Teen travel. Tween travel. Budget travel via workaway jobs. We've talked to lots of parents to travel with teens and tweens, but today we're going to hear from some of the kids themselves. These four traveling sisters have been on the road with their parents for over two years so far, and in this episode of Epic Education Radio, we'll hear what they have to say.

Teen Travel, Tween Travel, & Workaway Jobs

If you're a parent considering travel with teens and tweens, then this interview is for you. And if you're a teen or tween yourself, you might want to listen in as well. If you're interested in budget travel via workaway jobs, this would also be valuable.

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Meet Izzy, Kathryn, Lauren, and Rachael Antle, four traveling sisters on the road with their parents for the past two years. Part of this has been fast-paced travel, while other parts have been slow travel using workaway jobs. In this Epic Education Radio episode, we talk about what travel has meant to them, and how it's changed over the last 24 months.

Where They've Been: Teen & Tween Travel

These traveling sisters grew up in Colorado in the United States. Their first destination was Mexico. After some time in the Yucatan Peninsula, they moved on to see much of the world, including lots of time in Asia and Europe. They spent considerable time in Southeast Asia, and then went back and forth between the EU, Morocco and Eastern Europe to comply with Schengen visa rules.

Each of the traveling sisters tells me about their favorite countries so far. Places like Japan, Denmark, Spain, and Penang make the list, and they tell me why. Another favorite place was Morocco, where a workaway job changed their ideas of travel in a big way.

What Are Workaway Jobs?

I've often associated workaway jobs with cruise ships: by working on the ship, you gain free room and board, thus creating a way to travel cheaply.

Today workaway jobs are defined more broadly. Workaway can be a cultural exchange or a job in tourism. It can be part of a homestay or more. In the case of these traveling sisters, it was working at an English school in Morocco in exchange for a place to stay.

Morocco: A Turning Point

All four of these traveling sisters cited their time at a workaway in Morocco as a turning point for them. They met people from all over the world and realized the true potential of travel.

Living in a workaway program also helped them build confidence and a worldview. Kathryn tells me of before their travels: "I remember not knowing where Mexico was..." When the girls first left their home in Colorado for Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula, they knew very little about the world, but now that's changed. Kathryn continues: "Now when someone says 'I'm from Spain...I'm from Cordoba, I  know where they're talking about."

Education and Tween/Teen Travel

The girls attended conventional schools back in Colorado, but now have taken control of their education. They cite some of their online resources but do not follow a strict curriculum now. Even during a workaway assignment, their education continues. Indeed, the workaway job itself is an education, as is the act of traveling as a teen in the first place.

In the interview, they talk about how they manage their education on the road, including "student meetings" that they schedule with their parents.

The Future: Teen Travel, Workaways, and What's Next

When I ask what's next for these traveling sisters, they talk about a return to Spain. Izzy (now 17) has secured a workaway job as an au pair and will leave to live with a Spanish family for a while next year. The family will follow later on.

Three of the girls are studying Spanish, while one studies French. Where will they end up? Who knows, but by traveling as teens and tweens, they have opened up a new world of opportunities.

IN THIS EPISODE

• 02:40 Intro - 4 traveling sisters
• 05:04 Travel Style
• 06:23 How Travel Has Changed over the last 2 years
• 10:21 Morocco workaway job
• 12:38 Language learning and favorite countries
• 18:16 Izzy gets an Au Pair job
• 21:09 Education & homeschooling on the road
• 27:28 The future
• 29:17 How travel has changed you

ABOUT

• Names: The Antle girls — Izzy (17), Kathryn (14), Lauren (13) & Rachael (11)
• Hold passports from: USA
• Type of travel: Slow Travel & workaway jobs
• A few places they've been: Mexico, Thailand, Malaysia, Japan, Morocco and all over the EU and Eastern Europe

GEAR

• Samsung Chromebooks
• Asus Chromebooks
• Android Moto X phones
• One Moto G phone
• Nikon D3300 DSLR
• Kindles
• ENO hammocks
• 2 Big Agnes Air Core mattresses

LINKS & RESOURCES

• Memrise for learning languages
• Lingvist for learning languages
• Au Pair World
• CK12
• Khan Academy
• OpenStax for free online textbooks
  
• Coding sites: Freecodecamp.org, W3schools.com, codepen.io
  
• Coursera for free online classes
  

FIND THE 4 TRAVELING SISTERS ON

Izabel's Blog |Kathryn's Blog |Lauren's Blog

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. This means, at no extra cost to you,  we might receive a small commission if you make a purchase or book using those links. My opinions are my own and I only recommend places/services that I believe will genuinely help your travel. This post is specifically for those interested in teen travel, tween travel and what it's like traveling with teens and traveling with tweens. These four traveling sisters were a pleasure to talk to and I hope you enjoyed!

Full-on family travel fundamentals. Epic Education Radio is interviews, stories and advice for people who decide to make travel a priority in their family's life...and for those who want to. Tune in each week to hear stories and advice from new traveling families, and hear how they've handled various family travel-related issues like education, socialization, working, budgeting, accommodation, road-parenting, safety, technology and more. We talk gear, websites, apps and other resources for traveling & nomadic families, and answer questions from those who would like to do something similar.