Tips for Homeschooling while Traveling

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As homeschooling parents, we always welcome learning opportunities so it’s only natural that we’d want to continue homeschooling while traveling. Many of those opportunities come naturally, but we still do what we can to plan for learning experiences, right?

This article is part 10 of a 10 day series of Homeschool Travel Tips! Can you believe it? Even though the series is technically “over” now, you know that I’ll be sharing plenty more travel tips in the future, so definitely keep an eye out for even more tips and info!

For the purpose of this specific article, we’re going to focus on homeschooling while traveling for about a week or less. As much as I’d love to cover roadschooling, we have not had the chance to experience that just yet. Road trips and week-long trips, though? Been there, done that…and planning on doing them many more times!

Before you head off on your trip, give these tips a look. Give yourself some time to prepare so you’re not stressing yourself out right before you leave for the trip.

You got this!

Things to Consider before Homeschooling while Traveling…

HotSpot

If you’ll need Wifi while traveling, you might want to consider signing your phone up to have HotSpot capability or…better yet…borrow a HotSpot!

In my area, public libraries provide so much more than “just” books. We can borrow passes to local attractions and museums, borrow puzzles, and even borrow HotSpots! All for free!

My kids do the majority of their homeschool lessons on their laptops and require an internet connection to do so. Because they would be absolutely heartbroken if they couldn’t do their lessons while traveling (so much sarcasm), borrowing a HotSpot from the library would be a very simple solution!

If you’ll require an internet connection during your homeschool travel, definitely check to see if your local library can help.

Smart Watch or Tracker

I swear, I’m not trying to be morbid.

Somehow getting separated from my children is one of my worst fears. I let them have all their experiences and such, but I will forever do everything in my power to keep them safe.

A bit ago, we took the plunge and got them both smart watches. Since we visit playgrounds often, I figured it would be a nice way to stay in contact with them while they play and I chat with the other homeschool parents.

It’s been nice to just text them “time to leave” instead of yelling their names across the playground. #iamthatmom

With the increase of our travel, I also wanted an extra layer of protection and a way to communicate with them if needed. It gives me piece of mind and they both feel super cool because they have some pretty cool technology.

There are a variety of smart watches available from various companies and through cell service providers. We pay a small fee for both the watch and the cell service each month. It’s not a lot and we feel it’s totally worth it.

Travel-Ready Supplies

Before homeschooling while traveling, consider making a “homeschool-on-the-go” bag. It can be as big or little as you’d like, but it basically serves as a way to complete various activities while on the go. We use these zip bags for our travel bag and for game and puzzle storage.

Some items it could include are:

• mechanical pencils (no need to sharpen)
• pens (the clicky kind so caps won’t get lost)
• colored pencils (crayons could be included, but only if you’ll be in cooler weather – we don’t want crayons to melt!)
• lined paper
• printer paper
• stickers
• highlighters
• note cards

I am also a huge proponent for bringing along a clipboard to use as a sort of lap desk, too!

Location-Specific Materials

Since you’ll be homeschooling while traveling, might as well include some location-specific activities for the kids!

You might consider borrowing a few books from the library or even printing out some state or city-specific printables. Even better…if you’ll have wifi while traveling (HotSpot for the win!) the kids could even watch YouTube videos about the destination.

To Be or Not to Be…

That is, should the kids be continuing their regular curriculum and activities while traveling or should they be “just” open to learning through experiences?

That is for you to decide and, as a homeschooling parent, having the freedom to have a say in your child’s education is one of the coolest things!

Whether you’ve been homeschooling while traveling for a while or if you’re looking forward to this new part of homeschool life, I hope you and your family have a great time traveling together!

Until next time, stay safe and enjoy quality time with your family,