People always ask how do we homeschool while traveling? How do the kids keep up? Don’t they fall behind? And my answer is always the same: they’re learning even more than they would at a desk! But also, yes, we have a system. And it works.
Homeschooling on the go isn’t about recreating a classroom. It’s about finding the right tools that travel with you like apps and websites that work in any time zone, and a plan flexible enough to adapt to our surroundings.
It wasn’t easy, not at first. After a lot of trial and error (and subscriptions I regret), we found what works for us. Now, I’m sharing it all with you. Our full toolkit and the platforms we use daily. With tons of free resources that are extremely underrated that you might have missed.
Our Core Curriculum: Time4Learning
Time4Learning is a full online curriculum covering Pre-K through 12th grade, and it’s built for the kind of flexibility that traveling families need. The kids log in, pick up where they left off, and work through interactive lessons at their own pace. It’s worked for us on road trips in the U.S., at the airport gate in Argentina, and now immersing ourselves in Medellín.
It covers math, language arts, science, and social studies with video-based lessons, quizzes, and progress tracking. You can use it every day or as a supplement to their education. Take breaks when you’re exploring a new city, and jump back in without losing your place. Pricing is $39.95/month with discounts for annual plans and additional children. There’s a 14-day money-back guarantee if you want to test it first.
What I love most: the parent dashboard. I can see exactly where each kid is, what they’ve completed, and where they need more time. It helps me plan what I need to focus on with each one. Which leads me to lesson plans!
My Secret Weapon: Education.com
Education.com is my absolute favorite resource and my go-to. They have over 30,000 worksheets, games, lesson plans, and activities for Pre-K through 8th grade. Everything is made for you, so no guessing. Just search by subject or grade level.
I use it the most for the lesson plans and printable worksheets for everything from reading comprehension, math practice, handwriting, etc. Their Brainzy games (built in platform) are also great for younger kids who need interactive math and reading practice without screen fatigue. It’s not a standalone curriculum, but paired with Time4Learning, it rounds everything out nicely.
There is free access, but we do the paid premium membership ($120/year) gives you unlimited access to everything. I’ve spent more money on less, this is absolutely worth it! You can learn more about Education.com here.
Extracurriculars Anywhere: Outschool
Outschool is where homeschooling stops feeling isolated. It’s a platform for live, online classes taught by real teachers on ANY SUBJECT! Art, coding, creative writing, history, science experiments, Minecraft-based math, Harry Potter book clubs, Spanish conversation, gym classes. Ages 3 to 18.
Classes are pay-per-session (typically $5 to $30 per hour), so you’re not locked into a subscription. You pick what interests your kid, book it, and they show up to a live Zoom-style class with other students (or 1:1). One-time sessions, multi-week courses, and even 1-on-1 tutoring are available.
This platform has been huge for us! When you’re moving constantly, Outschool gives the kids a consistent community of peers and teachers. We personally do drawing class, kids coding, and piano!
If you want to try Outschool, here’s $50 to sign up for FREE!
Reading Without Luggage: Libby
I can’t carry 47 books in my suitcase, but Libby makes it feel like I can. Libby is a free app that connects to your public library card and gives you access to thousands of ebooks and audiobooks.
The kids use it for chapter books, picture books, and audiobooks during travel days. I use it for my own reading. It’s free (you just need a valid library card), and you can borrow up to the limit your library allows. It’s great for hitting reading goals or even projects.
One important tip for traveling families: If your home library works with Libby, keep that card active no matter where you may live. And if you’re accessing Libby from outside the U.S., you’ll likely need a VPN (more on that below).
Coding for Kids: Scratch Jr.
Scratch Jr. is a visual coding app designed for ages 5 to 7, and it’s completely free! Kids drag and drop colorful blocks to create stories, games, and animations. Learning the fundamentals of programming without reading a single line of code.
Both of our kids have their own app and have created games like pong and a Dino jump. It teaches sequencing, logic, and creative problem-solving in a way that feels like play, not school. And because it works offline once downloaded, it’s perfect for flights, long bus rides, and those moments when the Wi-Fi is non-existent.
For kids 8+ you can use the traditional Scratch app for older kids.
Free Resources We Love
Zearn Math
Zearn is a free adaptive math program for grades K through 8. The lessons combine video instruction with interactive practice, and the curriculum is aligned with Common Core standards. It adjusts to each child’s level, so they’re always working
The free version gives you everything you need for individual use. There’s a paid school version with additional features, but for homeschooling families, the free tier is more than enough. This is genuinely one of the best free math resources available, and I can’t believe more families don’t know this one!
NASA Homeschool Resources
NASA has an entire section of their website dedicated to at-home and homeschool learning, and it’s incredible. NASA STEM @ Home offers K-12 experiments and video lessons, worksheets, NASA Space Place has interactive games for elementary kids, and Learning Space provides tutorials in both English and Spanish.
They also run the GLOBE Program — a worldwide citizen science initiative where students can participate in real environmental data collection. If your kids are into space, science, or just asking “why” about everything, nasa.gov/nasa-at-home is a goldmine. All free.
CrunchLabs
If your kids watch YouTube, they probably already know Mark Rober. CrunchLabs is a FREE, three dimensional curriculum resource designed for state science standards to inspire student curiosity and creativity. In partnership with the National Science Teaching Association (NSTA).
This resource is so invaluable. Starting kids in STEM from a young age fosters curiosity, critical thinking, and problem-solving skills, building a foundation for future success and career opportunities as the world’s tech advances are moving faster than ever.
Khan Academy
Completely free, no paywall, no ads. Full K-12 curriculum in math, science, computing, and more. Khan Academy Kids (for under-7s) is also free and excellent. If budget is a concern, Khan Academy can carry your homeschool lessons.
More Tools Worth Adding to Your Toolkit
Beyond our core resources, these are platforms we’ve used or that other traveling families consistently recommend:
IXL Learning — An adaptive K-12 platform with over 17,000 skills across math, language arts, science, and social studies. Single subject plans start at $79/year, Core Subjects at $159/year, with additional children at $40/year each. Stronger on drill-and-practice than conceptual learning, but excellent for keeping skills sharp during travel.
Mystery Science — K-5 science lessons that are genuinely fun. Each lesson starts with a question kids actually ask (Why is the sky blue? Where do rivers start?) and guides them through investigations and experiments. Homeschool membership is $129/year. Some lessons work without any materials at all making it perfect for travel.
Duolingo and Duolingo ABC — Duolingo needs no introduction. It’s free, it works, and when you’re living in a Spanish-speaking country with your kids, it reinforces what they’re absorbing daily. Duolingo ABC (ages 3-6) is also completely free — no ads, no in-app purchases and teaches alphabet, phonics, and sight words in short 5-minute lessons.
BrainPOP — Animated educational videos covering science, math, social studies, English, health, and more for grades K-8. The videos are engaging, short, and pair well with any curriculum as enrichment.
This is pricey, but can be worth it and they offer a 30-day free trial. There are two plans you can realistically choose from:
Family plan: $119/year for grades K-3, $129/year for grades 3-8, or $159/year for access to both.
Homeschool plan: $295/year grades K-3, $350/year grades 3-8, or $430/year for combo access to both.
If you’re wondering what’s the difference between the two plans, the family plan allows you to access movies and quizzes and home, while the homeschool plan allows you to assign work to each child.
Why You Need a VPN When Homeschooling Abroad
Here’s something nobody tells you until you’re sitting in a café in Colombia trying to open Libby and it won’t load: many educational platforms, library apps, and streaming services are geo-restricted. They work fine in the U.S. and then suddenly don’t when you cross a border.
Libby, certain Outschool features, streaming platforms for educational documentaries, even some school district portals can all be blocked or limited based on your location. And if your homeschool relies on digital tools (which, if you’re reading this, it does), that’s a problem.
The fix is a VPN that makes your internet connection appear as if you’re still in the U.S. (or wherever you need to be). It’s not complicated. You download the app, connect to a U.S. server, and everything works like you never left.
We use and recommend NordVPN. It’s the one we’ve relied on across every country we’ve traveled to, and it’s never let us down. Here’s why it works for our family:
10 simultaneous connections — meaning every device in the family (laptops, tablets, phones) can be protected at the same time. No choosing who gets the VPN today.
Fast speeds — important when your kids are in a live Outschool class or streaming a Khan Academy lesson. NordVPN doesn’t slow things down the way some cheaper VPNs do.
Threat Protection — blocks ads, trackers, and malicious websites. When your kids are online daily for school, this is an added layer of safety you’ll appreciate.
Easy to use — the app is dead simple. Even my kids can connect to a U.S. server on their own tablets.
Pricing starts at around $3-4/month on the 2-year plan, with a 30-day money-back guarantee. It is the most important subscriptions we carry with us as we travel. Even for accessing bank accounts abroad safely and securely. Learn more about NordVPN here.
Disclosure: We are NordVPN affiliates, which means we may earn a small commission if you sign up through our link. We only recommend tools we personally use and trust at no cost to you!
How We Structure Our Days
Every family’s rhythm is different, but here’s what a typical homeschool day looks like for us on the road:
Morning (1-2 hours loose structure): We wake up and start our days with slow mornings. We have our morning chores, breakfast, and outside time (weather permitting). The boys are able to play with LEGOs, MagnaTiles, or read before we start our lessons after breakfast
Midday (flexible): Roughly 2 hours of core lessons like math, reading, and science. This is the non-negotiable block. What is negotiable is what time of the day we do this. That’s the beauty of homeschooling. We generally try from 11-1 (when it’s hottest outside), but adjust depending on any planned activities.
Afternoon: Real-world learning. This might be exploring a market, visiting a museum, hiking, cooking a local recipe, or interacting with local kids at the park. This is the world schooling part. If we’re home then we’re doing supplemental work like Zearn Math practice, an Outschool class, reading time on Libby, Scratch Jr. coding, or a NASA activity. This is the flexible block that shifts based on the day.
Not every day looks like this. Travel days are lighter than if we were at home. Exploration days lean heavy on real-world learning vs. workbooks. Rainy days are when the apps earn their keep. The point isn’t perfection, it’s consistency over time. The beauty of this is the flexibility to decide based on our family’s needs.
Final Thoughts
Homeschooling on the go is not about finding the one perfect curriculum. It’s about building a toolkit with a mix of structured learning, free resources, live interaction, and real-world experiences that moves with your family. The tools we’ve listed here have been tested across countries, time zones, bad Wi-Fi, and the full range of kid moods. They work.
The best part of homeschooling while traveling is watching your kids do math in the markets, feeling confident speaking Spanish with kids their age, understanding geography because they’ve actually been there, and doing it all together as a family. Those are the lessons that I hope stick with them.
Start with what you can. Add as you go. And don’t forget the VPN! Questions? Leave a comment below or send me a message on Instagram (make sure you’re following for more)!
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