39. How an 18 Month Road Trip Fosters Family Resilience (Lessons from the Pan-American Highway) with Justin Vorel

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🌎 Justin Vorel and his family of five is currently navigating an ambitious 18-month family road trip from the US to South America in a Honda Pilot. After a decade spent building a rug manufacturing business in Morocco, Justin and his wife transitioned to a remote-work lifestyle to provide their three young children with a hands-on global education. 

👍 We cover travel budgets, logistics of traveling in a car to the children's approach to learning along the way. Justin highlights the resilience required to travel faster (moving locations nearly every week), while balancing business management, exploring cities and nature and language immersion.

✨ 5 Questions Answered:

• What is the budget for a 18 month Pan American road trip? Justin breaks down their initial daily budget of $135 and explains why they are increasing it to $155 for 2026.
• How does a family of five manage education on the road? The episode explores their worldschooling mix of Khan Academy, IXL, and heavy independent reading, alongside a focus on life skills like financial literacy and agriculture.
• What is the logistics and cost of crossing the Darien Gap? Justin explains the necessity of shipping their vehicle from Panama to Colombia, noting that while it is expensive and time-consuming, it is safer than buying a new car in South America.
• How to fund the adventure? Justin shares the evolution of his Moroccan rug business, moving from an art gallery concept to a manufacturing operation with 20 employees that he now manages remotely with 10-15 hours of work per week.
• How to maintain safety and community while moving fast? Awareness is important to navigating geopolitical shifts, as well as the importance of seeking out local worldschooling hubs and public parks to find community.

CONNECT WITH JUSTIN VOREL:

Instagram (@nomadbluetravel)

Illuminate Collective Rugs (www.illuminatecollectiverugs.com)

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Join us for the virtual worldschoolers meetup on March 19th at 7 am (PT), 8 am (MT), 10 am (ET), 3 pm (CET), and 10 pm in SEA! Add to your calendar: https://calendarlink.com/event/40sB7

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Host: I'm Suzy May and my family lives in Spain, Colorado and soon Japan. 🌞 I help families financially plan for slow + long term travel!

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