Conversations
Road Scholars
Move over homeschooling—here comes educational long-term travel. BY MARKWELL LYON
THE DREAM OF quitting your job
Hitting the Books on the Road
to travel for six months to a year is a familiar one, but it’s also one that seems less likely the older you get. Once you have a career and kids, as conventional thinking goes, it’s time to settle down and let go of those lingering romantic notions. However, more families are thinking unconventionally, embracing travel as not only a lifestyle but also as a one-of-akind educational opportunity for school-aged children. We spoke to the Thibodeau family in Sturgeon County about their experience of taking a year off to travel, and what that meant for their sons’ education.
“The intent was to see Canada,” says Chris Thibodeau. “That was the really big thing. You know, people live in Canada and don’t get see the whole thing. So, we just took the family and went to see Canada.” From July 2016 to April 2017, Chris and his wife Edith, with their sons Nicholas and Sebastien (now in Grades 9 and 7), set off on an extended road trip, travelling a loop that would take them through every province and quite a few states. To prepare, the Thibodeaus sold their house, bought a 42-foot fifth wheel, and put their jobs on hold.
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The ambitious itinerary also meant they had to pull their sons out of school for the year, and take on the responsibility of providing their sons’ education themselves. That meant planning a trip in which the kids’ schooling would be a major component. The idea of blending
