69. Teens and Cruises with Kristen Thatcher

Kristen Thatcher, alongside her husband Wren Scheidl and their two teenagers, Kayleigh (19) and Jacob (17), transitioned from conventional Canadian life to full-time global travel in 2021.

Alongside their adventures, Kristen runs Mind The Gap Tutoring and founded Learn with Every Avenue to connect non-traditional learners with aligned educators, while organizing pop-up community hubs and transoceanic group cruises through Cultural Compass Adventures.

Listen to the full episode on your favorite podcast player at www.wanderworldschool.com.

Finances and Logistics of Education and Travel

Educating on the road centers largely on unschooling and student-led interests, from app programming to Greek mythology, supplemented by Ontario's Independent Learning Centre courses to earn official Ontario Secondary School Diplomas.

Financially, the family funds their slow-travel lifestyle through house-sale investments, remote education businesses, and extensive house-sitting, which cut major accommodation expenses across Australia, the UK, and Europe.

Cultural Compass Adventures

Facing the common three-to-six-month travel slump and the routines required by a neurodiverse household, the family anchored themselves through shared traditions like weekly movie nights and intentional slow travel, keeping typical monthly expenditures around $3,300 USD even while exploring destinations like Albania.

Connect with Kristen Thatcher

Upcoming plans include hosting a seven-day community pop-up hub in Tokyo following a group cruise, giving travel families structured local itineraries, shared experiences, and peer connection before embarking on a return voyage across the Pacific.

The Thatchers credit their nomadic lifestyle with fostering adaptability, cross-cultural competence, and practical independence in their teenagers that traditional schooling could never replicate.

Learn more at:

Learn with Every Avenue Educator Directory

Tokyo Pop-Up Hub: Cultural Compass Adventures Tokyo 2026

Instagram: @learn.everyavenue and @kristen.98765.