28 Nomadic Families Who Travel with Kids: Part 2 of 4

photo: mikebaird

Yesterday’s post introduced you to 7 amazing families who travel the country or the world with their kids. Today, meet 7 more families who are living the nomadic dream together.

Family #8: the Frosts

Maya Frost, her husband Tom, and their four teenage daughters lived in Portland, Oregon. In 2005 they sold all their stuff and moved to Mexico. All of the girls are extremely nomadic, moving around between New York, Argentina, Germany, Canada, Brazil, the Mediterranean….and they all graduated from college at the age of 19!

Maya says:

None of them have ever submitted an SAT score. They didn’t take a single AP or IB course, skipped the angst of the college admissions process, and glided into the jobs they wanted based on experience and enthusiasm rather than impressive diplomas or connections.

If you want to ensure a stellar education for your teens, read Maya’s book. It’s called The New Global Student: Skip the SAT, Save Thousands on Tuition, and Get a Truly International Education. You can  pick it up at Amazon.

• Life and Education–Round Table Discussion Part IV: Interview by NuNomad.
• The New Global Student: Interview by EducationNews.org
• May 2010 interview by Mother of 35

Below: Maya Frost talks about her book, The New Global Student.

Family #9: the Gozas

Dennis and Kimberly Goza, better known as the Activated Storytellers, left their home in San Francisco in 1992 with their baby son Zephyr. Nearly two decades later, they continue to drive coast-to-coast 365 days a year in their RV, performing fun and educational family shows at schools, libraries and theaters across the United States.

There’s a great interview with Dennis Goza on the Examiner website. On the topic of roadschooling, Dennis said in the interview:

Two things come to mind. We toured Ford’s Theater in Washington, DC, and our son was given the opportunity to lock the booth where Lincoln was sitting when he was assassinated. That’s the kind of thing you’d never be able to do sitting in a classroom. And when he was 13, he began writing an incredibly imaginative series of fantasy books inspired by living on wheels.

Family #10: the McFerrins

Rick, Tanya, and kids Sampson (8), Markos (6), and Tarn (4) are a cycling family. In 2009 they set off on a year-long bicycle journey down south.

The McFerrin’s blog is packed with excerpts from the kids’ journals. History, geography, science, and reading are interwoven through their days. For example, Sampson writes:

Today we saw a Woolly Mammoth that was being dug up by a scientist. When we saw him he was digging up the clavicle or the scapula. He had dug up a tool a couple of weeks ago so he had proof that there were people in the time of the ice age. The Woolly Mammoth was found by a creek in the golf course we camped in.

Another entry reads:

Today we woke up and I read a chapter of my Narnia book. Later Dad made grits for breakfast with pineapples and strawberries. Before breakfast we did math.

Family #11: the Millers

Tony, Jenn, and kids Hannah, Gabe, Elisha, and Ezra (all under eleven at the time) embarked on a international cycling trip through most of Europe and part of North Africa in 2008. This year they’re living and working on the road across North and Central America.

Regarding education, the Millers say:

Is there any better education than travel? Having been thrown into the back of a van and schlepped all over North America myself as a child, I can answer heartily: “No!” There will be no shortage of learning taking place on this trip. History, Geography, Art, Literature, Music, and Languages will be no brainers.
The only place that could be construed as falling short would be math and formal science – in which all of our children are currently at least two years ahead of grade level – so we have purchased ourselves some free time to travel in that department too.

Of course there will be plenty of practical science and consumer math taking place. There is no clear line between “school time” and “rest of life” in our family. Life is learning.

• An interview with the Miller family by Location Independent Parents
• Roadschooling my way: Interview by the Examiner

Family #12: the Nodlands

Ed, Cheryl, and sons Mitch and Max were an RV family for 11 years. Looks like the website is no longer being updated, but there’s plenty of good info in the archives. One excellent page covers several aspects of RVing with kids, including education, testing, college and socialization. In response to the question, “What about socialization?”, Ed says:

When I first started hearing this question I would answer it. After a while I started to doubt if I understood what was really being asked. So now when I am ask this question, I answer first with a question. “What do you mean by socialization.” To this day I still do not really understand what people think the schools do that they call socialization.

At first I thought the question just meant how to get along with other kids, and most people are thinking this when they ask. Our boys have no problem making friends quickly. They meet new kids every week. Either we are moving to a new location or they are. Most of the kids they meet are on vacation during the summer. In the winter they meet a few and many of those are visiting and traveling with their retired grandparents. They have e-mail pals all across the country, but like most young boys writing on a regular basis, if at all, is not part of their activities by choice. We also visit with friends and relatives across the country.

Family #13: the Pedouins

The Pedouins (so-called in honor of the nomadic Bedouins) are Bill and Amarins Harrison, along with daughters Cheyenne, Jasmine and Robin. The girls are all between two and six years old–not quite on training wheels yet, so the family sports a quint bike! They are pedaling 7,000 miles from Kentucky to Alaska across the North American Continent.

They say:

We set out to prove that it is possible for a blue collar worker and a stay-at-home mom to live their dream. A dream to show our girls this great country we live in. A country filled with wonderful people. People that live a life of love, a life of sharing, a life of giving. We are honored to say that we have been the recipients over and over again of this warm love. We have been offered places to stay, hot meals, a heartfelt cheer and also cash to fund our needs on the road.

• 11-minute video interview by WBIR.com
• The Pedouins pass through Portland, Oregon (scroll down to the comments to read a heated discussion on health and safety)
• The Pedouins and Friends: Interview by Peter S. Ferrara

Family #14: the Pearces

The Pearce family (Brandon, Jennifer and daughters Emily and Marie) are starting their nomadic lifestyle in Costa Rica. They say:

We want to explore different parts of the country in person before we choose a place to settle for a while. We’re not sure how long we’ll stay in Costa Rica, but we do want to immerse ourselves in the culture and really learn the language. After that, we’d love to travel to Asia somewhere, or maybe Europe. We’ll see how things go. It’s nice to have flexibility.

• Roadschooling: a newcomer’s perspective: Interview by the Examiner
• Location independent entrepreneur Brandon Pearce: Interview by JetSetCitizen

End of part two

That wraps it up for today. Stay tuned for seven more families tomorrow! If your family has been thinking about becoming nomadic, post your questions or comments below.

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