World Schooling: A Journey of Learning and Exploration with the Blink Family

In a world where traditional academia is often seen as the norm, a growing number of families are opting for a different approach to education. Diana Blinks, a married mother of three from Tampa, Florida, has taken her daughters on a global adventure, ditching the traditional classroom for a "world school" experience.

Diana and her husband Scott, 47, left their everyday lives behind in July 2022 to embark on a journey that would fully immerse their daughters—Lucille, 12, Edith, 11, and Hazel, 9—in diverse cultures around the world. Rather than simply reading about how others live, their daughters are taking flamenco dance classes in 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 critics updated on their whereabouts with pictures and videos that have gone viral. The Blinks are part of a growing trend of globetrotting families who are bulking customary curriculums for unstructured learning on the fly.

The family has explored over 40 countries since becoming world schoolers in 2022, including Morocco, Iceland, and Greece. However, this lifestyle wasn't always part of Diana's dreams; she never thought she would be a homeschooling mom because she didn't have experience in education. However, when she had her girls, she realized the school system didn't align with what she wanted for them.

During the 2020 lockdown, Diana was forced to homeschool her children. 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."

The family's first stop was Paris, France, where they spent five weeks exploring the City of Lights and its surrounding hotspots. After that, they migrated to Central America, visiting Costa Rica, Mexico, and the Caribbean. In their first year as nomads, they journeyed to 22 countries. 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 that offers resources, support, and connections for folks living and learning on the go.

Diana praises the hubs as "amazing" spaces for her family to connect with friends leading similar lifestyles. The homeschooling hubs 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."

Despite some backlash from internet trolls who deem their constant wayfaring "unrealistic" and "privileged," Diana turns a deaf ear to the shade. "World schooling isn't for everyone," she said. "But we believe in hands-on education."

For the summer, the Blinks plan to vacation in Brazil, Porto Rica (a misspelling of Puerto Rico), Colombia, and Mexico. They are looking forward to enjoying some of the world's most exotic sands while continuing their journey of learning and exploring new cultures.