Remote work overseas has become a lifestyle. But for many, the appearance of kids marks the end of that lifestyle: no more working in beautiful locations, no more exotic food, and no more learning from new friends. Pregnancy just seems safer back home. While the school calendar and kids’ health makes long-stay travel impossible. That was the old paradigm. Now, new service providers like Boundless Life and Safety Wing are making “digital nomads with children” possible. It’s the slow travel revolution.
Making slow-travel possible
The slow travel revolution is all about meeting the needs of digital nomads (with or without kids) so that they don’t have to return to “normal life”. After tasting the freedom and opportunity of the slow-travel lifestyle, it is tough to go back!
For too long, digital nomads have had to figure out how to maintain their lifestyle on their own. They had to do their own visa research, find housing, get an internet connection, purchase health insurance, and organize childcare and schooling all on their own.
But as the ranks of digital nomads have grown in recent years, this has made it possible for service providers like Boundless Life and Safety Wing to create and sustain service businesses that cater to digital nomads. The market has reached a critical mass and keeps getting bigger.
Such service providers remove the barriers for digital nomads who have kids and aren’t ready to give up on their lifestyle. To see how they do this, let’s climb up Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs (see diagram below).
Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs ranks what we all need to survive and thrive. Moving from the bottom of the pyramid to the top, it moves from physical to metaphysical needs.
1. Basic needs
Kids thrive with safety and stability. Loving parents are the key factor of course, but kids also need a secure place to live where all their physical needs are met, including any health care needs.
“Safety is the most basic task of all. Without sense of safety, no growth can take place.” Torey Hayden.
Boundless Life currently provides 1 to 4 bedroom homes in the beautiful towns of Sintra (Portugal) and Syros (Greece). Both locations were chosen because of their serenity and good local amenities. All homes are fully equipped and designed with families in mind.
Peace of mind is provided with 24 hour support so there is no need to worry about what to do in the event of a family emergency. This is a welcome change compared to the normal digital nomad experience, where stressed-out nomads often have to face a foreign system even if there is no language barrier.
Health is secured by local amenities but also by Safety Wing’s global health insurance for remote workers. The insurance allows holders to use any hospital in the world backed by Safety Wing’s 24/7 support. It even covers you for trips back to your home country.
2. Psychological needs
Family provides the core of a child’s psychological needs but a child truly excels when it is also surrounded by an accepting community that helps foster their growth.
“It takes a village to raise a child.” African proverb.
Digital nomads can often find themselves isolated. Parents need to work hard at odd hours while kids are left to a babysitter or TV. Family excursions and little adventures compensate for this but it can be difficult for kids to connect with others in an unfamiliar environment.
Boundless Life communities are made up of 25-50 like-minded families. The Boundless Life team also organizes events, activities, and excursions to help foster community. Kids are encouraged into activities and learning with kids in the same situation as themselves, new friendships are forged.
Boundless Life also encourages families to connect with the local community. Its homes are not isolated in gated compounds. Instead, they are nestled among the local community, providing families with the opportunity to make local friends and to learn about a new culture and way of life. What better way for your children to learn a new language than playing with local kids?
3. Self-fulfillment needs
Every good parent wants to see their children realize their innate potential. This is even more true for digital nomads who commit to continual growth in their own lives. That’s why many digital nomads often choose to “settle down” once their kids are of school age - they don’t want to hurt their kids’ education. That’s why Boundless Life provides children with world-best education.
Boundless Life has created a forward-thinking curriculum inspired by the Finnish school curriculum - considered the best in the world. It focuses on learning through experience and working with children to personalize their own learning journey. And rather than a focus on the 3 Rs, it focuses on empowering children and encouraging them to make a positive impact in the lives and world around them.
Boundless Life also takes advantage of its locations to offer children full cultural immersion. To learn another language is to think and see the world differently.
"No one is born fully-formed: it is through self-experience in the world that we become what we are." Paulo Freire.
Final thoughts
Every child should have their needs met. At Boundless Life, we believe that the best place for your kids is at one of our locations. Not only will your kids be safe, secure, loved, and challenged to be the best version of themselves, but they will also be able to watch their parents live their best lives. An example of a life well lived is the best education and inheritance we can give our children.
About the Author
Lona Alia, Head of Revenue, SafetyWing
Lona is a social impact entrepreneur, Y Combinator founder, Advisor at EU for Innovation, and a global nomad with her two kids and husband.
SafetyWing is building the first global safety net for remote companies, remote workers, and nomads worldwide. It offers medical insurance for nomads and remote companies around the world. It is also developing other insurance products such as pension savings and income insurance. Its products are built and designed by a fully remote team of nomads distributed across three continents.
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