Southern Mexico is a far cry from the heart of Chicago.
When Ashley Corinne and her husband, Jay, decided a few years ago that they wanted to relocate, they roamed the United States from New York to Portland, Ore., looking for a city that felt like the right fit. None did, she says, so they set their sights abroad.
“After our original plans to relocate to Nicaragua fell through, a contact suggested checking out Mexico,” Ashley says. “We did and fell in love!”
They’ve been in Oaxaca for the past two years, working remotely online while homeschooling their two kids—using a nature-based curriculum and weaving in Black history, Mexican history and (of course) Spanish language practice.
Ashley shared with us their favorite family-travel hack, the events they plan travel around, and how they manage to juggle homeschool, careers and adventures.
In three words, our travel style is…
Spontaneous, relaxed, open ended.
What made us fall in love with traveling was…
My whole family just has an insatiable curiosity and living abroad and traveling scratched that itch. I just love that feeling of being somewhere completely new – it’s exhilarating! I love learning about the culture of different people, eating new foods, and seeing new places.
The first trip you took with our kids was…
We took our daughter to many cities before our son was born, but the first trip we took with both my daughter and son was a month-long road trip. We visited the Cave of the Mounds, Theodore Roosevelt National Park, Glacier National Park, Redwoods National Park, Disneyland, Las Vegas, Albuquerque… The kids were 5 and 1 at the time. It was absolutely insane, but we made the best memories and saw the most beautiful sites.
Our secret to juggling homeschooling and travel is…
We have a very relaxed approach to homeschooling, and feel that wherever we’re traveling is the lesson. Learning doesn’t just happen when sitting at a table working through material.
Before we moved to Mexico, we parents…
knew a little Spanish; the kids knew none at all. Now my daughter is the best Spanish speaker in the family. I enjoy language learning, so it’s been fun, but I’m also a little frustrated at my lack of progress—and I rely on my daughter to translate way too much! I can hold conversations with people, and make myself understood if I need something, but still struggle with proper tenses and conjugations. Thankfully, most people are patient with my language blunders. Poco a poco.
Other families who want to educate their kids on the road should…
Readjust their expectations. It will not be the same as when you’re at home and that’s okay. Aim to make lessons short and sweet, and take advantage of learning opportunities that will present themselves to you.
Our best family travel hack is to…
Keep the snacks coming, and try to plan travel around nap times so the kiddos can sleep and you can get a break.
If I could change one thing about travel…
I would want to make travel more affordable so that it could be accessible for everyone.
What my kids learn from traveling is…
What can’t kids learn from traveling? Kids can learn history, culture, how to be more open-minded in their thinking, how to be risk takers and try new things, how to be more inclusive and accepting of people who are different than themselves, how to be flexible, the value of spending time with family… The benefits of traveling with children are endless.
The hardest thing about traveling with kids is breaks and…
bathrooms! Remembering to take breaks doesn’t always come naturally to us, plus our daughter is a little trooper—but our son definitely needs his rest and nap times.
We like to plan our travel around…
Events. For example, we first visited Oaxaca during its largest festival, Guelaguetza, and went to Veracruz during Carnaval. But really, whenever we learn of something interesting, we just add it on our list of places to visit. That’s what sparked our month-long road trip—I saw a beautiful picture of the rainbow colored rocks of Glacier National Park’s Lake McDonald and told my husband I would love to see it in person. It only takes little sparks to inspire our travel.
The destinations at the top of our bucket list are…
Tanzania, Senegal, Barbados, and Japan. Really, I want to go most everywhere, but those are on the top of the list.
Members learn about you by…
Checking out our blog, liking us on Facebook at That Black Family Abroad, and following us on Instagram.
