Wonder Year: A Guide to Long-Term Family Travel and Worldschooling

About the Author

Julie Frieder is an innovator, problem solver, and sustainability professional. She earned a double master's degree in environmental science and public policy from the School of Public and Environmental Affairs at Indiana University and has worked to drive environmental solutions in the public, private, and non-profit sectors for over two decades. Julie stepped away from a career in sustainable and responsible investing to travel with her family for thirteen months in a twenty-four-foot RV equipped with four bikes, three kayaks, a 72-watt solar system, and a very large dog. She lives in Boulder, Colorado, and strives to wonder more, consume less, and connect the old-fashioned way--in nature or around a lively dinner table with friends, family, and great cheer. Angela Heisten is a business strategist and communications professional with deep experience in biotechnology and healthcare. After earning her engineering degree in the Midwest, she moved to the West Coast where she completed an MBA at University of California, Berkeley. Also trained as an executive coach, she partners with leaders to bring sustained positive change to the people and organizations they serve. Over the past ten years, Angela has applied her leadership skills to entrepreneurial initiatives and volunteer work in real estate, education, and government. She also planned and executed a two-year family trip across six continents and loves to share what she learned along the way. An avid reader and photographer, Angela currently resides in Colorado with her family. Annika Paradise is passionate about using her writing to bridge worlds. She loves to help anyone plan and launch a journey with their family. In 2018, Annika and her husband worldschooled their three children in twelve countries across three continents. With a cello. As a Peace Corps Volunteer in Thailand, and later as a student travel guide with Where There Be Dragons, she witnessed the transformational power of cross-cultural immersion and brings those insights to Wonder Year. She's taught both middle and high school and holds an MA in education from Stanford University and an MFA in creative writing from Vermont College of Fine Arts. When she's not dreaming of the next big trip, Annika enjoys writing picture books and middle-grade novels, adventuring in the outdoors, teaching English at Front Range Community College, and working the register of her family-owned record shop, Paradise Found Records, in Boulder, Colorado.