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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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Florence, Italy 2023 Photo Dump
We explored museums and parks, visited the Duomo and other churches, hiked the hills, enjoyed the vistas, walked Ponte Vecchio, tried...
Rachel Carlson
Sep 18, 20231 min read
Istanbul Feb 2023 Photo Dump
We had a great time exploring Istanbul (not Constantinople). Visiting mosques and palaces, taking a less-than US$3 ferry ride up the Bosphorus, walking through the Grand Bazaar, catching photo ops in an upside down house, and attempting to get ice cream! Here is our Istanbul kid count: Total Kids = 23 Ages: 1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 6, 7, 7, 8, 9, 9, 9, 9, 11, 11, 13, 13, 13, 13, 14, 15, 16, 16 The Popup crew in front of Topkapi Palace! Seeing the Sites Nature Food & Drink History, The
Rachel Carlson
Jun 14, 20231 min read
Athens New Years 2023 Photo Dump
Ringing in the New Year in Athens! So much to visit: The Acropolis, the Ellinikon Experience Park, watching the changing of the guard, Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center and the Athens Living Museum murder-mystery experience! Here is our Athens kid count: Total Kids = 28 Ages: 2, 2, 3, 5, 6, 6, 7, 7, 7, 7, 8, 8, 9, 10, 10, 10, 10, 11, 11, 12, 12, 13, 13, 13, 15, 15, 15, 15 Parthenon (PC Jenny @Magpie Eye Photography) Photographer's Point - of - View We had a special
Rachel Carlson
Jun 14, 20231 min read
NYC Sept 2022 Photo Dump
Autumn in the Big Apple was amazing. Darn near perfect weather, plenty to see and do, and quite the crowd joining us to explore NYC and...
Rachel Carlson
Jun 14, 20231 min read
Pop-Up Recap: London 2022
When we first scheduled our London event, we seriously wondered if anyone would come. Who exactly goes to London… in November? Apparently, LOTS of people! We had 26 families (including 5 returning families) join us with a total of 116 participants. Our guests hailed from Poland, England, Austria, Australia, Portugal, Mexico, Argentina, the Cayman Islands, and all across the US. *We never got a full group photo, but here is a portion of us on the Thames River Cruise These are
Rachel Carlson
Dec 22, 20225 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
Pop-Up Recap: Madison, Wisconsin, August 2022
A Recap of our 2022 Pop-Up in Madison, Wisconsin.
Rachel Carlson
Aug 30, 20223 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
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
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