How To Be A Nomad With Kids

You want to travel the world, see new places and cultures, feel free and stimulated every hour of the day by unfamiliar faces? What if you were born a traveller but also wish to have children? Or, you already have children of your own but never quite forgot the adrenaline of traveling and are dying to do it again?

In a society where every person seems to want to be as comfortable as possible, it might seem strange to find out some parents are just not interested in settling. These nomads raise children on the road and they are constantly changing cities and countries. How is this possible and could you do it?
Here is some advice on how to be a nomad with kids.

How To Be A Nomad With Kids

• Make sure you have a reliable source of income

With digital freelancing, many people can live wherever they want and still have an impressive amount of income. Most nomads work as writers, photographers, programmers, web designers – the sort of jobs you can always do with a computer at hand. There is some risk to this line of work, of course, since pay can vary drastically. Some people might prefer to work as English teachers or in seasonal agriculture, for example, but unless your child is older and enrolled in school, that might make childcare quite expensive.
In order to be ready for emergencies and safeguard your children’s health, it’s important to keep an emergency fund.

• Decide early whether you want to homeschool or not

It’s great to be always on the go, but education is extremely important for your children. If you want to homeschool, make sure you have the necessary knowledge, discipline and resources to make sure you will not jeopardize your kids’ future.
Many nomad parents still prefer normal schooling, not so much because it is traditional, but because it gives kids the opportunity to socialize with their peers. In that case, it is important to plan ahead and make sure you do not remove your child at the mid of the trimester, for example, or knowing the dates of the school year (Brazil has a completely different calendar than the U.S., for example).

• Make travelling a learning experience

If you are taking your child halfway across the world every six months, it is important that he or she maintains that initial thrill of travelling and learning about different cultures. Even if jumping from place to place starts to appear as routine, finding out the history of the places and what makes that country unique will make every experience valuable and worthwhile.

• Encourage learning the local language

For kids to feel comfortable, they need to be able to speak with their peers. If they do not know the language, that can be extremely hard. Children learn languages quite fast, so six months in a given place will probably be enough for them to speak. However, it’s better if there is some support and encouragement at home, like the parents trying to learn as well.

• Make the family – and not a place – feel like home

Going from place to place can make a person feel homeless. It is important to explain to your child that you – the family – is the most stable thing in their lives and they can always count on you. Keep some rituals and routines no matter where you go to provide your child with a sense of continuity and explain to them where they come from and the original culture of both parents.

Feel free to add your own experience or advice about being a nomad with kids.