We’ve been traveling full time in an RV since our kids were 5 and 7! They’re now 11 and 13, putting us in our sixth year of full time travel. They were in public school before we started traveling, so we pulled them out and decided to give homeschooling a try.

The Early Days Of Travel

Roadschooling and Hands-On Learning

In the beginning, we were moving very quickly, around every 5-10 days on average. We found internet signal to be challenging, so we focused a lot of our learning on hands-on experiences.

We visited a ton of museums, libraries, and national parks, and found learning opportunities everywhere. I also incorporated some workbooks for the kids since the internet wasn’t reliable and online learning didn’t make much sense at the time.

Detours For Work and commuting for wifi

Some of our favorite places had little to no cell signal, so travel planning always involved researching how strong and fast the cell signal was in a specific location.

If we couldn’t find good signal in our research, we either had to go to that location on the weekends, or be willing to commute to a library, coffee shop, or even a parking lot where our hotspot worked.

The worst was when we researched and found a good location where all the reviews said “Good cell signal!”, but when we arrive, we find “fake wifi” (what we call strong signal horrible speeds).

It wasn’t always easy, but a commute for wifi was a small (and often times annoying) price to pay to live this lifestyle that we were loving so much.

The Wifi Game Changer

Starlink

When Starlink came out, we bought it and started using it as our daily internet. It was pricy but more reliable than anything else we had found. This enabled us to use more online learning tools, and we found programs such as Teaching Textbooks for math and Miacademy for other subjects.

We also started watching CNN10 each day, which gave us a 10-minute snapshot of what was going on in the world around us.

Facing New Challenges: Starlink’s Limitations

However, as we roamed, we sometimes found ourselves in places with heavy tree coverage which meant Starlink seriously struggled.

We also started spending winters in Baja, Mexico, and fell in love with the beach, and wanted a way to be connected from the sand, where we loved spending time.

The Perfect Solution: TravlFi

We found TravlFi, which was the perfect solution. It didn’t need open skies to work, was less expensive than Starlink, and its mobile device was small and easy to take wherever we wanted to go, like the beach!

Balancing Connection and Freedom

While it is nice to disconnect from time to time, our lives revolve around the internet. Our kids’ schooling is 95% online now, and we both work remotely, needing strong internet for regular video calls.

Our full-time travel lifestyle wouldn’t be possible anymore without a good internet setup. Since we don’t like to be limited at all, we have found that a combination of Starlink and TravlFi works best for our family.

Both can be paused at any time, which is nice, since we have now started spending a few months each year in Europe, and just find Airbnb homes that offer WiFi. We pause our services when we leave and easily restart them when we return.

Cost-Effective Options

Both TravlFi and Starlink offer an unlimited data package, but TravlFi also offers packages with smaller amounts of data if you don’t need unlimited. These packages are extremely cost-effective and start at only $19/mo!

Reliable Internet: No More Worries

Now that we have fast, reliable internet wherever we go, we never have to worry about not being able to schedule a work call or take an online class. (Our kids love taking online classes such as crocheting on Outschool, which offers tons of classes and clubs).

Embracing the Digital World

You can love it or hate it, but our world revolves around the internet, and our kids’ learning requires it. Even though most of their learning is done online, we still make sure to incorporate in-person and hands-on activities whenever we can for a well-rounded education.

Having finally found a solid internet solution for our family’s work and schooling has allowed us to live larger with less and continue to thrive on the road as we travel full time.

Got Questions?

What questions can I answer about learning, working, or internet on the road? We have 6 years of experience to share! Let us know in the comments.

Six Years on the Road: How Homeschool and Work Have Evolved Thanks To Better Internet Options