:
- Remote work: one or both parents working for an employer from abroad. Check early whether your employer allows it. See our remote work guide for families.
- Freelancing or an online business: consulting, writing, design or digital products.
- Savings or a sabbatical: some families travel for a set period on savings, then reassess.
- Lower-cost destinations: earning in one currency while living somewhere cheaper can stretch a budget, but exchange rates move. Our guide to managing money across borders covers how we handle it.
What about learning costs?
Many good learning tools are free. Khan Academy costs nothing, and digital library apps can work abroad if you keep a membership at home (check your library’s rules). Paid platforms like Outschool or accredited online schools add cost, but also structure.
They’re worth it for some families and unnecessary for others. Our homeschooling resources guide lists what real parents are using.
Don’t forget health insurance, which many families underestimate. See our health insurance guide for nomad families and what it really costs to live abroad with kids.
Step 5: Choose Your First Base Carefully
Your first base matters. You can always move on, but a good first experience builds confidence and a rough one can shake it.
What we’d look for in a first base:
Other families nearby. Places with established expat or worldschooling communities make it easier to find your people. Look for active local Facebook groups before you book.
Good everyday infrastructure. Reliable internet, decent healthcare and supermarkets you can navigate. You’re not on holiday, you’re living there.
Room to slow down. Can you stay four to eight weeks without running out of things to do and learn? Longer stays are kinder on kids and budgets.
Manageable costs. Starting somewhere affordable gives you breathing room while you find your rhythm.
A pace that suits young kids. Some cities are exciting but exhausting. With little ones, look for parks, beaches and outdoor space.
Where we started
Da Nang, Vietnam was our first base, and it’s been a gentle start for us. It’s affordable, easy to get around, and has beaches and coworking spaces within reach.
Popular first bases for worldschooling families (from our research)
We haven’t lived in these yet, but they come up again and again in worldschooling communities:
- Ubud, Bali: a large worldschooling community and a strong focus on culture and creativity.
- Chiang Mai, Thailand: a slower pace, lower costs and an established expat network.
- Medellín, Colombia: a mild climate year-round and a growing remote work scene.
- Ericeira, Portugal: a surf town inside the EU, handy for European families.
- Puerto Escondido, Mexico: a beach lifestyle and a chance for Spanish immersion.
Community sizes and costs change quickly, so check current details and talk to families there before you commit. Our guide on how to choose the right destination walks through the decision step by step.
Step 6: Build a Loose Learning Routine
You don’t need everything figured out before you leave. A loose plan gives you and your child something to work with while you find your rhythm.
Start with the basics
Pick one or two ways to cover core subjects, especially maths and reading. For many families, Khan Academy covers maths for free. For reading, physical books plus apps like Reading Eggs or Epic work well for younger kids.
We use Louie’s Dutch school books for maths and language, so he can return to school easily if he needs to.
Add the experiential layer
This is where worldschooling shines. Before you visit somewhere, learn a little about its history, wildlife, culture and food together. Then let the place do the teaching.
The Daintree taught Louie more about rainforests than any textbook. In Ninh Binh, the limestone cliffs turned into a geology lesson nobody planned. Wildlife travel and museum visits are great ways in too.
Keep a simple record
Even if nobody requires it, a simple record of what your child learns is worth keeping. It’s lovely to look back on, and it helps if you ever need to show progress for a school return or university applications.
Aim for rhythm, not a timetable
Many families do focused learning in the mornings and leave afternoons for exploring. With a toddler in the mix, we fit Louie’s bookwork around Leo’s naps. Find what works for your family and protect it, because consistency matters more than the curriculum.
You can see what a typical day looks like for us in our homeschooling on the move guide.
Step 7: Find Community Before You Leave
Community is the thing families often wish they’d started on sooner.
Community matters for your kids’ friendships, for your own sanity and for the practical support that makes life abroad manageable. It also takes effort. Friendships on the road don’t happen automatically, so start before you go.
Where to find your people:
- Facebook groups: large groups like Worldschoolers and Worldschooling Central, plus destination-specific groups, are full of families at every stage. Ask questions. People usually answer.
- Instagram: search worldschooling hashtags and follow families whose lives look like the one you’re building.
- Our community: join the Worldly Tribe Facebook group, a small, growing community of families sharing real questions and honest answers.
- Worldschooling hubs: find established communities around the world in our worldschooling hubs directory.
- Online friends for kids: for the in-between times, see our guide to finding online friends for kids.
Join our Nomadic Family Community
Looking to meet like-minded families on the move? Join the Worldly Tribe Facebook Group and connect with others travelling the world.
Step 8: Treat the First Months as a Trial
Before you sell the house and book one-way tickets, consider a trial.
Three months. Six months. A set period with a clear end date that feels manageable to everyone, including a sceptical partner, worried grandparents and the part of you that isn’t sure yet.
A trial shows you what works before you’ve committed to everything. It gives your child time to adjust without the pressure of forever. It also gives the worriers in your life a timeline they can hold onto.
That’s why we rented out our house instead of selling it. We wanted to try this life properly before giving everything up. If you decide to continue, the decision comes from experience rather than hope.
The Steps We Took Before Leaving
This is the order we did things in. Yours may look different, but it’s a useful starting point.
- Talk to your child’s school early. Louie’s school was far more helpful than we expected.
- Speak to your local authority. In the Netherlands, that’s the leerplichtambtenaar (school attendance officer) at your municipality. Ask what your real options are.
- Decide on residence. We deregistered as a whole family. You can read what that meant for us in our unschooling guide.
- Sort your home base. We rented out our house, so we still have somewhere to go back to.
- Check insurance. Leaving your home country can change your health cover, so sort this before you fly.
- Book your first base for a few weeks, not months. It gives you room to change your mind. Our family accommodation guide has tips for longer stays.
- Pack less than you think. More on that below.
Our First Weeks: What We Didn’t Plan For
We spent months preparing. Paperwork, school conversations, packing lists. Then a week before we left, we lost a loved one.
There was a funeral, a few days of shock, and then a flight. We arrived in Vietnam grieving, not buzzing with excitement the way I’d always pictured it.
What surprised me was how quickly we felt safe here. Within days, Vietnam started to feel like a place we could just be, as a family, while we processed everything. The slower pace helped more than I expected.
It taught me something I wish I’d known earlier: you can’t prepare for everything, so don’t try. I’d stressed over what to pack for months. Vietnam has shops. Nearly everything we needed, we could buy here.
Plan the big things: the legal side, schooling, money and a place to land. Then leave room for life to happen, because it will. 🌏
Worldschooling FAQs
Will my child fall behind academically?
It’s the fear that keeps most parents up at night. In our experience, it comes down to how intentional you are. A loose plan for core subjects, alongside real-world learning, gives most kids a solid base.
Dropping all structure can leave gaps, especially in maths. Aim for balance: not rigid, but not chaotic either.
What about socialisation?
It takes effort. Kids don’t automatically make close friends just by being somewhere new. Seek out communities, stay long enough for friendships to form and treat social time as seriously as schoolwork. Read our socialisation guide →
Can worldschooled kids get into university?
Yes, with planning. Families use accredited online high schools, international qualifications and portfolio-based applications. Entry rules vary by university and country, so check early. Read our university guide →
What if my partner isn’t fully on board?
Start with a trial. A set, time-limited plan is much easier to say yes to than an open-ended leap. Marty and I didn’t start in exactly the same place either, and a blended approach helped us meet in the middle.
What age is best to start?
There’s no perfect age, but some stages feel easier. Younger children often adapt quickly. Nine felt right for Louie: old enough to engage with what he sees, and young enough to be excited about leaving.
Teenagers can thrive too, but their friendships need more thought. See our guide to worldschooling with teenagers.
Can Dutch families worldschool legally?
It’s difficult while you’re registered as a resident, because homeschooling exemptions are rare. Many travelling Dutch families deregister from their municipality instead. Check current details with your municipality and read our legal guide by country.
How many hours a day does worldschooling take?
For us, Louie’s bookwork takes about 1.5 to 2 hours a day. One-on-one learning moves much faster than a classroom day. The rest comes from where we are.
Can you worldschool with a toddler?
Yes, but expect to adapt. Leo is two, so he joins in with play and outings, and we fit Louie’s focused work around his naps.
What if something big happens right before you leave?
Pause if you need to. Flights and bookings can often be changed, and no timeline matters more than your family. We left days after losing a loved one. It was right for us, but it won’t be right for everyone.
What if it doesn’t work out?
You adjust, or you go home. Plenty of families return to school after a year or two away. The experiences, perspective and confidence your kids gain along the way stay with them.
You Don’t Have to Have It All Figured Out
We didn’t. We still don’t. A few months ago, Louie was counting down school days in the Netherlands. Now he does his maths beside his dad in Vietnam and asks how limestone cliffs form.
Your version will look different from ours, and that’s fine. Plan the big things, leave room for the rest, and start before you feel completely ready.
We’ll be here when you have questions. 🌍
Ready to take the next step?
Your Worldschooling Journey Starts Here.
Not sure where to start? Neither were we.
Our free Worldschooling Roadmap walks you through choosing a learning approach and finding other families on the road.
