Today, we meet a bad ass mom who encourages families to “Hit the Road” in both her marvelous book about worldschooling and her financial and real estate advising. Read on to learn more about Zelie Pollon and her interesting journey in alternative education.
Zelie Pollon is a journalist, author and now coach helping families travel the world and helping women learn about financial independence and real estate. Her first Mexico retreat will be held this October in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico over Day of the Dead.
Q1 – What do you do for a living?
My son and I are both dual citizens of France and America (I was born there and my mother is French) so I have always traveled across the ocean to see family. When we didn’t have to see biological family, we would spend winters in Mexico with our chosen family, a group formed around the book The Volkswagon users guide for the complete idiot.
Q2 – What is the name of your latest project? Tell us more about why you embarked on this project.
My own journey began when I moved to Mexico with my young son after the very sudden death of my mother in 2015. While on the road, I began to meet families who were traveling full-time, and working and educating their children on the road; it’s when I first learned the term Worldschooling. It fit. Over the next four years, I traveled through Central and South America, and met and interviewed other families. As my knowledge grew, I began to gather resources I knew I wanted to share with others.
Q3 – Saint Augustine said, “The world is a book, and those who do not travel read only a page.” How does travel (global or local) play a role in both your life?
Travel is everything to me. It feeds me and gives me perspective. It reminds me of the kindness of strangers and the importance of flexibility and resourcefulness. It shows me other political or health care systems and reminds me that our own systems are not necessarily the most effective.
Plus, I get to see friends I’ve made around the world, including expats who have already chosen to live outside the box.
Q4 – Do you believe travel provides positive or negative effect on the world? How?
I think there are different ways to travel and the mode that I support can have a very positive impact. I am absolutely against consumerist travel to expensive resorts where visitors hover above a given culture yet use all its resources, including people. I believe deeply is slow, immersive travel, where cultures connect and learn from each other. I believe it is essential to building peace.
Q5 – What does responsible travel mean to you?
I think we can learn so much about living with less, being resourceful and also how climate change impacts other parts of the earth, and its oceans.
Q6 – What is your experience with alternative education?
When I first started traveling with my son, I tried homeschooling curriculum but we fought every day. Then I tried total unschooling but didn’t like that system either. Then I embraced this idea of worldschooling, which used our travels as a backdrop for a given curriculum, and includes math, social sciences, history and language together – alongside budgeting, time management, organization and a task of making decisions and planning.
It also gets us outside.
Q7 – Eckhart Tolle said, “Awareness is the greatest agent for change.” In your opinion, how can education affect awareness?
Today, I feel some classrooms are made for widget-creating robots. Punishment for energetic kids is to restrict them from recess, which is completely counterintuitive. My son used to be an amazing reader and write. I put him in an arts school that focused on writing – but only what the teachers made them write– and he learned to not only hate writing but school in general. This was a young man who loved to learn! So I’m taking him out once again to shake things up a bit. We’ll be in Mexico again this fall.
Q8 – What is education lacking today?
Finances and time are always a challenge, and also finding structure and community while on the road. I feel fortunate to have a community of travelers I’ve met on the road and who feed me emotionally and spiritually – and whose children are very connected to my own son. When you travel with teens, finding others to connect with makes all the difference!
Q9 – Have you ever volunteered or supported a local cause or initiative while traveling?
We also did get involved. My son volunteered at an animal shelter and became their puppy socializer. We also helped paint a house for a young family. It was through a habitat for humanity type organization. I’m looking for more organizations to engage with as service is so valuable regardless of where one is traveling.
Q10 – How do you support your local community? If you don’t, no worries. Is there something you’d like to help with in the future?
I have a deep desire to work with animals and to help at a sanctuary of some kind. I’m currently researching this as we speak.
Q11 – What struggles have you run into along the way while accomplishing your goals? If you travel, how does that impact your goals?
I believe in service via small daily actions: being kind and generous with people. Being patient and helping when we see someone in need, whether that means opening a door, carrying someone’s groceries or just letting someone cut in front of you in traffic. These small kindnesses hopefully counter all the microaggressions that exist these days in society. I’m not always patient, believe me, but I find that when I extend kindness instead of frustration I always feel better. I assume the receiver feels better too.
Q12 – Aldous Huxley said, “I wanted to change the world. But I have found that the only thing one can be sure of changing is oneself.” How have you changed throughout your creative process? How do you improve yourself every day?
Increasingly, people are learning that there are other options: for working, educating our children, and living our lives. It’s why I wrote my book, and it’s why sites like Worldschooling Junction are so important. This way, people can see that alternative options exist. Sometimes the mere fact of hearing about someone’s alternative journey can change the trajectory of our lives for the better. I hear repeatedly, “If only I knew this was an option when I was raising my own kids.” Now you know.
Connect with Zelie Pollon and start your own worldschooling journey
We highly encourage you to check out Zelie’s book and upcoming retreat. Start your worldschooling journey armed with the best information out there!
Hit the Road on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Hit-Road-Badass-Families-Travel/dp/B0BRDHRF6J
And please join Zelie in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico to celebrate Day of the Dead and your own emergence (October). https://travelforabetterlife.com/emergenceretreatmx
If you want to hear my guests’ stories in their own words, check out our video interviews on my Worldschooling Junction YouTube Channel. Be sure to go subscribe to hear about Zelie and other mindful travelers.
Join Worldschooling Junction
If you want to be featured in my Worldschooling Junction blog or YouTube channel, contact me and let me know what awesome work you do! You can schedule all of our meetings here, but please shoot me an email at [email protected] if you want to be featured, so I can send you the appropriate documents.
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Until next time…
Keep learning!
