Wonder Year: A Guide to Long-Term Family Travel and Worldschooling

by Julie Frieder, Angela Heisten, Annika Paradise

Learn how to pack up the family for a life-changing, long-term journey filled with education and adventure.

If you’ve ever dreamed about an epic family adventure and heading out on the road for a few months or more, Wonder Year is for you. Part inspiration and part how-to, this book demystifies the seemingly outrageous prospect of embarking on a long-term family trip and using the world as a classroom for your kids―a trailblazing approach known as worldschooling. 


Packed with practical information, Wonder Year offers invaluable guidance to help transform your dream into a well-planned reality for your family. Woven throughout the book are evocative travelogues and photos from families sharing worldschooling experiences. Paddling a wild and scenic Oregon river, stargazing in New Mexico, and visiting World War II sites in France are just a few of the colorful stories that will no doubt stir you to envision your own journey.


This book will show you how to


Explore funding options for long-term family travel―be it a summer, semester, year, or more
Choose where to go and navigate the logistics of getting there
Discover alternative education methods for teaching your kids on the road 
Travel responsibly and sustainably
Identify ways to earn income while traveling
Stay healthy and safe along the way
Tap into a global community of worldschoolers and family adventurers

You’ll learn that extended family travel is more attractive and attainable than ever before, and remote living and learning are not actually remote at all. Wonder Year will help you slow down, simplify, and wonder at all the world has to offer.

Genres: Nonfiction, Travel, Parenting, Education

352 pages, Paperback

Published September 5, 2023

Reviews

[Jennifer Louden · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a terrific guide for any parent who wants to world school. Full disclaimer: I worked with one of the authors on the book early on in the process. They did an awesome job making this a classic for parents who want to create the best life-changing journey possible

[Macala Lamour · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picked up this book not realizing that it would make me want to pursue our own long-term travel as a family! My husband may regret I read this book. All kidding aside, the authors gave many helpful ideas for thinking outside of the box about getting out into the world as a family, and highlighted the importance of the experience(s) for both the parents (as a couple and as individuals) as well as for the children. As a homeschooler, I would have appreciated more of a focus from a homeschooling author as one of the parents since each of the authors put their kids back in public school after their trips. However, there were still some great academic recommendations that all parents can use with their kids. I look forward to bringing more wonder into our life after reading this book!

[Heather · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved this read~ it brought me into a world I didn’t know existed. I never knew you could choose this path for schooling. Very informative and I really liked hearing the experiences of doing a wonder year. All the resources available and to help determine if it’s for me in the near future.

[Bailey Young · Rating 5 out of 5]

I knew absolutely nothing about World Schooling when I picked up this book. It is fascinating! I loved learning about this family's experiences and getting advice on how to travel while schooling! This book is wonderful!

[Loren · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great compact guide and inspiration. While I’m a few years away from the wonder year i envision it was great tips particularly around education and a reminder to incorporate that spirit into smaller trips and adventures

[Angela · Rating 5 out of 5]

I ordered this book because my partner and I are planning a 3-6 mo trip ex-US (our first international travel since before the pandemic). The world schooling piece doesn’t apply to us since we don’t have kids but I found the overall structure of the book to be very helpful from a planning perspective. For example, I hadn’t thought about health insurance while traveling. I also hadn’t thought about the house sitters/house exchange idea – which now I’m pretty interested in. Also, the photos so are beautiful that it’s worth buying the book for those alone.

I could definitely see this being a great guide for parents who are completely burnt out by the pandemic and are looking for a change for their family. I mentioned it to a few of my friends who have kids and they were so excited about the idea that I’m ordering them copies for the holidays. Overall, I'd recommend it for anyone considering an extended trip, within the U.S. or internationally.

[Tiffany Wilding-White · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonder-filled book. I just enjoyed the last delicious page of this yummy book. With carefully-recalled details of real-life family travel, casual and encouraging language, and make-you-want-to-go-now photos, "Wonder Year" is the go-to guide for families considering taking a big trip. Having done our own Grand Adventure, I appreciate the wisdom these three authors include. Reading this book is inspiring and practical.Wonder Year: A Guide to Long-Term Family Travel and Worldschooling Annika Paradise

[Katie L Rosner · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing resource for anyone looking to embark on the world schooling adventure. It really covers everything you can think of and all the stuff you wouldn’t think of unless you lived through it. However, it’s nice to have someone else that did the hard parts for you!! From the simplest tips (how to stop your mail) to things like filing your taxes internationally. Having three authors with three different experiences also provides many different viewpoints, ideas, and suggestions.

In reading this book and analyzing my own family, I don’t think this type of adventure is for my family. Having said that… there is so much in this book that I will use for the simple family vacation! So many great ideas.

[Mary Horton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonder Year is beyond a “resource document” as it explores the pros and cons of worldschooling your family and presents many optional ways to do so. The authors organize the exploration, planning, and execution phases of a Wonder Year in an easy-to-navigate book with plenty of documentation and personal anecdotes.
Raising global citizens who recognize and respect the differences and similarities of others is shown to be an achievable goal. During whatever version of a wonder year you create, family bonding is immeasurable.

[Laura Resau · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a beautiful, practical, and inspiring guide for families curious about world-schooling! I loved the "Notes from the Road" sections-- personal stories about experiences on long-term family travel or world-schooling journeys. And I appreciated all the practical advice on the logistics of planning and implementing the big trip. This book covers it all-- the financial aspects, health and safety, emotional well-being, you name it. Written in a warm and relatable style, this book will give you the confidence you need to follow your dream of long-term family travel... and make it a reality!

[Andi Almond · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonder Year is a great read for any family thinking about extended travel. It’s equal parts pep talk and practical guide, walking you through everything from the logistics of packing up your life to what it actually looks like on the road.

As someone who’s been on a long-term journey with my own family, I appreciated how down-to-earth and encouraging this book is. It doesn’t sugarcoat the challenges, but it reminds you why saying yes to a “wonder year” just might be the most transformative decision you ever make.

[soowan.nko · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really love reading this book….It’s helped me get a gist of traveling with my family and things to consider because I loveee traveling

[Kaitilin Gaffney]

This book made me wish I could put my older teens in a Time Machine and go back and do their childhood again -on the road!

Great information on how to make the most of your trip for those planning a year, a month, or even a long weekend of traveling with your child.

Full of useful content on all the practicalities, along with great stories about WHY we travel and the meaning the voyage itself can bring to a family.