We've been to over 40 countries ‘world schooling' our kids — other parents say it's ‘unrealistic' but we love it
And Diana Blinks, a married mom of three, who's swayed her daughters away from traditional academia to backpack across the continents, wouldn't have it any other way.
'We're travelling the world while getting the different, first-hand education for our girls,' Diana, 41, from Tampa, Florida, told SWNS. 'We wanted to see the world with our daughters.'
9 Diana and Scott Blinks uprooted their three daughter from a home in Tampa, Florida to backpack around the globe as 'world schooling' parents.
@mrsblinks/instagram
She and hubby Scott, 47, ditched the everyday rat race in July 2022 to 'world school' their brood — comprised of Lucille, 12, Edith, 11 and Hazel, 9 — fully immersing them in globally diverse cultures.
Rather than simply reading books about how others live, their tweens are taking flamenco dance classes in the South of Spain, studying Greek Mythology at the Acropolis of Athens and learning about marine conservation off the coast of Montenegro.
Diana, a content creator with over 145,000 Instagram followers, keeps social media fans (and faultfinders) updated on their whereabouts with pics and vids that have earned viral acclaim.
The Blinks are in the growing number of globetrotting families bulking customary curriculums for unstructured learning on the fly.
9 World schooling families are becoming increasing popular thanks to worldwide community hubs like Boundless Life.
Irina Schmidt – stock.adobe.com
Anna and Michael Roberts, self-crowned 'roam-schoolers' from Kansas City, Missouri, previously told The Post they bid educational institutions a fond farewell after the COVID-19 pandemic, and transformed a 1995, 40-foot school bus into a live-in classroom for their five kids.
Instead of being stuck behind their desks, the Roberts tots learn a new lesson with each turn of the steering wheel during their nationwide travels.
Lauren Tyson and husband Roy, millennial parents from the UK, too, yanked their toddler sons out of England's school system to homeschool the boys while sightseeing around Europe and Asia.
Diana and Scott are treating their girls to similar experiences.
9 The Florida family has explored over 40 countries since becoming world schoolers in 2022.
Diana Blinkhorn / SWNS
9 Diana says she and Scott always loved traveling, but never thought about homeschooling their kids abroad until the COVID-19 health crisis inspired their yearslong family adventure.
Diana Blinkhorn / SWNS
9 Diana says she and her crew have taken cooking classes, surfing lessons, historic tours and more during their world schooling escape.
Diana Blinkhorn / SWNS
Since abandoning the American Dream for their dream life abroad, the fivesome has visited 40 countries, including Morocco, Iceland and Greece.
But exploring Mother Earth with their kiddos in tow wasn't the lifestyle Diana had always dreamed of before she and Scott started their family.
'I never thought I would be a homeschooling mom because I didn't have experience in education,' she explained. 'But when we had our girls, we didn't think the school system aligned with what we wanted for them.'
Diana, like most parents, was forced to homeschool her children during the 2020 lockdown. However, once post-pandemic travel restrictions were lifted, she and Scott, lifelong travel enthusiasts, felt the strong need for adventure.
'We fell in love with homeschooling,' Diana admitted, 'that's when we thought about taking it internationally.'
9 The nomadic family's first stop was in Paris, France.
Diana Blinkhorn / SWNS
So she and her crew said 'Au revoir!' to the U.S., and hit the friendly skies for Paris, France.
'We didn't have the girls' school commitments as we were already homeschooling,' said Diana, 'and Scott was ready to leave his job as a director in a software company in the corporate world.'
After exploring the City of Lights and its surrounding hotspots for five weeks, the family migrated to Central America, visiting Costa Rica, Mexico and the Caribbean. The Blinks journeyed to 22 countries during their first year as nomads.
In 2023, they backpacked around Southeast Asia and visited Vietnam, Thailand and Bali before a three-month stay in Portugal.
There, they found Boundless Life, a world schooling hub — community gathering points that offer resources, support and connections for folks living and learning on the go.
9 The Blinks focus on becoming full immersed in the cultures they encounter while making their way around the earth.
Diana Blinkhorn / SWNS
9 Diana praises the hubs as 'amazing' spaces for her family to connect with friends leading similar lifestyles.
Diana Blinkhorn / SWNS
'The homeschooling hubs have been amazing,' said Diana. 'It means the girls have peers like they would in a conventional school.'
The hubs, often opened weekdays from 8:45 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., host morning classes and extracurricular activities in the afternoon, depending on the practices of each country.
Doubling as both educational and social centers, the hubs also serve as watering holes for all of the Blinks to 'make lasting friendships,' said Diana, insisting, however, that the meetups don't take away from their ability to soak up local flavors.
9 The family is looking forward to enjoying a summer vacation on some of the world's most exoctic sands.
@mrsblinks/instagram
'We're still able to make full use of culture immersion through cooking classes and historical tours,' she assured.
The family has learned to cook pad Thai and mango sticky rice in Thailand, as well as chivito — a layered steak sandwich — in Uruguay, where they're currently stationed.
For the summer, the Blinks plan to vacation in Brazil, Porto Rica, Colombia and Mexico.
Unfortunately, their jet-setters way of life does come with a bit of turbulence from internet trolls, naysayers who deem their constant wayfaring 'unrealistic' and 'privileged.'
Diana, however, turns a deaf ear to the shade.
'We get some backlash from people online, but I try not to pay that any attention,' she said. 'World schooling isn't for everyone.'
'[But] we believe in hands-on education.'
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