Mixed Trio Travels

Mixed Trio Travels: Meet Nicole, single mom of twins, disability travel blogger and worldschooling enthusiast.

If the secret to a happier lifestyle was to reduce all your belongings to one suitcase, would you do it? Nicole Ratliff, Alpha Omicron–West Virginia Wesleyan College, grew up in a military family traveling and country-hopping at a young age. In 2018, after moving out of her three-bedroom home and selling most of her belongings, Nicole and her twin children, Ross and Phoebe (affectionately named after her two favorite sitcom characters), packed one suitcase and one backpack each and set out on a new journey living abroad and worldschooling.

Originally from the United States, Nicole and her family have lived in six foreign countries — Mexico, Colombia, Scotland, South Africa, Portugal and France. Nicole and her children all have different disabilities. However, the decision to move abroad with her children came after a near-death experience from a work-related injury. “At that moment, I realized with my disability, this job put too much stress on my body. I quit my job with the U.S. Department of Agriculture and started to travel full-time with my children.”

With her son having autism and her daughter having ODD and ADD, traditional classrooms were a struggle. With worldschooling, Nicole has seen her children thrive and come out of their shells. Nicole noticed the improvements when they lived in Colombia; she said, “My son didn’t like people touching him, didn’t like talking to people, didn’t like loud noises. And then, here is this little boy, just walking around places with our nanny. Even though they didn’t speak the same language, there he was, thriving, laughing and playing with her. He was not that type of person before.”

“What helped me when my son was first diagnosed with autism was having a community around me."

Worldschooling involves an experiential curriculum based on interacting with the world around you. Nicole’s kids have completed worldschooling curriculum online as well, “There’s so much out there besides just reading what's in a book. I think we have to expand our minds on what education could be. It’s more than just a brick-and-mortar school.”

Now, her children are learning to speak French. Only two classes out of the 10 they attend are in English. Exposing her children to new environments and watching them adapt makes her proud. Having a support system has been essential throughout her experience.

“What helped me when my son was first diagnosed with autism was having a community around me — whether it be hospital support groups or talking with other parents sitting in the waiting room while their child was getting services. I’ve met many wonderful parents who were going through the same thing. It’s great reading their stories now when they’re at the same stage I was — having screaming kids because they didn’t know how to help them. Now it’s really cool to see their children thriving.”

Nicole grew up with the mindset to always remain positive and to put her best foot forward. She has passed those teachings on to her children, and now they travel like pros in the airport. According to her experience, not only do funds for traveling go further abroad than they did in the United States, but Nicole has also found that healthcare is much more affordable.

“I have spina bifida, so I walk with a cane, and I’m paralyzed in my left leg. I deal with chronic nerve pain and chronic anemia. I have all these disabilities, and I can still get out and travel.” While she admits it’s natural to worry about medication and doctor’s appointments, she encourages medical resources are available abroad. Everyone interested in traveling or worldschooling should do their own research. “Even if you or if your child or significant other have a disability, don’t let that be a hindrance from you traveling. There are so many Facebook groups and community support out there for people with disabilities to travel.”

For the last four years, Nicole has been in three different academic programs. In fact, when Nicole was accepted to study at the University of St. Andrews in Scotland, her family even appeared on an episode of “House Hunters International” in 2020. Since then, she has completed two master’s degrees and was working on obtaining her Ph.D. when she decided it was time to give her brain a rest.

“I left the Ph.D. because it was too much overload. I was always on the go. Now it’s time to breathe and relax and find me again, find who I am outside of academia.”

Nicole focuses on prioritizing her mental and physical health, whether it’s befriending an English-speaking acquaintance while immersed in the local culture or attending a Wine and Wonder talk with like-minded philosophy friends.

While she had never planned on switching to a vegan lifestyle, Nicole adapted when her son stopped eating meat before his diagnosis. The vegan diet helped her son get back into occupational and speech therapy, and Nicole also discovered that she experienced less sickness on a vegan diet. When her son successfully started eating meat again, Nicole returned to eating meat, and the symptoms returned. She then discovered she had an allergy to meat, “I had something that was preventing me from digesting meat properly when I ate. I haven’t eaten it since 2011, and I’ve felt so much better for it.” Whether it’s adapting to a new language, a new dietary restriction, or rediscovering yourself, Nicole agrees that it’s okay to not be perfect. It’s okay to be a beginner at something; the important part is to attempt to get out of your comfort zone and learn from your mistakes.

When asked what conversations are important to keep revisiting when it comes to acknowledging people and students with disabilities, Nicole reminds us that treating others with kindness goes a long way, "A s a society, we tend to get superficial without getting to know the person or the individual.

I’ve been fortunate to have people in my life who can look beyond my disabilities, who look beyond my kids’ disabilities and see them as people and as individuals. Yes, I have a disability, but it doesn’t define me.”

A s for what’s coming next, Nicole isn’t ready to settle permanently just quite yet. She is looking forward to doing more traveling with her kids this year. The goal is to visit Spain and other nearby European counties within close driving proximity. As for her twins, their adventurous spirits have no limits. Ross wants to go to the United Kingdom one day to go to university, and Phoebe is really into art right now and wants to study art in Japan.

“Maybe they’ll go to college here, or maybe they won’t. Either way, I’m excited for how they’ve matured during all of this and how they’ve grown as individuals.”

“As a society, we tend to get superficial without getting to know the person or the individual.Yes, I have a disability, but it doesn’t define me.”