What's In A Worldschooler's Carry-On?

Girl with orange back pack facin yellow wall. with text overlay saying "Wordschooler's: What's in my backpack

What’s In a Worldschooler’s Carry-On?

When you’re a worldschooler or digital nomad family, your carry-on has a tendency to look a little different than most. Some might even be asking “What is actually in a worldschooler’s carry-on?”

Oftentimes, for digital nomadic families, a carry-on and a piece of hand luggage (or backpack) is the only baggage you have. To be a savvy traveler that loves to make every day a teachable moment, it can be difficult to know what essentials need to be in a worldschooler’s carry-on to facilitate learning on location. Keep reading to find out:

the best anti-theft backpack,
an awesome ‘take it anywhere’ curriculum, and
the best digital gear and gadgets for your worldschooler’s carry-on.

Grab your passport. Let’s do school the fun way by learning on location!

Here’s a short list of “must-haves” for a worldschooler’s carry-on.

Travel Insurance.

mum and child on beach with text overlay "I use RoamRight every time I travel.

Travel insurance really is a must. Whether it’s a weird bug bite, a tickly cough turned into a respiratory infection, or a family hike that lands someone in A&E, For the price of your favorite drink each day, you can protect your family, and your budget, from financially disastrous outcomes.

Travel insurance is one of the cheapest travel purchases and is SO necessary.

A canceled flight alone could cost a family thousands of dollars in unexpected lodging, transportation, and meal expenses. Sadly, this can turn a learning adventure into a money-eating nightmare that wasn’t even your fault. I’ve seen it happen too many times, so do your research, compare prices and protect your family and your finances.

For folks that are residents of the EU, my favorite travel insurance is Global Link International. If you’re US-based, I really like RoamRight and Travel Ex for travel insurance.

Prepare your family for an adventure.

image of child with releasing paper lantern at sunset with text overlay Packing with Kids: Packing Tutorial.

Electronics

Amazon Kindle. Yep, the kids do quite a few of their core subjects on their Kindles. Everything from keeping up with our Apologia Science to reading up on the history of our current location or upcoming destination. One Kindle for each kid is perfect, but it is very doable with just one for the whole family – someone’s always willing to just look out the window at the scenery going by.

Having a camera phone or durable camera is an easy way to incorporate learning and memory-making at the same time. Photography for teens and younger kids is super fun. it’s a great way to document their learning and improve artistic skills. Intentional family travel and learning all at the same time!

Keep’em Organized!

Electronics Organizer (Amazon). Yep! With phones, Kindles, and laptops, that’s a lot of cords, power packs, and earbuds in our world schoolers carry-on. A lightweight, simple organizer is all that’s needed for each kid to learn how to keep it all organized, safe, and in good working condition. Or, just get a slightly bigger one and keep everything in one place for the whole family.

Oh and don’t forget a universal adapter. This little gadget (Amazon) is all you need to connect to a power source no matter the country.

Learning The Fun Way!

Project Passport – I just stumbled across this fabulous resource from Homeschool in the Woods. It’s perfect for a wordschooler’s carry-on, especially if your goal is to provide teachable moments (even if you don’t world school or homeschool) before, during, and after your time traveling, Project Passport is a fabulous resource for so many family travel destinations. These resources are perfect for you if you are keen to learn on location about
- ancient Egypt, Rome or Greece,
- the Great Empires, or
- use the Time Traveler series as you adventure in the United States.
- or just need a couple of science, literature, or geography activities.

All the products from Homeschool in the Woods are chock full of so many activities and resources. It will keep your kids engaged as you prepare for your trip. And keep them reminiscing about your great trip for a long time. Their packs have 6-10 weeks of materials. They provide numerous activities to help pass the time while in transit by plane or train, or even a rainy “duvet day” just hanging out at home or abroad.

Look out! The awesome resource will have your family “learning the fun way” – as my son calls it.

Since we’re studying Ancient History this year with a trip to Italy, I’ll be picking up the newest Ancient Rome Project Passport.

No more cobbling your curriculum together and hoping it works! Everything you need is included in this World Geography Africa bundle!

Let’s Study Africa

$27.00

Add to cart

School Supplies

Since most of our kid’s regular classes are online, we have minimal school supplies we need to actually take with us. Being a digital nomad family definitely has its perks when it comes to not having to lug textbooks around!

Easily buy these supplies online from Amazon. I generally limit our supplies when we travel to:

a set of colored pencils (Amazon),
2 Regular pencils (per person), a pencil sharpener, and a couple of fun pens
Travel journal or diary.
Flash drive for storing pictures and any “must-have” files for online learning (just in case we have rubbish wifi).
Power Bank – You can often charge devices on the train, but just in case that’s not available, it’s good to have an additional battery pack.
My old phone(s) with a camera, and a couple of apps for audiobooks and Kindle readers.

Rucksacks For Everyone!

I also just picked up a new anti-theft backpack (Amazon). It’s pretty cool with hidden zippers. It’s even water-resistant. Now we’re ready to do school the “fun way” and learn on location.

Well, that’s it! A shortlist of my must-haves for back to school – the fun way. With these items you will be ready to pack your carry-on and still have room for souvenirs and that extra “just in case” outfit.