NuNomad Location Independent Living, Lifestyle Design, Independent Travel

In this third installation of our conversation with nomadic families we’re speaking with the Nancy Sarthre-Vogel of the Vogel family.  The Vogels have taken on the monumental challenge of cycling from Alaska to the tip of Argentina with their two young sons.  When we interviewed them about their lives in July 2009 they were just entering Costa Rica.  They are now close to Ecuador but Nancy has hurt her back.  You can read about their progress at A Wayward Journey.  Both John and Nancy were school teachers before deciding to travel the world as a family.

What was your initial goal for your children and family when you chose to take on a traveling/nomadic lifestyle?

As teachers, John and I have seen how kids are little sponges – soaking up`knowledge from everything around them.  We knew our kids would learn from every new experience we could provide for them – and we wanted them to learn about the world in order to become true global citizens.  We were also tired of spending more time with other people’s kids than with our own – and vowed to change that by traveling together.

Do you feel you have achieved or that you are in the process of achieving your goal?

Absolutely!  I can truly say we have accomplished everything we set out to accomplish and could easily call this trip off in a heartbeat with no regrets.  That being said, as long as we are still learning, still having fun, and still enjoying the experience we will continue on.

How did you deal with educating your children while you were traveling?

On our journey, we have made a conscious effort to capitalize on our boys’ natural propensity toward learning. We go out of our way to visit historical and/or scientific sites in order to arouse that sense of curiosity in our children. And our kids have learned the joy of learning.

To an extent, we’ve directed our kids’ learning – to an extent. But mostly, we simply allow Mother Nature to be the boys’ teacher, and she does a much better job than we could ever do. Mother Nature has taught the boys about the evolutionary forces of the earth, the physical layout of the land, and the vast diversity of wildlife. She’s bombarded them with ferocious winds and frozen their fingers with plummeting temperatures. But she’s also shown them miracles only she can show – the grand panoramic vista when we crest the top of a pass or the discarded shell of a cicada.

When Mother Nature isn’t teaching the kids, our journey, itself, becomes their teacher. We take advantage of our journey to visit places we know the kids can learn from. We’ve visited Mayan ruins in Mexico and Belize, national parks in the USA and Canada, and coral reefs in Central America. Whenever we are in one of those locations, we spend a fair amount of time working with the kids to help them understand what they are seeing.

But even so, we recognize that neither Mother Nature nor our journey will teach the boys certain things – things we consider essential. For those, we carry materials with us and take advantage of time in motels or the tent to work on them. We carry math books in our panniers and are steadily working through them. The boys write in their journals on a fairly regular basis. They read voraciously.

Are there holes in their education? Maybe. But what are holes? If they were in public school in Boise, would they learn the same things that they would learn if they were in school in New York City? Or in Kaohsiung, Taiwan? Our goal is to encourage the boys to learn how to learn – that way they will have the skills to fill in any hole they may find!

Do you have an opinion about the age of children and doing extended travel?  In other words, do you think there is a particular age group that benefits most from experiencing the world?

No.  We lived overseas and traveled extensively when our boys were itty-bitty, and truly believe their travels laid a foundation for future growth.  Although the boys don’t remember their travels to Vietnam or Kenya, the experiences have made them who they are today.  Many people feel one shouldn’t travel until the kids are old enough to remember, or old enough to read, or old enough to do whatever – but we have found magic in all the ages.

What are the most difficult aspects of extended travel with kids?

Friendships.  Our kids – although they have had a lot of truly wonderful experiences – have not had the chance to develop more long-term relationships.  The boys play with kids from all levels of society and have learned from them all – it’s been a fantastic experience for them.  That being said, they miss having the same friends with shared experiences.

We have decided that is a small price to pay for all our boys are gaining.  Each kid has their own, unique childhood and no one is better than the other.

What have been the greatest joys?

The greatest joys have been seeing the joy in our boys’ eyes and knowing they are loving their life!  When Davy climbs back on his bike after a week or two off and says, “It feels great to be back on the bike!”  When my boys ask me questions that most kids would be hesitant to ask their parents – but because we have such a great relationship they don’t hesitate at all.  When the boys face challenges head on and don’t balk at all at the hardship of it. When I’m struggling up a hill and my son calls out, ” I know you can do it, Mom!”

Return tomorrow for the Frost family interview – 4 daughter, 4 colleges and no student debt!