The booming “travel schooling” trend is offering Australian families more “freedom” on the road

More and more Australians are moving away from a traditional way of life and opting for one with more “freedom and flexibility”. At least that’s how experts who spoke to Yahoo News Australia see it, explaining the rise in “travel training” across the country.

The term refers to teaching children at home while they are on the move, often in a caravan or motorhome, an activity that has become increasingly popular in recent years. Data shows Australians took 15.3 million caravan and camping trips in 2023 – an all-time high.

Today there are approximately 40,000 Australian children who are educated by their parents outside of the classroom (not specifically for travel education, but for home education in general). That’s more than double the number recorded in 2019, before the COVID-19 pandemic. Families who choose to homeschool their children must register with their state education department.

“Homeschooling and travel schooling help put the child at the center of learning and their experiences are realistic,” Rebecca English, senior lecturer in education at the Queensland University of Technology, told Yahoo.

The education expert supports the idea of ​​self-learning, which may even be more beneficial for some children, she argued.

“It can be really difficult [some kids] to concentrate on it [classroom] “If you look at the research, home-schooled students perform better on standardized tests and in college studies. They tend to report higher levels of satisfaction with their learning and demonstrate higher levels of civic engagement than mainstream students.”

Increase in home schooling enrollments across Australia

Queensland saw the largest increase in home schooling rates, from 3,400 students in 2019 to over 10,000 in 2023 – almost tripling. In NSW, meanwhile, state government data shows a steady increase from just under 6,000 students in 2019 to over 12,000 in 2022 and 2023.

Tasmania, South Australia and Tasmania have also seen a steady increase since 2021.

“I think we’re actually seeing quite a shift in the Australian context around parenting, where parental school choice has changed to be more child-centered,” early childhood professor Wendy Goff told Yahoo.

Previously, Yahoo spoke to Queensland couple Brent Crysell and Michelle, who are among the many Australian families giving up their “normal lives” for a life on the streets. Part of that involves teaching her children, ages 6 and 4, on wheels from home. They have chosen an online learning program for their children, in addition to the hands-on learning opportunities the country offers while traveling.

“We love freedom and new experiences, but also learning for our children,” Crysell said. “Seeing our children learn new things, see new perspectives and see new places is amazing.”

Parents Shaylin Radhakrishnan and partner Mark agreed it was easy to homeschool on the go since their children were young. Although they had never driven an SUV or caravan before, the Melbourne couple decided to take the plunge and teach their two children life skills along the way.

Parents must do “homework” before setting off on the school trip

For mother-of-four Nicky Mumford, making the decision was initially “quite daunting and overwhelming” given societal pressures and norms. But since packing up and heading out on the trip earlier this year, she says the kids are “really loving it,” she previously told Yahoo.

But first there is still some “homework” to do, warns Goff.

Before embarking on the cross-country adventure, Adelaide-based Mumford sought the advice of her children’s teachers before taking them out – something Goff highly recommends to families considering the same thing.

“My recommendation would be to talk to the homeroom teacher and find out what she plans to do for the year, what she could do, and then try to implement that at the beginning of the trip,” she said.

“We often underestimate a teacher’s ability to give children very strong and very quick academic connections. Through their training, they are able to actually recognize what they have learned in everyday world experiences and then make these connections for children.”

“It’s also “really important” for parents to be actively involved in their children’s learning on the go, rather than just “just doing it,” she added.

It doesn’t have to be as structured as a homeschool program like Brent and Michelle chose. It can be a “simple conversation” between parents and children, Goff said, using real-world experiences as a learning opportunity. For example, estimating the height of a mountain or working out simple math based on real-world scenarios.

“If they really want to maximize and enrich these wonderful real-world learning experiences that travel offers their children, they simply need to think about the idea of ​​transfer [back into the schooling system]” she explained.

English agreed that it was a “completely different way of learning.” “I think for a lot of kids, actually experiencing something hands-on is much more valuable than reading about it in a book,” she said.

Disadvantage of the home or travel school trend

Despite the “huge benefits” that travel schooling offers, Goff says it is “complex” and worries that “there is limited evidence on the long-term effects on children, not just of travel schooling but also of home schooling.” .

“Because of this complexity, it’s really difficult to conduct empirical research and determine or isolate what might determine the long-term effects or implications,” she explained.

She also advised families to consider homeschooling when children are young and “more resilient,” rather than in their teens. However, she urged parents to consider their children’s “key period of development” which occurs early when they start school.

“There are some basic ideas at the start of school and it’s really important to get familiar with that context of the school. So maybe that could be a consideration for a family.”

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