What Others Say About Our Trips

"I don't have words. It was my family's favorite vacation ever. I know it was kind of luck of the draw the families that you get to travel with but these people were amazing. I think we all made lifelong friends and plan to travel to visit to families this summer. I agree with you that the key to starting off right was meeting beforehand. Being able to have dinner every night together was a huge bonus. And also doing excursions together really cemented the group.
My husband's kind of shy and he made two male friends that he will probably keep forever. It was very interesting to see all the different backgrounds and why are we all homeschool and it's all from completely different angles it was really amazing. I definitely want to do another one. And I'm interested in the difference between land Excursion ones and the cruise ships.. even the last days disaster Excursion was okay because we were together."

"As a single mom traveling overseas for the first time with my kids...my stress level was through the ROOF. I had been talking with Elena Ollick off and on for almost a year. I grew to adore her but was still terrified we wouldn't fit in with the group as a whole. We took the plunge and scheduled two back to back cruises(we had never even been on a cruise before) everyone was so welcoming and there were even other single parents too which put my heart at ease! I was hesitant because a lot of homeschooling/worldschooling groups are super religious and this was not that. I'm sure some of the group are very faith based but this was such an inclusive group that didn't focus on religion. I had looked at pictures of these trips and worried as an introvert if I would self implode. I'm happy to say that I did not, since then we already have another trip locked in and another one planned for next summer. Put your fears aside and give it one trip. I think you'll be pleasantly surprised!"

"We recently returned from a transatlantic cruise to Spain, and I can honestly say it was one of the best experiences we’ve ever had. I traveled with my three kids—and even though we didn’t know anyone beforehand, except Elena Ollick, we felt instantly welcomed and included.
This incredible adventure was beautifully organized Elena poured her heart into every detail, just like she does with everything. Thanks to her thoughtful planning, everything ran so smoothly—from group meetups to activities for the kids and those special in-between moments where real connection happens.
The kids bonded almost instantly. Mine made friends within the first day, and by the end of the cruise, we had a whole new circle of people who felt like family. There was such a natural rhythm to everything: space to be free, time to be together, and moments of quiet joy watching the ocean roll by.
The cruise itself was lovely—great food, friendly staff, and plenty of options for all ages and even picky eaters. The sea days gave us time to slow down, be present, and enjoy each other without the rush of daily life."

"We did a worldschooling cruise with Worldschooling Journeys last month, it was exactly what you’re describing. There were a group of families that were more religious and they found each other/connected, whereas the group we connected with most were much more chilled, we all had our own religions but that was never really the conversation point unless we were discussing a specific experience or something.
My daughter struggles to make friends (probably not helped by the fact that she has adhd and asd) yet she made some of the nicest friends on this cruise and they all got on well from day 1… we’ve been back home a month now as she prepares for some exams in January, and she misses the relationships she built on this trip so much (though they all still have contact via WhatsApp).
I also have to put up with her sending me every cruise deal she comes across now.. I’m not sure how I’ll live up to this again, might have to just stick to the worldschooling cruises for a bit"

"I would happily pay extra for the level of care and attention I’ve received during the booking process. I was feeling quite anxious about it all, but everything was made so easy, and every single one of my (many!) questions was answered with patience and clarity. I can’t comment on the trip itself just yet, as my first one hasn’t happened, but the booking experience was flawless. Highly recommend!"

"It took me a few days to convince my husband to take a transatlantic cruise with a bunch of people we have never met before. Generally speaking, he’s a bit of an introvert and my daughter (who was 6 at the time) is definitely on the shy side. But it was the best. decision. ever. We LOVED meeting everyone on the first day and then seeing familiar faces all around the ship. The opportunities for spontaneous meetups/playdates were the fantastic. We’d walk around the ship, not really sure what we wanted to do next, bump into a friend and suddenly my daughter is bowling with a new bestie while the adults are enjoying happy hour snacks. Elena set up an opportunity for the kids to meet with the ship engineer and head of housekeeping, which made us all feel like VIP, and my husband and I enjoyed meeting new friends for dinner while the kids all hung out in the kids club (with FRIENDS, not random kids).
One other cool perk that I hadn’t thought of prior to cruising was that these new friends were going to be at all our ports with us! Many of us coordinated group tours, which made things SO much more fun for the kids. I have an only child who doesn’t mind taking a historical tour with her two parents, but it’s a lot more entertaining to take that tour with a group of cool kids you’ve been sailing with all week. We even met up with friends at our final destination in Rome.. and one day we even bumped into some cruise friends randomly. Since then, we’ve stayed in touch with people either through Elena’s fb posts or the occasional text. We are always curious who is doing what trip and considering joining them (and having major FOMO if we can’t make it work). We can’t wait for our next adventure; we look forward to making new friends AND hope our old ones will join us for a reunion!
Above all else, however, I think my absolute favorite part of this adventure is that everyone we met is completely different. Different homes, different backgrounds, different lifestyles, different opinions, different ways of living and yet everyone just fit. We fit because we all want more for our families and that one thing brings us together. I feel like people who take these kinds of adventures are really great at understanding there’s no right or wrong way to live life.. sometimes that’s hard to find at home."

"As a solo traveling mom with ND kids, naturally I had concerns about our integration into a group with strangers. Also it was our first cruising. Worldschooling Journeys anticipated and prepared us all for the smooth sailing ahead, literally. We were sent a document ahead of our trip, which included variety of pro tips. We all got connected via chat and basically, by the time we boarded, it felt like we’re going with a group of friends. And that feeling carried throughout entire trip. It was a fantastic group of people. They organized activities for both parents and children throughout the cruise, and pointed out fun events on the ship, which we then attended as a group throughout the trip. Invaluable!
I particularly enjoyed group dinners, and my children loved exploring the ship together with friends. I was happy to attend excursions with the group, as it contributed to the bonding overall.
We have attended several world-school hubs, and sadly some are thrown together by un-prepared people. Worldschooling Journeys was anything but. I am super happy that we chose to attend."

"I never worried about fitting in as our family are extroverts and will talk to anyone, however even we were surprised just how well everyone got on. We have made some friends for life from all over the world and it has defiantly exceeded our expectations. We have now done 2 trips (transatlantic (our first ever cruise) & south Korea and Japan cruise, we are booked on another transatlantic in February, and Austrian mountain retreat in June)
Our son is autistic, so I was worried about him fitting in or meltdowns but that didn't need to be my worry, it was that I never knew where he was because he had made soooo many new friends (it was easy to find out where he was when he didn't answer his phone as Elena just used the text jungle to everyone and one of our group knew where he was).
I wasn't a solo mum but met many solo parents and would not think twice about doing one of Elenas world-schooling trip without my husband. It was so great that we knew so many people on the trip that we were never alone (unless we wanted to be), it was like one big family, and we have made so many new friends.
On my first cruise my biggest worry was sea sickness, I bought every remedy possible from pills to bands and patches, but I didn't use anything after day 2 and never felt sick, we had 30 foot waves and I never felt the boat even move, apart from it rocking me to sleep on a night.
My favourite part of the cruise was dinner together, the kids sit together at tables and the parents at other tables (but all close by). It was a chance to be an adult but also know my child was happy and didn't need me, watching the kids bond day by day and trip by trip is an amazing feeling. My son has become so much more independent, accepting, and confident since we took these trips.
I would recommend anyone to take one of Elena's trips, there are trips for most budgets, and once in a lifetime experience that we will be taking more than once."

"As a traveling family we have learned that we prefer to not fly and instead make the journey part of the adventure. We have cruised twice before (both transatlantic) and liked the freedom of movement it gave us as a family and also the space it gave us. We spend A LOT of time together, but being on the cruise made it easier to separate and meet back up and it felt safer from the adult perspective too. While both of those cruises had some other kids, it wasn’t quite the same as having other Worldschooling kids. Those other kids were on a family vacation, so they were spending that time together as a family and not available at different times of the day for games and other activities.
When joining the transpacific Worldschooling cruise we were immediately excited about the age range of the children. This was to be our first experience traveling with other families with a similar lifestyle AND kids in the same age range.
The cruise climate with our Worldschooling group was beyond expectations. We have been traveling for 3 years and the group of kids from our Worldschooling cruise are the only kids my children regularly talk with, even more than 6 months since we last saw anyone. The ability for the kids to have autonomy and the adults to share that same autonomy is something that will make another group cruise high on our to do list. Do it! It will change you."

"I was so surprised to hear my kids both say they wished we could go on a cruise with only sea days, while on the Alaskan cruise. Like, VERY surprised. They just had so much fun freely spending time with all the kids. Of course I’m processing what I think of this, as this was a wonderful experience for them, AND it definitely wasn’t our typical manner of travel or exploring/learning. Between the quick port days and only wanting to hang out with the kids while on board, our typical depth of learning was different, but I witnessed them grow so much as individuals and that definitely matters. 11 sea days for Japan>LA and vice versa seems like SO much, and yet seems wonderful for the soul, haha. This Alaskan cruise was the easiest travel I’ve done in years. The logistics were so easy and relaxing. I’m used to managing spreadsheets with travel time, hotels, transportation on top of figuring out activities and food.... and a cruise was a true vacation from all of that!"

"Ok wow, I have so much to say on this but will try to keep it brief!
We are a mostly neurodivergent family and VERY introverted. We had never been on a cruise before and we had all sorts of worries about whether we would connect with the other families or not and how we would deal with having a much busier schedule than normal and/or demands of our time. It turns out we had NOTHING to worry about!
My kids are teens and up until now have not had a great deal of independence, mostly due to life circumstances and/or rural living. They, especially my 15yr old boy, simply flourished. They went to play games with the other kids, for meals, swimming, etc. The last two weeks of the 31 days on the transpacific I could set my watch by the evening routine of dinner at 5pm, games until 9pm, the late show in the theatre and then "home" to bed. And this wasn't us, this was the group of kids. They did most of these activities without us. We were especially proud of the 8-10 kids who had dinner without an adult in the main dining room (NOT the buffet). They ordered politely, making adjustments to the menu to suit their palates, and the staff never had a bad word to say about them. We sometimes joined a little later and could sit across the dining room from them without worry. It was SO nice to allow the kids so much freedom without having to worry about them!
While Wren is blissfully retired, I have trouble turning off my brain, so I still work remotely. I tutor mostly high school aged kids, anywhere from 5-15hrs a week. I use Zoom (a bit of a bandwidth hog compared to Teams) and was able to function fairly normally on the ship. My biggest struggle was the changing time zones, but I just let my computer do the work of telling me when my meetings were and I never missed a beat with my work.
As for the worry about being introverted and not having enough down time, it wasn't an issue either. We connected well with the other parents and we joined in with activities when we wanted to and no one begrudged anyone else an early night or a quiet day.
Overall, the cruise was just EASY. I didn't have to cook or clean, I didn't worry about the kids or scheduling, there were friends there if we wanted them, and weren't when we didn't. We've definitely made friends for life with a handful of them and were so glad to connect with everyone. For my, even as an introvert, worldschooling is about connection; building the connection within our family unit and connecting with new people all over the world and getting to experience life with them."

"For our family, the cruise was more about personal and social growth than academics. My kids do online school but we mostly took a break during the cruise. They made friends, learned new games, saw new places, learned new cultures. One of my favorite things was that the group of kids (usually the 8-15yr olds) met almost every night in the fancy dining room for dinner. They learned about etiquette, manners, ordering from an adult menu and tasted new things (my kids' first escargot, lobster, duck, caviar, etc).
There were enrichment experiences available daily, related to the destinations that we were headed to but we only took part in a couple of them. Some kids learned to hula dance and play the ukulele (we passed through Hawaii) for example."

"My first thought of joining a cruise with a bunch of people that I have never met before and worldschooling that I knew little about put me a bit on edge. I want my daughter to have experiences that are going to last and be meaningful. Meeting kids her age or slightly older and interacting with them are my highest concerns. This is where in my eyes kids grow exponentially from experiences shared. I want to stress that within 60 minutes of meeting a fraction of the families I was all-in. Everyone was so wonderful and friendly , my daughter immediately found a best friend within that time and the two were inseparable from then on. It did not stop there, the excitement, friends grew throughout. It has now been three months since our initial journey and our daughter talks about all the people on that trip on a daily basis. She can’t wait for the next time to see all of her friends.
Since then we’ve scheduled two more cruises with the world schooling group, one land based after that and tentatively scheduled a few more.
I can’t express how much this has opened our eyes to what the possibilities could be and thanks to Elena and team for making all of this happen."

"We are a fairly extroverted family so going on a cruise with a bunch of people we never met wasn't much of a worry to us. If there were any concerns they were quickly disappated after taking part in the lively discussions in the cruise WhatsApp chat group.
What was a concern was if we would find what we were missing at home. A community, a group of people who lived in non-traditional ways. We don't have anyone around us with younger children (our daughter is 5). We don't have anyone around us who is unschooling/world schooling/homeschooling their child. We don't have anyone around us who has a child that is extra active and extra special.
What we found was all of that and more. A group that believes in inclusivity and equality.
Our daughter was the youngest of the group and had no issues immediately bonding with the kids. In fact all the kids immediately bonded. They all moved easily between smaller groups that formed depending on the day or activity. The older kids watched over the younger ones without even being asked. We felt comfortable accepting offers of other parents taking care of our daughter while we participated in other adult activities. We formed our own bonds too. Even after the cruise we talk almost daily with some of the people we met.
In the end we loved it so much we booked another cruise before we got off the first then 2 other cruises and a retreat. We definitely found our people."

"I was excited to try something new. I love meeting new people and although traveling can be difficult with 5 kids (a baby and a child with disabilities) i am glad I was able to do it. When families come together to share one common interest homeschooling around the world it is amazing. The families were helpful and considerate towards us since my daughter has a special stroller/wheelchair. My kids say this is the only way they want to travel from now on."

"Stepping out into the Worldschooling community was one of the scariest things we have ever done; and it has turned out to be amazing. We took a leap a year ago when I was looking for other options for my granddaughter. I came across Elena Ollick and a cruise to Sydney, Australia. After only a couple days we were booked and looking forward. Did we originally think we just got hoodwinked, of course! But once we got our confirmation excitement set in! It also helped that when we made a change to our reservation Elena reached out to ensure everything was okay. We had no idea what to expect, worst case we get an affordable, all inclusive vacation to Oz. From the first group get together the night before the cruise we knew we had chosen right. Welcoming, kind, and knowledgeable, the people that formed our group have now become friends no matter where anyone is in the world. My daughter who had no interest in socializing at home, has friends she talks to daily. She feels she has found ‘her people’. My husband and I feel the same about the parents. There was no judgement about what we do, don’t do, or believe in. I have never felt more engaged than with the group of people I met on the cruise. They looked out for us, we looked out for them, and everyone’s main focus was on the kids (and hot tub!). Homeschooling (and it’s counterparts) is tough and parents can become overwhelmed, cruising has something for everyone in a safe environment. Kids can be kids and learn so much while the parents can get some much required ‘me time’. I feel humbled to be part of this community. With another 2 cruises on the horizon, and a retreat in Austria, I can honestly say we are in!"

"Our kids were on the older end of the group (15 and 17) so for us it was an exercise in giving them freedom and then encouraging good decisions and options. The kids largely set their own schedules, decided when and where to eat and who to join or invite to join them. They chose what activities to participate in, what to observe and what to skip. They learned how to manage the questions (and occasional criticism) from more rigid or closed-minded cruisers on their own. They self-policed the actions and activities within their group, keeping the noise and language down, garbage and dirty dishes, and their overall effect on staff and other cruisers. There were talking points and learning opportunities on a daily basis. We saw a transformation in nearly every kid. New social skills, new bravery and new willingness to explore and make friends. We also saw some parents relax their pre-determined boundaries to allow their kids more age-appropriate freedom and self-determination and the confidence BLOOMED."

"We had never done anything like this before our April trip. IT WAS AWESOME! Our kids had such a great time and we loved being in a group and having a sense of belonging and understanding. Elena is legit and does a wonderful job putting these trips together. I haven’t met her yet, but I can’t wait to! My family is so thankful that we found her and can’t wait to kickoff our next trip with her in February."

"We absolutely LOVED our cruise (it was our first)! Everything and everyone was amazing. I had never really wanted to go on a cruise, as I didn’t think it was my “style” of travel. However, this is the first real vacation my husband and I have had ever since the kids came along! We would love to do another."

"Worldschooling Journeys does an amazing job of finding authentic, educational and family oriented excursions. We learned so much in Ecuador and Mexico and we're so grateful that the kids got to hear from people there and see how they live. I have lived abroad in Belgium and Japan, but had never taken a cruise or traveled in a group with my kids. I imagine we are all a bit neurodivergent in one way or another and one son gets anxious when traveling (mainly getting on and off planes) or in New/challenging environments. He also lives to perform and ask LOTS of questions, so we were usually asked to go along on school field trips etc as he can be a wild card. He did really well on all the trips and loved the cruise. The ability to spend time swimming, gaming, watching cool shows and getting awesome foods at the buffet is a big draw for the kids! I am a friendly introvert I guess you could say. I like people but tired out quickly, especially after getting long covid last year. The kids also have their limit. We never felt judged for laying low in the evenings or not doing all the group activities. It's a very flexible group and a great first cruise experience. I traveled in Korea, Mongolia and Russia with the Monkey Shrine Brothers with my husband 20 years ago after teaching in Japan. Even though it was a very foreign environment for us, every detail from the shuttle vans to the excursions were lead by friendly people who really cared about what they were doing. That makes all the difference between a potentially horrible trip and an amazing one--Elena has that same ability to find and nurture good relationships with local people and excursion operators who enjoy meeting travelers, love being ambassadors and educators for their culture. It's a once in a lifetime (or several times if you're lucky) when you get to have those experiences. Usually, you have to live abroad for a year to get that. I am so glad I was able to experience it with my kids. Definitely, give it a go! The ships are huge and full of things to do. We definitely could have stayed longer. If you are nervous about cruises, you can start with 1 or 2 weeks. There were actually only 20 outbreaks among thousands of cruises last year. Ships are required to report to the CDC or similar agency if 3 percent of say 5000 passengers get sick 'outbreak' --so it makes the news. As a Midwesterner growing up, the only thing I heard about cruises were the news stories about outbreaks so I was pretty paranoid. None of us got sick. If you wash your hands as instructed, it's pretty easy to avoid illness."

"It’s tough to like everyone, I mean, not everyone is going to vibe with you or your family. But trust me, it’s way easier when people are already walking the same path. Homeschoolers? We’re basically one big, slightly chaotic family. The kids? They click instantly, no drama there. The parents? Well, that’s where it gets tricky. But hey, that’s life. Maybe two drinks will smooth things out… Just kidding! (Or am I?)"