Wonder Year

Learn how to pack up the family for a life-changing, long-term journey filled with education and adventure

Packed with practical information, Wonder Year offers invaluable guidance on budgeting, planning, education, safety, and working while traveling, and is interspersed with evocative first-person travelogues. Swimming with dolphins in New Zealand, star gazing in New Mexico, and visiting WWII sites in Normandy, France, are just a few of the many colorful explorations that will no doubt stir you to plan your own journey.

This book will show you how to:

• Plan a budget for long-term family travel—be it a summer, semester, or year
• Discover alternative education methods for teaching your kids on the road
• Tap into a global community of worldschoolers and family adventurers
• Identify ways to earn income while traveling
• Stay healthy and maintain safety on the road
• Travel responsibly and sustainably

You’ll learn that extended family travel is more attractive and attainable than ever before, and remote living and learning are not actually remote at all. Wonder Year will help you slow down, simplify, and wonder at all the world has to offer.

Julie Frieder

Julie Frieder is an innovator, problem solver, and sustainability professional. She earned a double master’s degree in environmental science and public policy from the School of Public and Environmental Affairs at Indiana University and has worked to drive environmental solutions in the public, private, and nonprofit sectors for over two decades. Julie stepped away from a career in sustainable and responsible investing to travel with her family for thirteen months in a twenty-four-foot RV equipped with four bikes, three kayaks, a 72-watt solar system, and a very large dog.

Angela Heisten

Angela Heisten is a business strategist and communications professional with deep experience in biotechnology and healthcare. After earning her engineering degree in the Midwest, she moved to the West Coast where she completed an MBA at University of California, Berkeley. Also trained as an executive coach, she partners with leaders to bring sustained positive change to the people and organizations they serve. Over the past ten years, Angela has applied her leadership skills to entrepreneurial initiatives and volunteer work in real estate, education, and government. She also planned and executed a two-year family trip across six continents and loves to share what she learned along the way.

Annika Paradise

Annika Paradise is passionate about using her writing to bridge worlds. She loves to help anyone plan and launch a journey with their family. In 2018, Annika and her husband worldschooled their three children in twelve countries across three continents. With a cello.

As a Peace Corps Volunteer in Thailand, and later as a student travel guide with Where There Be Dragons, she witnessed the transformational power of cross-cultural immersion and brings those insights to Wonder Year.

“Essential reading for families on the journey toward a connected and fulfilling life.”

Dan Buettner, National Geographic Fellow and #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Blue Zones

“Wildly inspiring and eminently practical, this book will have you dreaming, plotting, and planning for what could be the best months of your family’s life.”

Florence Williams, author of The Nature Fix: Why Nature Makes Us Happier, Healthier, and More Creative

“For the intrepid family that’s keen to raise kids with a broad worldview, the curricular visions and thoughtful considerations outlined in Wonder Year will help you get out the door and on the road toward the greatest discoveries of your family’s lives. A recipe book for activating the deepest curiosities of young minds.”

Chris Yager, founder of immersive student travel company Where There Be Dragons

“Wonder Year makes the case for extended family travel and ‘worldschooling,’ then provides the nuts and bolts of how to actually get out there.”

Joshua Berman, author and travel columnist for The Denver Post

“Wonder Year will give you all the tools and tips you need to take your family on the adventure of a lifetime. As an early child educator, I appreciate their advice on how to educate on the move!”

Stefanie Hohl, author and founder of ABC See, Hear, Do

“Extended travel—the wanderlust kind—has always felt out of reach for too many because of the expense, the disapproval of others, and seemingly overwhelming logistical challenges. But you can do it! This book is literally a ‘how-to’ guide for a life-affirming family adventure.”

Charles Wheelan, author of We Came, We Saw, We Left and Naked Economics

“Simply superb! A must-read for anyone considering extended family travel, Wonder Year is the new standard by which all other books on this subject will be judged.”

John Higham, author of 360 Degrees Longitude

“Wonder Year opens the imagination to possibilities of extraordinary family learning adventures. A treasure trove of resources and inspiration for parents who desire to be learners alongside their children, transforming and growing on a shared journey.”

Colette Plum, assistant dean, UC Berkeley Study Abroad