“A school day is about five hours, and that doesn’t even include homework time,” a letter I recently received asked. “How can I make sure my children will learn just as much (and hopefully more) while roadschooling? I like to believe education is not as efficient at school as it can be at home (or the road) since there’s only one teacher with twenty or more children, and at school is less likely to be … Read more »

The question has been asked lots of times: What do you have in your health kit?

First, let me say that we have a three pronged approach to healthcare, at home and abroad: staying well, and treating illness & emergency care. I’ll share what we carry with us for all three.

Staying Well

This includes eating healthy foods, getting plenty of sleep and decent hygiene.

To that end we carry with us:

Kefir grains … Read more »

Even though many do not understand my life-style choice, I am free. I am totally, insanely free to do as I please, go where I want, and stay as long as I choose.

My family has lived with the indigenous in the jungles of Peru, hitchhiked on back of pick-ups in Costa Rica, scuba dived off … Read more »

There was a time when I lived a ‘normal’ life. My husband and I had the mortgage, the career, two cars and 3.5 kids. We had a house full of furniture and nice things. It was an okay way to live. I was relatively happy.

Then somehow that all changed. Today you’ll find me exploring from Alaska to Argentina in a veggie powered truck, now with five kids — homeless, wandering, a vagabond family with … Read more »

Air Asia has just announced that that they will be offering child-free quiet zones on some of their flights. As someone well out of the baby-toting years of parenthood, I can see how this will be appreciated by the many folks on flights who don’t have toddlers and don’t “hear the music” as my husband puts … Read more »

“You’re crazy,” one of my high school students told me one day. “I call you my crazy teacher.”

“Why’s that?” I asked.

“Because nobody actually does what you’re doing!” she replied. “I mean – people talk about riding a bike around the world, but nobody ever actually does it!”

I supposed she was right – we weren’t exactly choosing a well-worn path through life. Most people chose to live in a house with a yard … Read more »

Holidays are most definitely one of the highlights of everybody’s year.  We all have our little traditions we stick to and, as kids, look forward to all of them.  I used to measure my years by all the holiday traditions we had: making our own valentines…  putting up a shamrock tree… the 4th of July parade… Thanksgiving with Grandma’s Cranberry Salad…  opening presents on Christmas Eve…  Magical indeed!

What to do for holidays was one … Read more »

What do you do about your sons’ education?

We were asked that question a lot when people saw the four of us traveling on our bikes throughout the Americas.

At first glance, it would be easy to think we were neglecting their education. Two preteen boys riding fully loaded touring bikes from Alaska to Argentina… were … Read more »

They say the best gift parents can give their children is their time. I so totally agree.

What would it take for you to spend more time with your child?

If your son was suddenly diagnosed with a serious illness and most likely wouldn’t live more than few weeks, would you endeavor to spend every moment with him? If a serious accident befell your daughter, would you find a way to be with her?

I … Read more »