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Why Do I Blog?
Hi, I'm Rachel! These articles are my reflection on the communities we create and the life my family lives as a fulltime worldschooling family (nomadic since 2018). I share insights, personal stories, and lessons learned from our long-term travels, self-directed learning, and efforts to build community on the road. Some posts focus on our pop-up gatherings and the importance of connecting with worldschooling families. Others discuss the realities, challenges, and everyday moments of worldschooling life. Together, they’re meant to help families understand what this lifestyle looks like in practice.
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The Gift of Community
Sometimes we don’t know what we’re missing until we stumble into it. This happens all the time in our lives – think of the stories of people adopting rescue dogs, picking up a new hobby, finding a compatible partner, trying a unique cuisine, visiting a new culture, converting religions… we never really know when we’ll make a connection, no matter how big or small. For the Carlson Family, we traveled fulltime for nearly two years before we landed in our first worldschool gathe
Rachel Carlson
Nov 1, 202212 min read
Pop-Up Recap: Iceland 2022
The land of fire and ice... we found the ice and missed the fire. However, we did observe amazing evidence and stunning effects of the volcanic activity here! *Kolugljúfur Canyon and Gorge Walk Our Iceland story is a bit odd, many people have Iceland on their bucket list for years before making the trip. Personally, I didn't see the draw until we noticed flights from NYC to London were significantly cheaper if we landed in Iceland first. Our family is originally from Wisconsi
Rachel Carlson
Oct 20, 20229 min read
Spring 2023: Castle Pop-Up & Worldschool Prom
FAQs on our Normandy castle stay, pop-up, and teenage prom!
Rachel Carlson
Sep 19, 202212 min read
Pop-Up Recap: Madison, Wisconsin, August 2022
A Recap of our 2022 Pop-Up in Madison, Wisconsin.
Rachel Carlson
Aug 30, 20223 min read
Spotlight: Old Town Charm in Freiburg, Germany
Here's a sneak peek of all the cool things we'll do out our pop-up in Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany.
Rachel Carlson
Jul 6, 20222 min read
Where Do I Find Worldschool Community?
Worldschool hubs come in many shapes and sizes! Here are links to some of the established hubs plus ideas on how to find worldschoolers and get yourself connected in the community.
Rachel Carlson
Jul 2, 202210 min read
Spotlight: Art & the Outdoors | Bentonville Arkansas
When we tell people we're hosting a worldschool popup in Bentonville, we're often greeted by blank stares, raised eyebrows, or polite smiles. What on earth could possibly be the draw of this little town tucked away in the northwest corner of Arkansas? I think part of the appeal is that not too many people know about Bentonville yet (and shhhhhh, don’t tell them). For those who’ve heard of Bentonville, it is likely due to the connections with the Walmart Corporation. Sam Walto
Rachel Carlson
May 17, 20223 min read
Navigating the Needs of Nomadic Adolescents
When they were young: The Carlson kids started traveling when they were infants, sometimes just a few days old on their first road trip. By ages 4-mos, 9-mos, and 4-months-old, they all had taken their first long flight (Hawaii, Argentina, Dominican Republic)! We’ve always traveled with our kids, way before we homeschooled or gave up our residence. It was not uncommon for us to pull the kids out of school for a few weeks each winter to get out of the cold and explore Central
Rachel Carlson
May 12, 20226 min read
Spotlight: Oaxaca City, Mexico | June 2022
Welcome to the "Land of Seven Moles" Oaxaca is also known as Oaxaca de Juárez or Oaxaca City. It is the capital (and largest city) of the Mexican state of Oaxaca. Home to a vibrant community with Olmec, Zapotec, Mixtec, and Spanish roots, Oaxaca is rich in culture, cuisine, and tradition. Oaxaca is positioned between two imposing mountain ranges, and its isolation has preserved 16 distinct pre-Spanish cultures which still exist here. Dating back to 1500BCE, this secluded hav
Rachel Carlson
May 7, 20222 min read
Pop-Up Recap: Guanajuato Week 2, Mexico | March 2022
This was our first time offering a 2nd popup in the same location! Normally we run our popup, enjoy our time with all the worldschoolers, and then mosey on our way to the next great destination. However, with the Project World School Family Summit happening right before this popup, we knew we'd have more families to join in our exploration of Guanajuato and the surrounding area... and there was still lots to explore! It's amazing what neat nooks and crannies you find when a w
Rachel Carlson
Apr 30, 20224 min read
Pop-Up Recap: CDMX, Mexico | April 2022
Hola amigos...from Mexico City -- or Ciudad De Mexico -- or CDMX! This popup was set up by our friend, Max, and his family... and it was no small feat. CDMX is HUGE with so much to do and see, it was hard to decide which attractions made the final cut for our itinerary. And I don't think I've ever taken so many photos in one week before (except maybe at Hobbiton in New Zealand, because that's a photogenic destination, too!). *Photo Credit: Max Lee, Teotihuacan Pyramids Our we
Rachel Carlson
Apr 30, 20224 min read
Pop-Up Recap: Guanajuato Week 1 | February 2022
Guanajuato is a magical town with alleys, tunnels, street food, colonial architecture, museums, shops, plazas, and loads of lovely people. And... we certainly did not leave much uncovered during our first week popup. Thanks to my co-hosts Annie & Jill, we were able to add all sorts of unique ways to experience this charming city. Photo credit: Chong See Ming - I wish we had you at every popup See Ming! You always make sure everyone gets into the picture. Here's our eclectic g
Rachel Carlson
Apr 22, 20224 min read
Pop-Up Recap: Merida, Mexico | February 2022
Well... what a fun week in Merida: This was by far our biggest popup with 28 attending families with a total of 100 amazing humans. Man, we love you guys! PC Chong See Ming: this is ~60 of us at the meet-&-greet activity, thank you for See Ming for herding us into this photo! Our families represented the US, Hungary, England, Canada, Malaysia, Wales, Germany, Mexico, Ireland, and Romania (and I probably missed a few). It never fails to impress me with how many different famil
Rachel Carlson
Apr 2, 20224 min read
The Day I Sent Everyone to a Strip Mall
Seasoned travelers know that not everything goes to plan, even when you have done your research and plotted out the perfect schedule. For example, sometimes businesses are unexpectedly closed…or prices increase…or the address isn’t correct…or a pandemic interrupts local festivals and celebrations. The more we travel, the more we learn to expect these unexpected snags in our plans. However, even the most seasoned travelers are bound to make mistakes which is why I want to tell
Rachel Carlson
Mar 3, 20223 min read
Pop-Up Recap: Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, Jan 2022
Hola amigos...from the fun side of Trump's wall (seriously, there were some pretty funny t-shirts in Cabo, not all were quite so child-friendly)! We've just wrapped up a full week in Baja California, meeting and connecting with new friends as well as rekindling friendships with those who've attended popups previously. We're so glad to welcome you back! Our weather was darn near perfect -- warm, sunny days and comfortable evenings -- which made exploring all the better. We hun
Rachel Carlson
Feb 1, 20223 min read
Spotlight: American History Immersion in Williamsburg, Virginia, April 2022
Colonial Virginia is a mecca of American history and culture…and Williamsburg provides an amazing, centralized location to explore this...
Rachel Carlson
Jan 15, 20222 min read
Crossing Borders During Covid
Gone are the days of nonchalant border crossings where you could just waltz right into a country to explore with little to no preparation.
Rachel Carlson
Jan 15, 20225 min read
Tips & Tricks on How to Use WhatsApp’s Communication Platform
The WhatsApp platform is used worldwide for phone calls, text messages, photo/video sharing and business operations...and it's packed with nifty features for effective group communication. The biggest advantage of WhatsApp is that both android and apple phones can send long messages without truncation or getting the pieces of the messages jumbled. However, some users are new to the platform and don’t know about the neat features which make this app ideal for our popup communi
Rachel Carlson
Jan 13, 20224 min read
Pop-Up Recap: Kona, Big Island, Dec 2021
We visited Big Island, Hawaii...take a look at our adventures together.
Rachel Carlson
Dec 19, 20213 min read
Navigating AirBNB’s Guest Refund Policy
Did you ever run into a rental with an inaccurate description? We did, and we blew our chance of a partial refund due to a technicality.
Rachel Carlson
Nov 29, 20217 min read
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