The family who thought they weren't a fit for Traveling Village | S2 EP16

As Traveling Village 3 comes to an end, Asha speaks with Dave and Cait, a family from Pennsylvania who joined the village with their two young boys, ages three and six.

Unlike many people drawn to alternative education or long-term travel, Dave and Cait saw themselves as fairly traditional. They had never worldschooled, never traveled internationally with their children, and were unsure whether something like Traveling Village would even work for their family.

Four months later, they are reflecting on what surprised them most.

They talk about leaving a snowy winter behind for life in Vietnam, discovering the unexpected magic of co-living in Taiwan, adapting to life with young children on the road, and finding a community where they no longer had to explain their choices.

The conversation explores what Traveling Village looks like through the eyes of a family with young kids, full-time jobs, and plenty of doubts before arriving.

The podcast follows 21 families as we travel together through Vietnam, Taiwan, and South Korea as a village. This season, Asha, who joined Traveling Village 1, calls in every week to talk with different people on the trip and follow along from afar. Each episode is around 20 minutes and is meant to give an honest, grounded sense of what village life feels like as it unfolds.

In this sixteenth episode, Asha, Dave, and Cait talk about:

• Why Traveling Village felt different from other family travel programs
• Joining with a three-year-old and a six-year-old
• Taking their son out of kindergarten for four months
• Why educators were more supportive than they expected
• Leaving winter behind and arriving in Vietnam
• How co-living became the highlight of the entire journey
• What surprised them most about traveling with young children
• Why their kids loved The Nest more than Disney
• The challenge of balancing work, parenting, and village life
• How different life stages create different village experiences
• Finding community without giving up independence
• The unexpected comfort of being surrounded by people who understand your choices
• Why they are already considering another Traveling Village

In the next episode, Asha speaks with another family as the final chapter of Traveling Village 3 comes to a close