Create Your Own Blake Boles Director, Unschool Adventures LLC Unschool Adventures unschooladventures.com UA 2008-2011 website UA 2011-current website Argentina 2008 6 weeks Australia 2010 7 weeks Leadership Retreats Spring & Fall 2010 3 weeks + 6 weeks Argentina, Chile, Peru 2011 6 weeks Argentina 2012 4 weeks New Zealand 2013 6 weeks Trailblazer 2013 1 week Writing Retreat 2009, ’11, ’12, ‘13 4 weeks 2014: Buenos Aires Tango, Nepal, Writing Retreat Create Your Own Unschool Adventures • Where to go • Where to stay • What to do • How to get around • Logistics • Ground rules • Upcoming programs How to Use This Information • Inspire new family travel ideas • Help your teen or Y.A. plan a trip • Organize a trip for your homeschool group • For your own travel Where to Go Where to Go • Balance of safety, cost, natural beauty, and exoticness • U.S. Dep’t of State • LonelyPlanet.com • BudgetYourTrip.com South America • Recent travel blogs map data courtesy CIA World Fact Book 500 km 0 • Google news + alerts 500 mi • Trip leader experience 755 mi / 1220 km 1 inch 297 mi / 480 km 1 cm Europe Europa Data Courtesy CIA World Book 0 300 km 0 300 mi $ Canada United States $ 0 300 600 km 0 300 600 miles Africa Data Courtesy CIA World Book, Wikipedia 0 300 km 0 300 mi ? Where to Stay: Youth Hostels • $5 - $25 / night • Kitchen access • Social; full of independent travelers • Sometimes full of drunk or high people • Fill an entire room • Hostelbookers.com, book along the way Where to Stay: Family Homestay • $20 - $40 / night, food included • Cultural & language immersion • Host siblings! • Book through reputable language school Where to Stay: Rental Apartments • $100 - $300 / night for entire group • Privacy, quiet, security • Great home base for longer visits • Save $$ on food • Book through HomeAway.com, AirBNB.com, or reputable local agency Where to Stay: Camping • Cheap or free! • Shelters, backyards, or roughing it. • Bathrooms are nice. What to Do What to Do: Volunteer • Free, fun, meaningful • Outdoor work: farms, ranches, vineyards • “Teaching English” • Not volun-tourism ($$) • HelpX.net, WWOOF.org, Idealist.org, Google What to Do: Learn a Language • Formal: language schools & tutors • Informal: “let’s go talk to people!” What to Do: Learn a Local Craft • Dance • Cooking • Sport Explore the Outdoors! What to Do: Work Alone, Together • Use travel to stimulate creativity: writing, art, business planning • Writing Retreat students work alone, but they’re together What to Do: Let Go of the Reigns • Teen-planned travel • Provide a budget, tools, and clear ground rules • Choose a decision- making system • Step out of the way! What to Do: Every-day stuff • Peruse the grocery store • Go to a movie • Browse a bookstore • Hang out in a park • Embrace the little differences How to Get Around Logistics UnschoolAdventures.com/DIY Slides + sample budget Logistics: Group Flights • Use a travel agent! • Get a red-eye flight from a major hub • Students fly individually to the hub, then the group flies together to the destination • Airfare is volatile. Price separately from the trip. Logistics: Enrollment • Unschool Adventures interviews every participant, including returning ones. We want to know: • Do YOU really want to go on this trip (not your parent)? • Are you prepared? Do you have “stepping stone” experiences? • Do you play well with others? • $1000 deposit secures space Logistics: Fundraising • Travel is expensive by nature • Crowdfunding: a powerful but often abused tool • Get the guide on Kindle or read for free via UnschoolAdventures.com Ground Rules Ground Rules: Student Agreements 1. Join because you want to challenge yourself, not escape 2. Basic respect for all 3. Not a place for sex 4. Breaking laws, verbal / physical abuse, theft = bye bye 5. Zero-tolerance for drugs / alcohol 6. Be responsible during unsupervised time 7. Sleep at program location 8. No refunds for breaking rules Ground Rules: Unspervised Time • Rule of 3 • Rule of 1 • Emergency info cards: address, trip leader cell phone numbers, calling card • Call if you want to change destination or stay out longer Upcoming Programs Writing Retreat 2014 Crested Butte, Colorado Oct-Nov, $1700, ages 14-19 Southwest Gap Year Colorado, Utah, Arizona, Mexico (not technically U.A.) Sept-May, $6500, ages 17-23 Flickr image credits “Some day” programs. (Please steal!) Camino: juanpol Iceland: Hello, I am Bruce Hogwarts for Unscholers! Best of luck on your own adventures! Unschool Adventures . com Slides: UnschoolAdventures.com/DIY.