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If you’ve found yourself here, there’s a good chance the idea of spending a year traveling with your family is on your mind. Stick with us and we’ll show you why it might just be the best decision your family ever makes.

Boundless Life offers the opportunity to spend an entire school year in the program – essentially approaching it as your child’s school for that year. A full 9-month “Boundless year” lets your family live in three amazing countries while your children continue a high-quality education.

📚 Academically, the program keeps children on track through an accredited curriculum and hands-on learning, so reintegration into traditional school is smooth.

🌎 Culturally, your family will become global citizens – forming close friendships around the world and immersing in local communities.

🔑 Logistically, Boundless Life makes it easy with furnished housing and access to a co-working hub. Our team helps ensure a smooth transition into your new destination. It’s a warm, welcoming way to take a family “gap year” without putting learning on hold.

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How a 9-Month Boundless Year Works Educationally

A 9-month Boundless Life journey is essentially a full academic year on the move – but with all the structure and support of a great school. Children follow a forward-thinking curriculum aligned with international standards, so they won’t miss out on core learning in math, literacy, science or other key subjects.

In fact, Boundless Life blends accredited online academics for ages 13 to 14 with its own experiential, place-based learning. This means your children get the best of both worlds –  consistency across the core learning subjects plus hands-on learning through projects rooted in the countries, communities and cultures you’re traveling.

Logistics with Your School & Reintegrating

Boundless Life is designed to function as a standalone academic year. Taking a full year off will likely require formally withdrawing your child from their school or district for the year, so we advise talking to the administration about how re-entry is handled.

Many families treat the Boundless year as a homeschooling year, and simply re-enroll their child in the next grade when they return. In lower grades this is usually straightforward, while for older children, you might need to ensure certain credits or topics are covered depending on your local requirements.

However, reintegrating into traditional school is typically very smooth. Families often report that their children return to their home classrooms at or even above grade level.

Whatever your situation, the Boundless team can offer guidance on how the program aligns with educational standards.

Throughout the year, portfolios are compiled to document student work – showcasing projects, academic progress, and unique learning experiences. By year’s end, your child will have a rich, well-rounded portfolio to support their transition back into traditional education.

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Around the World in One School Year

One of the most exciting aspects of a Boundless "gap year" for families is the opportunity to experience life in multiple countries, providing diverse cultural immersion within one cohesive educational system.

How a Year with Boundless Works

Boundless Life, located in seven destinations around the world, launches a new cohort three times per year, September, January and April.  Most families begin their Boundless journey in either September or January, aligning with traditional school semesters.

This means, families on cohort spend approximately three months in one location before transitioning to a new cohort and country for the next three months. Finally, they relocate once more for a third and final destination, thus completing a full academic year across three different locations.

While the start dates are fixed, there’s flexibility in the destinations they choose. This allows each family to tailor their experience – exploring a mix of cultures, climates, and communities – while enjoying the consistency of a shared educational philosophy and curriculum. The result is a seamless learning journey for the children, with academic continuity across countries.

Occasionally, families may reconnect with other families met in previous cohorts – but certainly each new location brings fresh friendships, perspectives, and experiences.

For families with children ages 13 to 14, our Trailblazer Program offers a slightly different structure. This group follows a set travel track throughout the year, meaning families travel together across all three cohorts. This creates deeper connections and a more consistent peer group during a formative stage of development.

Below, read real stories from Boundless families and the travel tracks they chose.

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Customize Your Own Travel Track

Boundless Life is FULLY customizable and offers multiple tracks and location choices. Choose depending on your family’s needs from language immersion; weather-optimized; visa-focused; to culturally diverse.

The Boundless team can help and support families to strategically map out an entire academic year. Let’s break down sample Boundless year itineraries to see what they could look like –

Fall Start (Sep – Jun):

→ Begin in early September in Syros, Greece and enjoy Mediterranean island life for the fall
→ January to March in La Barra, Uruguay and enjoy summer in the Southern Hemisphere
→ April to June in Andalusia, Spain, springtime in the beautiful town of Estepona.

This is the slated Trailblazer track for 2025–26, and it offers a perfect mix of Europe and Latin America. By June, you’ve covered a full academic year and can return home for summer vacation.

Winter Start (Jan – Dec):

→ Begin in January in Bali, Indonesia or La Barra, Uruguay – swap winter for warmth.
→ April to June in Syros, Greece – spring on the Aegean Sea.
→ September to November in Kotor, Montenegro – autumn in the Balkans.

More Year-Long Custom Travel Track Ideas:

• Syros, Greece (fall) → Andalusia, Spain (winter) → Pistoia, Italy (spring).
• Pistoia, Tuscany → La Barra, Uruguay → Bali, Indonesia.
• Kotor, Montenegro → Sintra, Portugal → Syros, Greece.

Real Families: Boundless Life Stories

It’s inspiring to hear from families who have done the Boundless year abroad – they were once considering this big leap, just like you. Here are a few real examples that show the range of experiences and reassure you that yes, it’s totally doable:

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The Gauthier Family – From LA Hustle to a Slow Year

Tired of the overscheduled grind in Los Angeles, the Gauthiers wanted their two daughters to experience the wider world. They signed up for three back-to-back cohorts and haven’t looked back.

Travel Track: Syros, Greece → Andalusia, Spain → Pistoia, Italy

The result? “Our children have been thriving with the Boundless Life Education Center,” the parents report, noting both academic and personal growth. The family loved the quality time together each evening, board games and chats replaced traffic and homework stress and say their bond grew stronger than ever. And academically? The girls seamlessly kept up with schoolwork, all while becoming, in their mom’s words, “truly global citizens.”

The Gauthiers enjoyed the experience so much that midway through they extended into a second year with Boundless Life!  Their advice to others is that the mix of education, travel, and community makes this lifestyle incredibly enriching – they only wish they’d done it sooner.

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Chantal Pérez-McGhee – A Solo Mom’s Boundless Journey

Chantal Pérez-McGhee, known on Instagram as @mylifeincolores, embarked on Boundless Life as a way to give her young daughter a broader horizon. Originally from the United States but living in Kuwait, Chantal often travels solo with her child while her husband works abroad.

They dove into three cohorts: Pistoia, Italy → Syros, Greece → Bali, Indonesia.

Chantal was apprehensive at first, almost skipping Bali due to bug fears, but it turned out to be one of their favorite stops. “We’ve done three Boundless Life cohorts… and we have plans for more!” she says.

Travel track for 2025-26: La Barra, Uruguay → Kotor, Montenegro → Andalusia, Spain.

Her daughter, who had never been in a traditional classroom before, blossomed with Boundless – transforming from shy to a confident “little leader”. Chantal shares that socially, the community aspect was a game-changer for them as a small family abroad. They found instant friends and support in each cohort.

Chantal’s story shows that even as a one-parent traveler, a Boundless year is not only feasible but deeply rewarding – and you can continue year after year if you love it.

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A Year in the Trailblazer Program - Set Track

The Global Wizards, a family from Belgium with two teenage daughters, embraced a three destination year-long adventure through Boundless Life’s Trailblazer Program. An epic journey documented on the Boundless Life blog.  

Travel Track: Sanur, Bali → Syros, Greece → Kotor, Montenegro

Their journey began in Sanur, Bali, enjoying rich cultural activities and learning in an inspiring tropical environment. They then transitioned to the historic and picturesque island of Syros, Greece.

Reflecting on this transition, the Global Wizards emphasized the ease and educational continuity they experienced. Arriving on tiny Syros island, their girls immediately ran to hug friends from Bali, and the parents felt the “special feeling” of an instant village wherever they went. “Seeing the kids reunite with friends, we knew we’d made the right decision!”

Their adventure concluded in the coastal town of Kotor, Montenegro, an ideal final stop with a dramatic change in cultural scenery.  

They also highlighted how each location brought new adventures. In Bali their cohort worked on a sustainability project with local farmers and learned about plastic recycling; in Syros the teens delved into the origins of democracy, even staging a mock trial in the local courthouse.

Their story demonstrates how the Boundless Life Trailblazer Program sets out a travel track that blends educational consistency with geographic variety.  

The 2025-26 Trailblazer Program travel track -

• September–December: Syros, Greece.
• January–March: La Barra, Uruguay.
• April–June: Andalusia, Spain

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The Benefits of a Boundless Year

Families who have taken the year-long plunge often describe it as life-changing. Other parents note that in one Boundless year, children grow in ways that simply wouldn’t happen in a traditional classroom – they become adaptable, culturally aware, and bonded tightly as a family unit.

One beautiful outcome of a Boundless year is the confidence and independence children develop. In the Boundless life destinations, in these small, safe towns, parents feel comfortable giving children more freedom to explore than they would back home.

Boundless Life children often walk to school or the market in groups, play outside freely, and engage with local neighbors – experiences that build real-world savvy and maturity. Knowing your child can confidently handle themselves in different settings is a huge parenting win – and it happens organically when you’re living abroad as a family.

Finally, a full-year immersion doesn’t mean you’re severing ties with traditional schooling forever. Think of it as a one-year educational sabbatical. Many families plug right back into their local schools afterward. Some even use the Boundless year as a transition, for example between primary and secondary school, or before high school.

And if you decide to continue with Boundless longer term, you wouldn’t be alone, some founding families from 2022 “have never left” and continue to move from one Boundless location to the next. The program’s flexibility means you can always adjust your plan as you go.

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Key Planning Tips for a Boundless Year

Plan Your Track Early: Popular cohorts, especially September starts, can fill up fast. Decide which route suits your family’s interests and secure your spots. Also, ensure the age offerings match your children.

Handle Admin Details: Talk to your school and employer well in advance. Arrange any necessary homeschool filings, and confirm your job’s remote-work approval for the year. If you own a home, consider renting it out to offset costs while you’re away. Don’t forget to figure out health insurance coverage abroad as well.

Mind the Visa Rules: Double-check entry requirements for each country on your itinerary. Boundless will advise, but it’s ultimately your responsibility to have passports valid 12+ months and the right visas. Mixing Schengen and non-Schengen stops is a smart strategy for non-EU citizens.

Pack Smart: You’ll be living out of suitcases for a year, so minimize things. Each Boundless home comes fully furnished with kitchenware, linens, and extras. Pack versatile clothing and specialty items you can’t buy locally, but otherwise remember that you can purchase or rent most necessities abroad.

Embrace the Community: Perhaps the most valuable tip is to dive into the Boundless community from day one. The families in your cohort will become your neighbors, coworkers, carpool partners, and travel buddies. Attend the welcome events, join the group hikes and dinners, and don’t hesitate to ask questions.

➡️ Read our complete guide & get our ebook to moving abroad with the family!

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Making It Happen: Confidence and Resources

Integrating a Boundless Life program into your child’s education is a bold move, but one that countless families have shown is possible with the right approach. The key ingredients are communication, flexibility, and a clear vision of what you want your family to gain from the experience.

If you’re considering this step, educate yourself and involve your child in the planning. Download Boundless Life’s guides, join their webinars or info sessions, and ask questions. The more informed and organized you are, the more confidence you’ll have when approaching your child’s school and making the leap.

You can give your kids the world and still come back home to the familiar halls of their school. Whether it’s a one-time adventure or an annual tradition, Boundless Life offers unprecedented flexibility for families seeking adventure without sacrificing academics.

With multiple program options, strong educational continuity, and a supportive community, you can embark on a Boundless journey with confidence. As one Boundless parent wisely said, “My advice? Just try it.” You might find that a few months away opens up a whole new outlook for your child and your family – and that is an education in itself.
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