Andrew Washburn, 5, rolls his Lego car across a handmade wooden counter outside of the black school bus his family calls home.
His sister, Averi, 13, drags a chair next to her mother and sits down, taking in the desert surroundings of the Amado RV park where they are staying. Allya, 10, hangs out in the bus with her books.
A fan hums inside the bus to keep the family — originally from Wisconsin — cool on this hot spring day. They will stay here for about three weeks before they embark on their next adventure.
The Washburns are one of an estimated 20,000 families who have traded the traditional home school model for road schooling over the last few years.
“This is a rapidly growing trend,” says Kimberly Travaglino, author of “How to Hit the Road” and founder of Fulltime Families, a website that connects “location independent families” with resources.
“I attribute it to a few factors. One being a disenchantment with the traditional American dream,” she says. “Other factors are religious priorities and looking for opportunities to live intentionally with their families.”
The Miles family
Until about two years ago, Zachary Miles, 42, and Jennifer Miles, 38, say their family lived in a 2,000-square-foot house in Colorado Springs, Colorado, but did little together.
“We needed to be tighter as a family,” says Jennifer. “We all did our own things. We rarely came together to do things. Zachary was coming out of the military. We could continue the life we had. He could take a full time job or we could make a huge change and come closer as a family.”
So they sold their house, bought a fifth-wheel trailer and now home-school their two children, ages 14 and 8, on the road full time. They travel by the weather and spent the winter months in Tucson this year, parked at Suzanne Chesney’s — Jennifer’s mother — house on the far east side.
Chesney says she wasn’t too surprised when her daughter told her the family was going to live on the road, since they had talked about wanting to see more of the United States. Plus, she says Jennifer had already been home schooling the kids, so “it was not a big leap to imagine them going in their RV and going cross country.”
Jennifer had also told her mother she wanted her family to be closer, and from what Chesney has seen, traveling has done the trick.
“I do think it has brought them closer together as a family because there isn’t the ‘get up in the morning and go to the office’ scenario,” Chesney says. “They get up in the morning and they plan their day together. So I think as a family they are a lot closer.”
Jennifer agrees.
“Our family is not perfect, but the fact is that we can sit down and have a conversation with our kids about anything,” Jennifer says. “I know who my kids are friends with and what they want to do. A lot of people don’t have that. I know everything about my children. Because it’s pretty hard to hide anything in 300 square feet.”
The family has traveled to 24 states this year and made friends across the nation, she says, noting that they know their friends on the road better than anybody in their old neighborhood.
A chalkboard map of the United States hangs above the door in the living room, marked with each place the family has visited.
They belong to Thousand Trails, a campground system with RV parks nationwide, which they use as often as they can. It’s a way to save money, so they can stay at more expensive campgrounds on special trips — such as treks to Prince Edwards Island, Legoland and Disneyland, Jennifer says.
Some trips serve as part of their children’s education.
“We are a little unique in the road-school world,” Jennifer says. “There are people who use books, or do online or are out doing stuff and that’s school. We are in the middle. We have a set curriculum and we will give them credit if we go out and do an activity. A good example is we went to Jamestown and they got credit for the week for history, so they didn’t have to do history that week. ... We try to do that with each activity we do.”
There have been some challenges to life on the road, such as finding close friends for Kaleb, 14. The family has made friends with other families, but not many Kaleb can call his own.
“With the whole traveling around, I don’t have a very stable friendship, relationship thing,” Kaleb says. “I miss seeing my friends on a daily basis. Now I have to hope they’re somewhere close by. I miss seeing them every day.”
And, like most teens, he misses having a room of his own.
“I liked being able to lock myself into my own room,” Kaleb says. “Now I have to lock myself in the bathroom or something.”
Kaleb has long-term friendships from when the family lived in Texas and he’s met some on the road, but not many traveling families have teens.
“Most of the children that are full time are under 8,” Jennifer says. “For some reason, people with teenagers tend to go off the road so the kids can do high school stuff. So he has a hard time making friends, but he has three or four that he connects with on Google Hangout and online video games.”
Zachary says he and Kaleb have talked about the benefits of traveling when it comes to friendships.
“You can have friends in any one of the 50 states, so when you decide to go to school or have a career opportunity, you’ll know somebody,” Zachary says. “We’re always looking for the next family that has a 13-, 14- or 15-year-old son or daughter that we can introduce him to.”
Alayna, the 8 year old, also misses her friends — and sleepovers.
To help the kids build more friendships, Jennifer says, the family will be more “intentional about traveling to see people this year.”
The adults miss a few things, too — consistent Internet, a yard so the dog could go outside alone, a church family and a place to keep Zachary’s drums.
“But, aside from that, from a home perspective, there’s nothing I miss about having a house,” Zachary says. “I think what’s nice is I feel like we are taking advantage of an opportunity to do something now versus saying we’ll do it when we’re older and retired.”
Zachary and Jennifer say they don’t intend to stop traveling.
“Sometimes the best part for me is being hitched up and looking out the windshield, heading down the road to the next adventure,” Zachary says.
The Washburn family
When Vanessa Washburn, 39, was diagnosed with adrenal fatigue, her doctor said she needed to find a way to relax.
Her husband, Michael, 39, was feeling drained and the financial burden of a large five-bedroom house had become too much for both of them.
“It was just a high pressure life,” Michael says. “There’s so many hoops you have to jump through to make sure a family of five is up to snuff with everybody else.”
Their family life suffered as well.
“That sense of family self was being ripped apart and that was killing me because I want a tight-knit family,” Vanessa says.
The Washburns found their solution in an old RV and the open road.
“The one thing that relieves stress for me is nature and I love to drive and travel,” Vanessa says. “So, if it’s about what I want in life, I want to get in an RV and drive and let the kids see everything I saw as a kid.”
Vanessa quit the internship she had at a local salon and Michael quit his graphic design job.
Within three months of deciding to travel, they sold their Wisconsin house and about 90 percent of their stuff — keeping 10 percent in storage, just in case. They paid off all debts and hit the road in a 1988 Pace Arrow RV that they picked up for $6,500.
Their destination? Everywhere and anywhere, including Tucson.
About a year later, while in Texas, the RV’s engine blew.
“They quoted us eight grand to fix it and I was like I only paid $6,500 for this,” Mike recalls. “And Vanessa was like ‘I’ve been telling you from the beginning, we should just get a school bus.”
They found a 1994 school bus for $4,200, painted it black and converted it into a mobile living space for the family of five to live in.
“What I love about this is it’s an open canvas to do what we want,” Vanessa says. “I didn’t want my kids to sacrifice their childhood. I wanted them to have their toys and their own space. In those things (fifth wheel) you don’t have room. In here, we can do whatever we want. Andrew was in a toddler bed when we left and now he has a twin bed. We made it fit. I want my kids to feel they still have a home, a sense of home.”
A separate space was created for the girls, ages 10 and 12, by adding three and a half feet to the height of the bus and running a floor across, giving it a second story. They built a bunk bed on the first floor for their son, 5, which includes space underneath for him to play and keep his toys. Michael also added a 10-foot deck on the back and a door that goes outside.
Michael and Vanessa’s room is in the back of the bus with a raised bed for storage underneath, and a wall and door for privacy.
The family spends an average of $3,000-$5,000 per month to live, depending on what activities they plan and where they stay.
However, they’ve lived as cheaply as $600 one month, while “boondocking,” or living off-grid in Quartzite. Even living on such a small amount, life felt rich, Michael says. They ate simple meals, hiked, learned about survival and explored the desert.
“When you’re living in a house, you’re just working for that house. You save up all year for a two week vacation and do something fun for two weeks,” Michael says. “I just couldn’t settle for that.”
“The thing that I think is special and unique about being on the road and home schooling is you don’t spend your money at Walmart,” Vanessa says. “You spend your money on experiences. So, we go do a cave tour and we go to these places and it’s part of their education...We spend about $200 a month educationally on outings, but that’s the bulk of their education.”
Educating the children on the road isn’t much different than home schooling in a house, Vanessa says. The family calls themselves “second-generation home-schoolers,” since that’s the way she and Michael were taught.
They chose South Dakota as their state of residency because of its simple home schooling laws and lower taxes, Vanessa says.
“So far we haven’t gotten called for jury duty,” Michael jokes. “When that happens, it’ll be an expensive jury duty.”
While on the road, Michael says there’s a certain amount of insecurity as to whether you are doing the right thing.
“Because you’re living a primitive life on a bus...or the way you’re home schooling,” Michael says. “There’s always a critic.”
But, he and Vanessa got the validation they needed when, on an extended stop in Eureka, in northern California, they put the girls in public school.
The administration told them that their kids are “very social. They have critical thinking skills. Your kids got it down,” Vanessa recalls. “They may not know all of the math figures, but that will come. Critical thinking, comprehension and social are the things you really look for in education and they were like ‘your kids are way advanced.’”
Like children who attend traditional school, Averi, 13, has a least favorite subject.
“I don’t like sticking my nose in a math book,” Averi says. “I like doing the journal pages.”
Alya’s favorite subjects are reading, writing and art, Vanessa says. “I’m really trying to allow them to become who they want to be, even if it’s outside the college bracket,” she says.
Michael and Vanessa say their experiences on the road have brought the family closer, as they hoped it would.
“I know that if something happens worse to us than has happened, we’ll be able to stick together,” Vanessa says. “We’ll be able to take care of each other. I’m not afraid of that or concerned about it anymore. I think I was before because we were so divided.”
Choosing an address
Testing and graduation requirements vary from state to state.
South Dakota, Texas and Florida are the most popular states for full-time travelers to establish residency because they have no state income tax, lower vehicle registration fees, online or multi-year renewal little to no homeschool monitoring.
Companies such as Escapees in Texas and Florida, and mydakotaaddress in South Dakota, serve as addresses and cater to boaters and RVs. Mail comes to the company's main office and then goes to a family's personal box number. Some companies offer a scanning service if the mail is needed right away.
The Miles family chose Florida for their residency because they spend the most time there and if they do stop traveling some day, that's where they will live.
And, the family liked its homeschool options — there are three to choose from.
They chose the option that allows multiple home schools to operate as a private school, meaning one family acts as the administration of the school and other families register under it.
Families report their attendance and grades to the private school and that school reports which families are enrolled, as well as their attendance — 180 days are required — to the state each quarter.
"It's kind of the best of both worlds," Jennifer Miles says. "You are still homeschool with the curriculum you want, get access to the public school resources when you want them, but aren't required to do annual testing or portfolio. Instead, you register with the private school just like you would a public school so she (the administrator) has the birth certificates, immunization records, grade levels and daily attendance."
The other homeschool options don't require official testing for school either. Students are required to do 180 days of school a year and sequentially progressive educational activities. Parents must also keep a log of educational activities, titles of reading materials, writings, worksheets and workbooks used by the students. That portfolio must be kept for two years and is subject to inspection by the superintendent, with a 15 days' written notice.
In both options, students advance to the next grade after parents check off all the boxes in the curriculum, which is chosen by the family.
The family currently uses the Life of Fred curriculum, a non-traditional program that goes up to the second college level for math, and supplement with Khan Academy videos. They use Apologia for science and Biblioplan and Mystery of History for history, literature and writing.
The Washburn family chose South Dakota as their residency state.
South Dakota law requires families who want to homeschool their children to fill out a form requesting exemption from public school attendance every year. The state does not monitor school hours, but students must take a nationally standardized achievement test of basic skills in math and language arts in grades two, four, eight and eleven. If they don't pass the tests, the state can revoke their public school exemption, says South Dakota's Department of Education.
Making the grade, checking boxes
Kaleb Miles, 14, is in high school. His curriculum is based off of the University of Arizona's homeschool entry requirements "that are higher than what is actually required by the state of Florida," says his mom, Jennifer.
"So we know he has to have three years of science," Jennifer says. "We have a running list of 'Okay, now you've completed a year of science. We can mark that off.' He'll graduate when he has completed the requirements for college."
Making a living
Some families, like the Washburns, work remotely. Michael, a graphic artist, has his own company — Just Scribbles — that creates hand-drawn explanatory videos on whiteboards for companies, that enables him to support his family on the road.
Jennifer Miles does social marketing for church groups to bring in extra cash to supplement Zachary's military pension. He recently retired after 23 years with the United States Air Force.
Families who don't have their own businesses or a pension to sustain them will often stop to do seasonal work.
For example, some full time travelers participate in the sugar beet harvest with American Crystal Sugar Company in Minnesota and North Dakota, says Kimberly Travaglino, author of "How to Hit the Road" and founder of Fulltime Families website. The company hires more than 1,300 workers stationed at 45 sugar beet receiving stations. Workers can make up to $2,000 in two weeks during the harvest.
The website pickingjobs.com has state-by-state information on harvest and seasonal work.
Words of wisdom
If you're thinking of taking to the road full time,here are some tips from those who are living it.
"The first thing you have to do if you've never RVed is either reach out to somebody who owns one or rent one for a weekend and see if you and your spouse and kids enjoy it for a weekend," Zachary Miles said. "If you enjoy it for a weekend, try it for a week. Then consider it. And then do research. Lots and lots of research and have conversations with the family."
"Many people think going full time will be cheaper, but in reality, it doesn't really change," said Jennifer Miles. "What you spend day to day in a house is typically what you'll spend in a trailer...But, it's shifted where the money goes. You can do it cheaper. We know people who can do it on $1,000 a month, but we also know people who spend $8,000 a month. You need a good picture on what your real goal is."
"You really need to work out your purpose behind your homeschooling," said Vanessa Washburn. "If it's religious, if it's education, if it's because you want your children to have a well-rounded education, whatever the reason. That will help you pick out what type or style you want to homeschool in and what curriculum you are gonna use. You just need to know your purpose."
"Start small," said Michael Washburn. "Don't feel like you have to have the biggest, best thing to start because you're just digging yourself a hole and you'll never start."
"Don't buy a brand new RV, especially if you're unsure," said Ashley Allen, who's been traveling for about two years. "I see a lot of people either buying brand new set-ups and selling a year later. They almost never get their money back. Or they do what we did. They buy brand new and end up painting, tearing it apart and customizing to fit your needs. Save yourself the money and if possible, pay cash."
