Featured Family
Featured Family
The Moore Family
The Moore Family
The Moore Family
Worldschooling takes a unique form for every family. In this Featured Family spotlight, The Moore Family share how curiosity, slow travel, and a deep commitment to family life led them to leave the U.S. and build a richly connected life abroad. From Mediterranean vineyards to long stays in beloved regions, they offer a glimpse into how intentional travel, entrepreneurship, and thoughtful learning shape their teenage daughter’s education—and their vision for raising a globally minded human.
Worldschooling takes a unique form for every family. In this Featured Family spotlight, The Moore Family share how curiosity, slow travel, and a deep commitment to family life led them to leave the U.S. and build a richly connected life abroad. From Mediterranean vineyards to long stays in beloved regions, they offer a glimpse into how intentional travel, entrepreneurship, and thoughtful learning shape their teenage daughter’s education—and their vision for raising a globally minded human.
What motivated you to choose this life?
A curiosity and desire to see the world, and a desire to expose our daughter to different ways of life, so that she understands that she has a choice about where and how to live her life. There are so many amazing places all over the world, why stay in one place your whole life?
Before we were parents, we had long dreamed of traveling more and living outside the US. Once we became parents, those feelings only intensified. While there are many wonderful aspects of the US, there are also many not-so-great things that we were increasingly concerned with.
So many people we have met throughout our lives have provided motivation for us, including some total strangers. In 2008, we made the first of many visits to a little town on the Pacific coast of central Mexico. We met a Canadian family there, and asked how long they were staying in town. I was expecting to hear 1 to 2 weeks or something like that, but they said "3 months" and my mind was blown!! We were totally intrigued and immediately started thinking: How can we make something like that happen? Spoiler alert: It is not easy, but it is figure-out-able.
The vast majority of our extended family have led relatively stationary lives, but not all of them. We have two aunties that moved to Germany more than 20 years ago, and they have always been an inspiration to us. When we meet people with unusual life stories, we are curious, we try to learn from them. We read voraciously. We heard of this idea of "Worldschooling". We studied up on the concept, talked to people that did it, and learned about options. We learned that we weren't the only people interested in this lifestyle.
Another huge motivator for me was observing colleagues, friends, and family – how they deal (or do not deal) with career and family. I've met a good number of successful people that have said they wished they had spent more time with their kids, and even with having a highly successful career, the thing they regret most was missing time with their kids and families. Those observations provided an invaluable perspective for me.
We began our nomadic life with a six-month stay in Mexico, which was amazing and wonderful. That was back in 2015, but it wasn't a viable option for the long term. Pressure from family and job offers lured us back to the US. At that point, we knew we'd need a more robust plan, so we started slowly developing ideas, refining plans, and implementing the things we needed to do to make long term travel possible.
Still, the pull of the status quo is strong. In the midst of putting the plan into action, it is easy to get settled into routine: develop a great community, have a lovely life, lovely neighborhood, all the regular trappings of success. But all of the underlying desires to travel and do something different remained, and routinely bubbled up. Finally, in the summer of 2022, a confluence of events tipped us to a lightning bolt moment: One was the tragic Uvalde school shooting, not far from where we lived. The other was that we got temporary residency permits in Mexico. We were so excited to have another residency, and to realize that it was really possible, we decided then and there to take the leap. We bought plane tickets for the following month, sold everything, and left the country in August 2022.
How do you earn a living on the road?
A major motivation of our move was to build a business sourcing organic wines from Mediterranean vineyards. Aaron is CEO and founder of a Mediterranean wine company. We work with French and Italian wine partners to source organic wines from the Mediterranean to sell in the U.S. We’ve designed our travels around the business so that we can meet the families and teams, walk in the vineyards, see the watersheds and ecosystem, taste the wines, and really understand the past and present conditions. We visit our wine partners in France and Italy throughout the year and are continuously studying the Mediterranean lifestyle.
I am a hydrologist by training and a scientist at heart. I spent 25 years working in water resources before we moved abroad and initially continued working remotely on a part-time basis. Since we moved abroad, I’ve wrapped up the projects I managed and have essentially retired from that career, though I continue to support the sciences with occasional peer reviews for various journals and contributing to industry standards. My current roles are CEO of family life and full-time travel, lead school facilitator for our daughter, and support for the family business. And, just for fun, I’m about to launch another small travel-related business.
What motivated you to choose this life?
A curiosity and desire to see the world, and a desire to expose our daughter to different ways of life, so that she understands that she has a choice about where and how to live her life. There are so many amazing places all over the world, why stay in one place your whole life?
Before we were parents, we had long dreamed of traveling more and living outside the US. Once we became parents, those feelings only intensified. While there are many wonderful aspects of the US, there are also many not-so-great things that we were increasingly concerned with.
So many people we have met throughout our lives have provided motivation for us, including some total strangers. In 2008, we made the first of many visits to a little town on the Pacific coast of central Mexico. We met a Canadian family there, and asked how long they were staying in town. I was expecting to hear 1 to 2 weeks or something like that, but they said "3 months" and my mind was blown!! We were totally intrigued and immediately started thinking: How can we make something like that happen? Spoiler alert: It is not easy, but it is figure-out-able.
The vast majority of our extended family have led relatively stationary lives, but not all of them. We have two aunties that moved to Germany more than 20 years ago, and they have always been an inspiration to us. When we meet people with unusual life stories, we are curious, we try to learn from them. We read voraciously. We heard of this idea of "Worldschooling". We studied up on the concept, talked to people that did it, and learned about options. We learned that we weren't the only people interested in this lifestyle.
Another huge motivator for me was observing colleagues, friends, and family – how they deal (or do not deal) with career and family. I've met a good number of successful people that have said they wished they had spent more time with their kids, and even with having a highly successful career, the thing they regret most was missing time with their kids and families. Those observations provided an invaluable perspective for me.
We began our nomadic life with a six-month stay in Mexico, which was amazing and wonderful. That was back in 2015, but it wasn't a viable option for the long term. Pressure from family and job offers lured us back to the US. At that point, we knew we'd need a more robust plan, so we started slowly developing ideas, refining plans, and implementing the things we needed to do to make long term travel possible.
Still, the pull of the status quo is strong. In the midst of putting the plan into action, it is easy to get settled into routine: develop a great community, have a lovely life, lovely neighborhood, all the regular trappings of success. But all of the underlying desires to travel and do something different remained, and routinely bubbled up. Finally, in the summer of 2022, a confluence of events tipped us to a lightning bolt moment: One was the tragic Uvalde school shooting, not far from where we lived. The other was that we got temporary residency permits in Mexico. We were so excited to have another residency, and to realize that it was really possible, we decided then and there to take the leap. We bought plane tickets for the following month, sold everything, and left the country in August 2022.
How do you earn a living on the road?
A major motivation of our move was to build a business sourcing organic wines from Mediterranean vineyards. Aaron is CEO and founder of a Mediterranean wine company. We work with French and Italian wine partners to source organic wines from the Mediterranean to sell in the U.S. We’ve designed our travels around the business so that we can meet the families and teams, walk in the vineyards, see the watersheds and ecosystem, taste the wines, and really understand the past and present conditions. We visit our wine partners in France and Italy throughout the year and are continuously studying the Mediterranean lifestyle.
I am a hydrologist by training and a scientist at heart. I spent 25 years working in water resources before we moved abroad and initially continued working remotely on a part-time basis. Since we moved abroad, I’ve wrapped up the projects I managed and have essentially retired from that career, though I continue to support the sciences with occasional peer reviews for various journals and contributing to industry standards. My current roles are CEO of family life and full-time travel, lead school facilitator for our daughter, and support for the family business. And, just for fun, I’m about to launch another small travel-related business.
Where are you headed next?
We're heading to Provence for six weeks for a learning program with Worldwise Learning Adventures. Then back to Costa Brava (Spanish Catalonia) for a few months.
We are currently booked out through early February (four months in advance). Our planning horizon varies widely from two to six months, depending on what we have coming up.
Top things you're likely to splurge on?
Good food. Books. Comfy transportation. Self care. Our dog, Clyde.
Where are you headed next?
We're heading to Provence for six weeks for a learning program with Worldwise Learning Adventures. Then back to Costa Brava (Spanish Catalonia) for a few months.
We are currently booked out through early February (four months in advance). Our planning horizon varies widely from two to six months, depending on what we have coming up.
Top things you're likely to splurge on?
Good food. Books. Comfy transportation. Self care. Our dog, Clyde.
How quickly do you travel as a family?
Slowly. We used to do a one-month minimum, but now aim for a minimum of two months in one place. We return to our favorite cities and regions, and sometimes even the same house. We will often add in shorter side trips from two to five days to explore surrounding areas. When we visit really big or expensive cities, we plan a shorter stay. For example, we spent five days in Versailles and five days in Paris this summer with two other traveling families.
Do you have any tips for travelling with kids?
Cultivate a love of reading and curiosity. Journaling is super valuable and calming.
Do you keep any weekly, monthly, or annual traditions no matter where you are?
We always make our favorite soup the first week we arrive in a new house: it smells like home (Guillermina's lentil soup from the New Vegetarian Epicure). We recently started a new winter tradition of visiting the German Christmas markets.
What do you love most about the worldschooling community?
The diversity and curiosity of the families, their willingness to think outside the box, their understanding of the world, and the fast and enduring friendships we get to make. We've met so many lifelong friends from all over the world. We've stayed in touch with many of them, and reunited with many. Next month, we will be in a program with six other families that we have traveled with in six different countries over the past 3+ years!
What's the hardest thing you find about travelling or educating around the world?
Finding the right blend of community, friendships, and independence for our daughter is our biggest challenge. We invest a big chunk of time into seeking out the right programs and peer groups, learning opportunities, and safe communities, as well as staying in touch with loved ones.
Saying goodbye is always hard. Being far from friends and family is not easy, although (distance and travel time aside) it is not much different from when we were in different cities/states in the US. There are some US loved ones that we actually see more often!
The world is a big place and there are so many places to explore that it is honestly hard to choose where to spend our time. We often have to resist the urge to go, go, go, see everything, do everything! We have to remind ourselves to slow down and be present because we are all happier with slow travel, really being and living in a place.
Finally, how do you see the worldschooling community expanding and growing in the coming years?
I think more and more people are open to non-traditional ideas of schooling and life. The exchange of ideas makes it easier for others to consider these things, and for others to accept these lifestyle choices. More connected families and more humans that understand a little bit more of the world—that can only be a good thing!
How quickly do you travel as a family?
Slowly. We used to do a one-month minimum, but now aim for a minimum of two months in one place. We return to our favorite cities and regions, and sometimes even the same house. We will often add in shorter side trips from two to five days to explore surrounding areas. When we visit really big or expensive cities, we plan a shorter stay. For example, we spent five days in Versailles and five days in Paris this summer with two other traveling families.
Do you have any tips for travelling with kids?
Cultivate a love of reading and curiosity. Journaling is super valuable and calming.
Do you keep any weekly, monthly, or annual traditions no matter where you are?
We always make our favorite soup the first week we arrive in a new house: it smells like home (Guillermina's lentil soup from the New Vegetarian Epicure). We recently started a new winter tradition of visiting the German Christmas markets.
What do you love most about the worldschooling community?
The diversity and curiosity of the families, their willingness to think outside the box, their understanding of the world, and the fast and enduring friendships we get to make. We've met so many lifelong friends from all over the world. We've stayed in touch with many of them, and reunited with many. Next month, we will be in a program with six other families that we have traveled with in six different countries over the past 3+ years!
What's the hardest thing you find about travelling or educating around the world?
Finding the right blend of community, friendships, and independence for our daughter is our biggest challenge. We invest a big chunk of time into seeking out the right programs and peer groups, learning opportunities, and safe communities, as well as staying in touch with loved ones.
Saying goodbye is always hard. Being far from friends and family is not easy, although (distance and travel time aside) it is not much different from when we were in different cities/states in the US. There are some US loved ones that we actually see more often!
The world is a big place and there are so many places to explore that it is honestly hard to choose where to spend our time. We often have to resist the urge to go, go, go, see everything, do everything! We have to remind ourselves to slow down and be present because we are all happier with slow travel, really being and living in a place.
Finally, how do you see the worldschooling community expanding and growing in the coming years?
I think more and more people are open to non-traditional ideas of schooling and life. The exchange of ideas makes it easier for others to consider these things, and for others to accept these lifestyle choices. More connected families and more humans that understand a little bit more of the world—that can only be a good thing!
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