When travelling with school-aged children, one of the first big questions is: Distance education or home schooling? The truth is, both can support travelling families — but which one suits your family best depends on your goals.

Distance education involves enrolling with a school or online learning provider. These institutions generally offer structured lessons, supply resources, and require regular submission of assessments - this often involves a requirement for students to be online at set times and for families to adhere to strict study schedules (essentially school but at home). For some, this works well but for us, it didn’t align with the reason we hit the road in the first place. We wanted to take a break from rigid schedules, demanding work commitments, and the daily grind — not recreate them on the road.

Home schooling gave us the freedom to teach our children in a way that reflected our values, our lifestyle, and our journey. That said, I was surprised to learn that in our state, there’s no legal requirement to follow the Australian Curriculum, only to provide 'a quality education'. As a teacher and a parent of children temporarily stepping outside the mainstream system, that didn’t sit quite right with me. I wanted their education to complement, not interrupt, their learning — to make their return to school smooth, not stressful.

I searched for pre-made teacher-designed, home school plans for travellers like us that were clearly mapped to the Australian Curriculum but couldn’t find what I needed. I didn't want expensive fees, ongoing subscriptions or only 'pieces of the puzzle' - I needed a complete overview. There were plenty of excellent resources and online programs for long-term home schoolers, but not a single ready-to-use curriculum mapped plan relevant to my context - and a plan is exactly what’s required when applying for home school registration in any state or territory.

Now that we are on the road, our pedagogy (teaching approach philosophy) focuses on strong foundations in literacy and numeracy, supported by the thoughtful use of simple technology and content that’s relevant to the places we visit. Although we home school regularly and follow a study routine with our kids, our approach is intentionally flexible and responsive to our travels. Learning becomes deeply meaningful when it connects with real-world experiences.

That’s why I created Caravan Classroom. Our home school education plans are specifically designed for families like yours - travelling families who want to turn their adventures into rich learning experiences without the stress of fixed schedules or a rigid, one-size-fits-all approach. We take the guesswork out of planning, so you can focus on what matters most: exploring, connecting, and learning together on the road.