EU049: Unschooling and Travel with Stuart Norman

Stuart Norman, his wife Sue, and their daughter Annabel were unschooling in the UK when they first had the idea to travel. They let it evolve in its own way—as he describes it, we “just pointed ourselves in that direction of travel and nothing else came along that got in the way of that.” They sold their possessions and their home and about nine months ago they were off.

Quote of the Week

“What if instead of asking what your passion or purpose is, we asked different questions? What are you interested in? What are you curious about? What’s fascinating to you? What have you read or seen or heard that you want to know more about? What do you love to do, just because? What are you working toward that you want desperately to achieve for no other reason than that you want it? What if you don’t so much have a passion or purpose as much as you pursue something, or a bunch of things, with passion and a sense of purpose? And what if the deeper you get into that exploration or pursuit and the more competent you become, the more interested you get in doing and learning and discovering on a fiercer, more engaged, dare I say a more “passionate” or “purposeful” way?” ~ Jonathan Fields, How to Live a Good Life

Questions for Stuart

Can you share with us a bit about you and your family, and how you came to unschooling?

First, I’d like to dive into your journey to unschooling a bit. How did you get comfortable with and develop trust in the process of unschooling?

Moving to unschooling often has us questioning so much of what we thought we already knew. What has been the most challenging aspect of unschooling for you?

Now I’d love to dive into your travel experience. How did you guys decide to travel and how did you prepare?

Where are you guys right now, and can you share one of your favourite experiences so far?

I’m sure Annabel is learning so much as you guys travel, both about the places you’ve been, and about herself. What is she interested in right now, and how is she pursuing it?

On Facebook I recently saw someone ask you to comment on an article, and I loved your answer. The article was titled, “It turns out that traveling makes us far happier than any material wealth ever does.” Can you share your perspective?

What tips do you have for unschooling parents who are considering extended travel with their family?

I noticed you recently started a new Facebook page, The Nomadic Coach. Can you tell us a bit about that? I love to hear about how families are supporting their unschooling lives.

Links to Things Mentioned in the Show

Facebook pages: Normans Running Wild and The Nomadic Coach

Horrible Histories

For the Love of Learning episode #47: Attachment Parenting with Stuart Norman, Naomi Aldort, and Pam Laricchia

Episode Transcript

Read the transcript here