I get a lot of wide-eyed, and incredulous looks when I mention that I’m an aspiring snowbird, and therefore, it’s important that we be able to travel while homeschooling. My family tries to go to Florida every year for 6-9 weeks each winter. I hear things like “Wow! I wish!” and “How do you do that?”
I know that part of it because of jobs, and part of it is just because well, not many people do it. This post of for the people who make the latter statement, who wonder how to travel while homeschooling, in the hopes that I can inspire more people to live the life they have imagined.
Snowbirding has been a very intentional journey for my husband and I, and since I’m all about intentionality, I think my experience could be applied to any lifestyle change you’re eager to make – even if that doesn’t mean warm and sunny winters.
What is something your wish you could do, either for yourself, or as a family?
Now, how to travel while homeschooling will look very different for each person. So here are some general thoughts about how we travel while homeschooling that can be applied to a variety of situations.
#1 Imagine It
First, identify something that you would really love to live as a reality. Your goal may to be to travel while homeschooling, or it may be something different. Imagine it. Get specific.
You can’t make anything happen until you know what it is you are trying to make happen!
How does your dream really look?
Shocker! The hard work for long-term traveling is the mindset work – the plan, the thought-process.
The logistics about what to pack is the easy part. Wrapping your head around a new lifestyle is the difficult part!
#2 Assess the Value
It likely won’t be easy to achieve this new goal of yours, otherwise, you probably would have already started traveling more! In order for a goal to happen, it must be valuable to you. In order to make the tough decisions, to put in the work, to get out of your comfort zone… you have to be motivated. Keep your motivation – the value of traveling – front and center at all times if you really want it to happen.
Is this something that has a value to you and your family?
Does your passion for it stick over time?
What would it mean to you and your family for this to happen?
This is not a time to think about all the reasons it won’t work. This is the time to really evaluate the dream’s meaning and value in your life. It’s a time to think about whether it’s valuable enough to work toward. Which brings me to my next point…
#3 Be Patient & Step Small
Think Long-Term. Your current state of living didn’t happen overnight; it is the result of countless small decisions over a lifetime that culminated in to where you are now.
Likewise, if you’re trying to change, expect it to take some time, and yes, expect it to be the result of a lot of small decisions over time.
Plan to take small steps toward the goal over time. The first thing I usually tell people when they ask how to travel while homeschooling is that we did not all of a sudden go to Florida for 2 months the first year. We went for 4 days. The next year we went for 10 days, then 3 weeks, then 3 weeks again, then 6 weeks… you get the idea. Be prepared to work toward your goal gradually, and enjoy the journey.
For example, we weren’t even sure which part of Florida we wanted to stay in. We needed to figure out where we wanted to stay – what area we like the most. So, our first years, when we took short trips, we were in different locations until we settled on a favorite. The short trips were a great way to test out areas, and our infrastructure (see step #4). Each time we went to Florida, we got to test our plan, and determine what was working and what wasn’t. We could make adjustments, streamline, and really master the art of snowbirding only by actually doing it.
I’m encouraging you to take the leap, and try it out, BUT by taking small steps. When you step small, you avoid BIG disaster, and get to where you ultimately want to be in a relatively painless way.
See? If you take small steps, you get the satisfaction of seeing some action toward the goal, and you’re not pushed too far out of your comfort zone all at once.
What small steps could you gradually take toward the goal? How could you build-up to it?
What is the best way to just get your feet wet?
Sometimes we overwhelm ourselves and quit before we ever start because we think we have to take one big leap and arrive at our goal all at once. You don’t.
My point is to plan to test out your idea, if you can. Be willing to tweak it and figure it out in small steps, building up to your ideal, and perhaps discovering a new and improved ideal!
#4 Think Infrastructure
When we started going to Florida for short time periods, we had a few things to figure out. The first was our business infrastructure to support the travel time. I mean, our business can’t come to a stand still while we’re traveling, so it was really important to determine, in small bites, what we needed, and how we could accommodate working on the road. Whatever your goal is, I’ll bet there are some infrastructure changes that may have to happen. Restructuring how you homeschool, How your home is cared for, how you earn and save money, how you live, what help and support you have or will hire, what materials and supplies are required…
What logistics do you need to research and figure out before you start to travel while homeschooling?
Make a list of your perceived obstacles and/or difficulties, and start problem-solving. Through research and creativity, start addressing each hurdle, one-by-one. Then, be sure to look at #6.
#5 Know Your Limitations
We know that our travel while homeschooling has limitations. No matter how much we try to overcome certain obstacles, the fact is, we still have a life, we have to make a living, and we have responsibilities and obligations.
For example, we need to vacation somewhere where it is reasonable for my husband to fly home if an unexpected business emergency strikes. In fact, last winter, he flew to other states 3 times during our 6-week stay. This means that, no matter how much we would love to vacation in Hawaii each year, we are not likely to ever choose that location for an extended period of time. We have to respect our limitations and be happy with what we can do.
Similarly, we make some sacrifices. We miss some sports, and we miss some family holiday gatherings. There is a trade-off, as always in life, and so we had to be willing to give up some things in order to gain.
Maybe your husband can’t come the whole time, or maybe you have different sacrifices to make. This part of the process is getting real about those limitations and weighing your options.
As my children get older, we are bound by new limitations of activities, sports, and my husband’s youth basketball coaching schedule. New obstacles arise, and we are navigating those in stride. Your goals may not be as ideal or as perfect as you would dream, but life doesn’t have to be perfect to be amazing, or even a major improvement.
My To-Do’s
Now to get specific about what our to-do list sort of looked like in order for us to travel while homeschooling. First of all, we own our own businesses, so yeah, if you have to be in the office from 9-5 Monday-Friday, then long-term travel won’t happen without big changes.
However, if you have the luxury to get creative or make a change, here are some others things to think about before traveling while homeschooling.
In order for us to travel while homeschooling, we had to:
- Improve our technology and mobile services. This means hauling computer, laptop, and ipads with us. It means that we have a constant mobile wifi hotspot available through our phone provider. It means that we invest in software and platforms that make our jobs streamlined, and we make sure that our phones are compatible with the documents we frequently use. Basically, how do we have the technology we need for a mobile office?
- Improve our support staff. When you own a business, this is a no-brainer, right? I mean, we had to decide how to handle issues that would arise on the ground while we were gone. This will look different depending on each industry. But, you may need to get your own support staff on-board. Will someone check on your house to make sure pipes don’t freeze, and a mouse infestation doesn’t take hold? What needs to happen on the ground while you’re gone? Who do you need to enlist?
- Schedule appropriately. Winter months tend to be our slow season for both real estate and flooring. Therefore, we travel then, during a slow season. If the winter were our busy season, this would look very different. We take business and children’s activities into consideration, and are willing to exchange a few things back home for warm, sunny days.
- Restructure our homeschool to use really minimal supplies, and schedule to accumulate school days. After all, we want to enjoy the weather, not spend all day at the kitchen table!
- Choose the best select toys, supplies, and clothing to go with us.
You might also like to read aboutour homeschool resources and supplies for roadschooling.
So, I’d love to know… what big dreams are you dying to make a reality? Or, how do you travel while homeschooling? Join the conversation below!
If you’re looking to connect with a great group of intentional homeschoolers, please come see us in the Minimalist Homeschooling facebook community. We’d love to meet you and help you create the homeschool you imagine.
If you are ready to embrace simple in your homeschool. If you feel stressed, and overwhelmed, and exhausted waaaaay too often, I’d love to help. You can check-out the resources available to teach homeschoolers about Minimalist Homeschooling. I’d love to help you find focus, value, and peace in your home, sooner rather than later :).
Wishing you all the simple things,
Zara
