Epic Education Radio: Family Travel Podcast

Travel with health issues is a big concern for some people. Traveling for kids with serious health issues can be an even more challenging subject. For some people, health problems stop their travel dreams. For the Tatransky family, they found a way around it.

FAMILY TRAVEL WITH HEALTH ISSUES

Lucie and Karel Tatransky have three kids. Two of them have congenital adrenal hyperplasia, a medical condition that can mean life or death if their parents aren't prepared. So did Lucie and Karel give up on their dream to travel with kids? No. Instead, they prepared. Now they're driving around Europe. Listen in as Lucie describes how they travel, what they carry with them to be fully prepared for family travel with health issues. She also discusses education, her work and resources for travel.

IN THIS EPISODE

• 05:40 Kite surfing in spain
• 06:33 Intro
• 08:22 Origins
• 11:17 What they sold, and what they brought
• 16:38 Family travel with health issues
• 21:32 Their work & working on the road
• 30:45 Working with kids around/Time management
• 32:09 Their approach to education
• 34:53 Online/Offline resources
• 37:46 Travel essentials
• 45:06 Destinations

Family RV living was once considered something not done by choice, but more and more families are choosing this live for a year or much longer.

FAMILY RV LIVING

For the Gebbia family, it started out as a joke. Then they realized: "hey, we can really do this!" Since then, they've left their home in Florida (USA) and have driven across the United States and elsewhere. Together Chris and Heather Gebbia work and homeschool their two sons as they take in more of the country than many of its citizens. Listen in as we discuss working and family RV living, including how they work, how they homeschool, how their kids socialize and make friends, as well as many of the items in their rig and the apps, websites and other resources they use to make their family RV life work

IN THIS EPISODE

• 05:48 Intro
• 09:07 Full-time Families
• 11:14 Benefits & Challenges of full-time RV Travel
• 14:56 Cell/Data coverage
• 16:07 Their work and working online on the road
• 23:00 Their homeschooling style & socializing as an RV family
• 31:52 Other online resources
• 34:01 Travel Gear

You don't think of an executive assistant working out of a backpack or an RV, but for Amber Rose, that's exactly what happened.

FROM HOMELESS TO EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT

When her son Riley was still small, Amber Rose was evicted from her house. She also lost her car. Homeless and struggling, she was forced to live with friends and family while she and searched for ways to work online so that she could stay at home with her boy and save the money that would have gone to daycare. Slowly she began to build work and a profile as an executive assistant. Listen in as she tells me about moving into an RV...even though she had never even been inside an RV before. We discuss travel gear, educational and homeschooling resources, becoming an executive assistant, and more. Listen in! And please share.

IN THIS EPISODE

• 05:40 Intro
• 8:14 House sitting & Dog sitting
• 9:59 Origin story
• 17:00 Working as an executive assistant
• 29:58 What's in their bags
• 35:45 Online resources
• 41:19 The SCHENGEN visa rules for non-EU citizens

Would you like to work from anywhere and travel with your kids? Today's guests have figured out a way that works for them.

HOW TO WORK FROM ANYWHERE WITH KIDS

In April of 2014, Rob and Tracey Tullis left their life in Canada and flew to Colombia with their young son. Over two years and many countries later, they have learned to work from anywhere and a life of indefinite travel, using house sitting and online business skills to make their way. Listen in as we discuss education, travel gear, online businesses and how they work from anywhere and travel with their son.

IN THIS EPISODE

• 05:48 Intro
• 13:12 Their house sitting routines
• 15:48 Favorite online travel tools
• 21:12 Educational approach and favorite online tools
• 28:00 Money
• 35:21 Working from anywhere & balancing work & family
• 41:30 Romania's amazingly fast wifi
• 44:09 Their travel Gear

Camping in New Zealand. Living in Australia. Moving to Bali and Italy and other exotic locations. This wasn't part of the plan...at least at first. Phil and Amanda North did have a family adventure planned for after retirement. In fact, they had spent years planning and preparing for that family adventure, and when the time was right, they were ready to begin. ...only it wasn't the family adventure they had planned for. CAMPING IN NEW ZEALAND: ADVENTURE RE-IMAGINED Their North's dream was to sail the oceans together. They had already bought a boat, planned their itinerary and rented out their house when the call came. The boat they bought had unforeseen damage — it would cost too much to repair. Their family adventure plans were shattered, so they did what anyone would do: they started on a new adventure. Three years later they're still traveling the world. Listen in as we talk about house sitting, homeschooling, making friends on the road and many other aspects of their exceptional family adventure. IN THIS EPISODE     04:33 Intro     06:00 Origins: an unexpected life of travel     13:43 Money and funding travel     15:20 Budgeting     16:42 Camping in New Zealand & Australia     19:12 House sitting resources & experiences     21:13 Advice on getting started in house sitting     24:10 Homeschooling and their views on education     31:56 A bittersweet element of the kids making friends     38:01 Educational resources and supplies they travel with     45:17 Advice for aspiring family travelers

Michael and Crissa Boyink have been living in an RV with kids since 2010. Covering much of the USA, they've seen 40 states so far, and have no plans of stopping any time soon. LIVING IN AN RV WITH KIDS Back for their second show, I consider the Boyink family like "returning champions." They are still living in an RV with kids, but their oldest — now 19 — has moved out on his own. We talk about traveling with teens and watching them become their own people. They also describe their company and how they find extra work and reduced costs through working at the campgrounds and RV parks where they stay on this brand-new episode of Epic Education Radio. IN THIS EPISODE     05:02 Intro     08:09 Work Camping and Camp Hosting explained     14:36 Michael's work     18:03 Finding work on campgrounds     22:25 The types of RV'ers they've seen (ages, faiths, etc)     26:26 RV travel with teens     39:34 RV'ers and Walmart parking lots     40:35 Faith, campground and redefining what "church" means for them     52:40 Routines

Finding the right family travel accommodation can be tricky, as many hotels, resorts and holiday apartment rentals are geared towards couples and romantic getaways. Mark Wyld travels with his family a lot, so he does his research.

FAMILY TRAVEL ACCOMMODATION & MORE

Mark and his family live in a small town outside Melbourne, Australia, and travel extensively within their home country as well as all across Europe. In this Epic Education Radio interview, I talk with Mark about how he plans, the type of work he does, and the benefits of starting early. Listen in as we ponder the future of family travel accommodation and a few travel routines that help him have the best trip possible. Please share!

IN THIS EPISODE

• 04:23 Intro
• 05:43 Origins
• 07:20 How they manage work, planning and travel
• 13:00 The sites and search engines
• 18:00 The girls' favorite destinations
• 24:14 Being an early riser
• 26:12 Mark's travel gear
• 27:01 Mark's 3-3-3-5 rule with travel clothes
• 30:02 Accommodation preferences and the pros and cons of each
• 38:45 Pleasant surprises

What are the best hotels for kids? Eric Stoen has a few he could suggest. From luxury family resorts in Mexico and the African continent to quirky boutique hotels in Europe and beyond, Eric takes his kids everywhere, and is an exceptional travel photographer and family travel blogger.

THE BEST HOTELS FOR KIDS (ADULTS TOO)

In this Epic education Interview, I talk to Eric about some of his favorite family resorts and child-friendly hotels for kids. In addition to family hotel recommendations, we also talk about camera equipment, his top travel gear picks and how he secures the best hotel deal for a family of five. Eric also describes how he minimizes the stress of travel day, and his love of one-on-one travel with each of his kids. Listen in! And please share.

IN THIS EPISODE

• 04:04 Introductions
• 06:10 Traveling one-on-one with kids
• 11:20 What happens when a kid gets lost
• 13:18 Making the travel process as easy as possible
• 15:33 United 1K and Global Entry explained
• 19:45 What he looks for in a hotel
• 22:34 Hotels that get family travel right (3 of his favorite hotels for kids)
• 27:49 Travel gear (Luggage & Clothing)
• 32:03 Travel Gear (Photography)
• 34:59 Traveling with kids and big cameras
• 37:37 Camera bag
• 44:13 Resources & the value of contacting hotels directly

Unschooling in Europe can be a challenge, as each country has its own laws regarding the practice. In countries like Germany and Sweden, it's completely illegal, where in other countries like Austria and Spain, the state has certain requirements for the family who chooses this child-led approach to education. UNSCHOOLING IN EUROPE IN A VW VAN After a decade living in the UK, German couple, Torsten and Nedua have decided to hit the road with their three kids, unchooling in Europe along the way. Like the Tupy family from episode #28, they have chosen to travel the world by VV van. In this episode, hear how Torsten and Nedua prepared for their journey, and their thoughts on unschooling in Europe.         IN THIS EPISODE     00:00 Intro     07:12 Their preparation process     11:29 What they brought with them (and how they decided)     15:09 Thoughts on unschooling in Europe     17:35 The acceptance of unschooling in Europe     24:03 Time management & funding travel     29:34 Wild swimming

Many can name some of the benefits of homeschooling. Jen Miller certainly can, but she's also well aware of the trials and obstacles that present themselves face when one chooses an unconventional approach to education for their child. Add in four children and a life of full-time travel, and you can begin to imagine just how big — and important — the job can be

Enter Jen Miller. I've been reading Miller's work since 2012, when I started researching our own leap into homeschooling and full-time travel. Jen and her family haven't stayed in one place for more than six months since 2008, and she has educated all four children the entire time.

The Challenges and Benefits of Homeschooling

Speaking from Lake Atitlan, Guatemala, Miller talks about her own homeschooling routines and how they've changed over the years. She is "anti-school," and has spoken at length about the importance of finding the right learning style for your own children, but here I ask her about the benefits of homeschooling and how they have implemented it in their family. Listen in as we discuss teaching philosophies, time-management, and the true benefits of homeschooling while traveling.

IN THIS EPISODE

05:53 Intro 08:15 Work before and after full-time family travel 10:42 Where the kids are now 12:48 Early homeschool routines and philosophies 17:36 How her teaching style changed 19:40 Different children, different personalities, different learning styles 22:15 Discipling & getting kids to learn what they're not interested in 26:24 Thoughts on unschooling 29:03 Finding materials & acquiring live teachers 31:09 Time management & work-life balance 34:28 The transition from conventional school to something else