The Truth About Life As A Digital Nomad With Kids In 2024
Longing to become a digital nomad, but you have kids? Read on to find out how traveling with your family will be the best decision you ever make.
I’ll never forget the day my husband and I put our four kids in our minivan, loaded up some clothes, laptops, books, and toys, and drove away from the house we had just sold. We spent the next four years as digital nomads, traveling the world, exploring a new location every month, working remotely, and roadschooling our kids.
It. Was. Awesome!
Now, one of my personal goals is to share the joy of being a digital nomad family and teach others how they can live their dreams of traveling the world…kids included!
Digital Nomad With Kids
So, can you be a digital nomad when you have kids? Absolutely.
It’s not hard to imagine how one person, or even a couple, could easily work remotely and travel anywhere in the world. In these technologically-advanced times, it’s not only possible — it’s the normal way of life for many.
But, add kids into the mix, and things get complicated. At least you might think so. Personally, I found that traveling full-time with kids was easier in some ways than our stationary life!
Here are some examples:
- We had no schedule to follow. With no regular activities, school events, practices, concerts, and other commitments, we were free to do what we wanted, when we wanted.
- We weren’t overwhelmed by too many possessions. We could only travel with what fit in our van (and later, in Europe, our backpacks!), so it was easy to keep track of all our things.
- Life was cheaper! Without a mortgage payment and all of the other costs that come along with owning a house, we were actually saving money every month by staying in short-term rentals.
When we started traveling, our kids were 10, 7, 5, and 2. When we settled down, four years later, they were 14, 11, 9, and 6 — a pretty big change! These kids spent a significant portion of their formative years on the road, and I wouldn’t change a thing.
Yes, it’s more complicated to travel with kids. You have to find rentals that allow kids, have enough space for everyone, and (especially if you have little ones) you may have to carry extra gear and make plans around naptime.
You’ll have to buy more train tickets, plan activities that are kid-friendly, and make sure they are keeping up with their studies.
There are things they might miss out on while traveling, like playing on a sports team, seeing the same friends every day, and visiting relatives.
But, you won’t travel forever, and the chance to travel the world is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity full of matchless experiences they’ll never forget.
Digital Nomad School
One of the most common questions we get is, how do you handle school when you’re traveling the world with your family? There are a few options here, but essentially you’ll be homeschooling while on the road, which we call roadschooling!
When we first started traveling, we had three school-aged kids and one preschooler. The older kids were in accelerated classrooms, working about a year ahead of their grade-level. Since we only planned to travel for one school year, we figured (worst-case scenario), they wouldn’t learn anything, and they’d end up right where they should be.
We really underestimated what they could accomplish outside of a traditional school classroom!
With the personal attention we were able to provide, and the freedom to learn independently at their own speed, our kids surpassed all expectations and completed school work years and grades ahead of where they were “supposed” to be.
Here are our top suggestions for success with roadschooling:
- Create a task-based schedule for each kid to complete every day, and have them record what they did — we used Google Sheets to keep track. This helps them be independent, so you don’t have to be actively guiding them all day.
- Use free online resources like Khan Academy. Our kids used Khan every day for math as well as other subjects. There are endless opportunities for learning online.
- Start each day with writing, reading, and math — if that’s all they do, the day was a success because they did the most important things.
- Then, think outside the box for unique ways to learn. Watch Mythbusters for a science lesson or Shark Tank to learn about business. Add life skills tasks to the schedule, like typing practice and meal planning.
- Look for unique activities and opportunities to experience the local culture in each destination. Take advantage of your travels and learn about the world by being in it!
Once we settled down and the kids went back to public school, we found they were significantly ahead of their peers in knowledge and skills. Plus, they had more life experience, having traveled to other countries and experienced other cultures. They knew how to cook meals, wash clothes, and communicate with adults.
In short, we suggest combining traditional learning with real-life experiences for a well-rounded, worldly education!
Digital Nomad Childcare
Concerned about childcare while traveling? I’ll admit, it might not be as easy as when you could call the babysitter next door to come watch the kids, but it’s not insurmountable.
Like I said, we still had some little ones when we started traveling. Our big kids were old enough to keep an eye on them for short periods of time, but not all day.
The thing is, the digital nomadic lifestyle comes with perks like working from home, so you’re always around if the kids need you. And if you use our system of roadschooling and helping your kids be as independent as possible with their learning, you should find that they don’t need constant attention.
That being said, you may have younger kids who need more care, or you just might desperately want to get away for a date night! Try leveraging resources like Facebook groups for digital nomad families and try to connect with other families on the road. Look for babysitter flyers at the local library. Look into coworking spaces that offer daycare options.
With a little planning and flexibility, you can ensure your children are safe and engaged while you work!
Nomadic Family Tips
Convinced that the nomad life is the life for you? Great! Here are a few tips on how to take life on the road:
1. Make your digital nomad bucket list
Get excited for your trip by starting with the fun part of planning! List all of the amazing places you want to visit, the things you want to do, the sights you want to see, and the food you want to eat. Compare your list with your family members’ and then start planning your route!
Check out this post with more great tips on how to take a family gap year!
2. Figure out your finances
We discovered that if we sold our house and worked remotely, we could afford to travel as long as we wanted. We basically just traded our mortgage payment for paying for monthly short-term rentals. With all of the extra costs that come from owning a home, it was cheaper to live this way!
For more details on how to afford full-time travel, I have a great mini-course that will walk you through all the steps for planning your family gap year budget. Check it out here: Afford the Adventure.
3. Minimize your belongings
One of the best ways you can get ready to take life on the road is to start paring down your belongings. Purge all of your unnecessary items by selling, donating, or just getting rid of them!
We sold all of our big furniture, donated lots of small items, and managed to eventually fit everything we wanted to keep (but not take on the road) in a 10’x10’ storage unit.
Everything is easier when you have less stuff (take it from someone who has done this and is now back in the stage of acquiring things again!).
Wondering what to bring on the road? This blog post is a great starting point for planning and packing: Minimalist Travel Packing List for a Big Family.
4. Explore popular places and hidden gems
When you’re booking stays, remember that you usually have to find a balance among price, size, quality, and location. You usually can’t have all four!
In other words, if you want to stay in New York City you should plan to pay more for a tiny space. If you’re headed to the plains of the midwest, you can probably find an entire house for the same price.
I recommend balancing out your budget and your experiences by alternating stays in big cities and major tourist areas with stays in lesser-known locales where you’re sure to find hidden gems.
It might sound cliche, but it’s completely true — some of our most memorable experiences on the road were from the more off-the-beaten-path places and everyday events.
For example, we rarely reminisce about climbing the Eiffel Tower, but we regularly fondly recall how our big kids were able to go to the boulangerie in France and buy our daily baguettes!
5. Create your roadschooling schedule
Your next step is to make a plan for roadschooling! First, research your local laws about homeschooling and be sure to complete any requirements.
Then, create a task-based school tracker for each of your kids. Start each day with reading, writing, and math, and then add in any other activities you’d like. And change up the tasks often to keep your kids interested and engaged!
Be sure to read my Ultimate Guide to Roadschooling for lots more information on how to homeschool while traveling!
6. Take all the pictures
This will be the most memorable time of your life. Make sure to record it, and make sure YOU are in the photos too.
Best Places for Digital Nomad Families
The world is your oyster when you hit the road and travel full-time! You have almost endless options for where to go, so pick your favorite destination!
We spent three years traveling the United States and then one year backpacking across Europe.
The United States is a fantastic place for digital nomad families, because you can drive everywhere and experience a wide variety of climates, landscapes, and lifestyles.
Imagine spending a month in the heart of NYC, then retreating to the Tennessee wilderness. Enjoy a snowy mountaintop stay in Denver, then head to southern Florida for a tropical paradise!
Europe was also amazing because of all the culture and history to be discovered there. We learned new skills by facing challenges like speaking different languages and relying solely on public transportation.
I know other families have journeyed through Asia, Africa, South America, and Australia — all with their own unique experiences and benefits.
It’s difficult to pinpoint specific locations — I think you should travel to the destinations that interest you and your family the most — but I’ll share some of our favorite destinations from our travels.
Barcelona, Spain
Barcelona was one of our favorite stays in Europe. There is a string of beach towns just southwest of the city, where you can stay right on the beach and easily catch the train into Barcelona for exploring.
We were there in the spring and, after a chilly winter, the warm beach weather was a welcome change. During the week, we worked from our balcony while the kids played on the beach playground, and every weekend we took the train into the city to explore places like La Sagrada Familia, Parc Guell, and Camp Nou.
We enjoyed fresh seafood and tapas, and every Friday, a street market set up right outside our apartment. We made a lot of fresh guacamole that month!
Scotland
I loved our stay in Scotland because we were able to visit so many different cities! The train system is fantastic there, and we stayed in a little town called Airdrie, where the train station was right across the street from our apartment.
All we had to do was hop on the train, and in 20 minutes we were in Glasgow. It was 90 minutes to Edinburgh and we spent a whole day exploring there. We also visited Stirling and Loch Ness.
The kids got to tour castles and iconic locations that inspired Harry Potter. We loved walking up the main street in Airdrie to the local bakery to buy Scotch pies and pastries for lunch. And we even got a legit snow day where we walked to a nearby park and built a snowman!
Athens, Greece
Athens was an incredible city to visit. We learned so much about ancient Greek history by visiting the Acropolis and other historic sites.
My oldest son who has a special interest in Greek mythology was thrilled to visit the Parthenon. As a theatre professional, I couldn’t believe I was getting to visit the Theatre of Dionysus!
Athens is a very walkable city, plus they have a convenient metro and tram system for going further distances. There is great food, great shopping, and so much to see and do. We packed a ton of activities into our time there, including a food tour (which we took on my husband’s 40th birthday!) and a trip to the beach.
We celebrated New Year’s 2022 in Athens and followed their tradition of having a vasilopita cake with a lucky coin hidden inside!
Lucca, Italy
Our final long-term stay in Europe was in Lucca, Italy, in the Tuscany region. Lucca was a fabulous place to stay because of its proximity to both Pisa and Florence, both of which we visited during our stay, and because it’s an incredible city on its own.
Lucca is still surrounded by its medieval city walls, which have been turned into a 360-degree city park. We had a great time walking and biking the walls, as well as exploring the city center.
We ate lots of pizza, lasagna, and gelato, toured an Italian palace, and soaked up the warm, summer atmosphere.
Learn more in this blog post about things to do in Lucca!
Orlando, Florida
Now, I know theme parks are not everyone’s cup of tea. But, if they are for you, I’d definitely recommend spending some time in Orlando. On our first visit, we realized that annual passes to Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure cost about the same as buying tickets for just a few days. So we bought annual passes and went to the parks almost every day!
If you’ve ever dreamed of becoming a theme park passholder, but don’t live close enough, your digital nomad lifestyle could be your “ticket” in!
Beyond the theme parks, there are tons of things to do in Orlando. You’ll have no problem filling up your schedule with activities that are fun and educational. Visit the Orlando Science Center and Gatorland. Go orange picking and learn about why citrus is so important to the state. Combine a visit to nearby Kennedy Space Center with a day at the beach! And be sure to seek out lots of great Cuban food!
Harper’s Ferry, West Virginia
Harper’s Ferry was a surprise hidden gem. We booked a house nearby for two weeks, just because we happened to end up with two weeks in between other bookings we had made. We figured we’d enjoy a quiet two weeks in a nice house, working, schooling, and relaxing.
We did just that, but we also realized after arriving that we were just a few miles away from Harper’s Ferry, a historic location from the Civil War and a popular stop on the Appalachian Trail.
We spent a day exploring the town, walking part of the trail, learning about the history, and enjoying a lunch out.
Similar experiences can be found in small towns across the United States — so don’t hesitate to book some time off the beaten path!
Read more here about things to do in Harper’s Ferry!
FAQs
Before we wrap things up, here are the answers to a few common questions people ask about the digital nomad lifestyle and traveling full-time with your family.
Do digital nomads have children?
They can! Many digital nomads are single adults or couples, but there are lots of digital nomadic families out there — families who travel full-time together. Our family of six traveled full-time for four years, and it was the most amazing experience of our lives!
Can you bring family on digital nomad visa?
You’ll definitely want to research the latest requirements for obtaining a digital nomad visa from a specific country, but yes, many countries that offer a digital nomad visa allow applicants to include their families! As more families discover the allure of life on the road, more countries are offering flexible visas that make long-term travel and work feasible and legal.
How much money do I need to be a digital nomad?
Your digital nomad budget depends a lot on your own lifestyle habits, but I strongly suggest working remotely as you travel, so you always have cash flow and can budget accordingly. I generally think that, if you don’t have a homebase and therefore aren’t paying a mortgage on top of your travel costs, you can travel full-time for approximately the same amount of money you’d spend on a stationary lifestyle.
Final thoughts
Living as a digital nomad with your kids is an adventure filled with challenges, learning, and unforgettable experiences. It’s not just a way of working; it’s a lifestyle that will bring your family closer together, expand your horizons, and teach you and your kids resilience and flexibility.
The world is waiting for your family to explore it! Follow my tips above to start planning and ultimately take life on the road — creating lifelong memories for your family.
