So… what actually is a worldschool hub?
A hub is when travelling families choose to come together in one place, at the same time, to share experiences, build connections, and explore a destination as a community. It is also a lifestyle and a place where we replace schools with education, free learning. Hubs help families to land in a new country, discover together, learn about culture and history, while having a group of like-minded people.
Every hub looks different. Some focus more on education, others on culture, connection, or lifestyle. You might find things like workshops, local experiences, language exposure, shared housing options, kids’ activities, co-working, or social gatherings. This is the diversity and beauty of worldschooling and the support with hubs.
There’s no “one-size-fits-all.” Each hub is created differently, with its own vision, structure, timeline, and price. From the hub creators for the worldschoolers.
Hub Creators are educators, maybe teachers, maybe Dr or even professors, some are families that have simply created this space, and community for worldschoolers to have likemined people around them.
What you’ll usually find in a hub:
A group of travelling families coming together (not just one or two families, unless it’s designed that way)
Someone leading or holding the space on-site
Some level of organised activities or structure during the stay, or education.
Opportunities to connect with others, both for kids and adults
A mix of families, often from different backgrounds within the worldschooling space
Why hubs are not the same as schools
This can sometimes be tricky for some new worldschoolers
Many families come in expecting something similar to what they know from schools back home, but hubs don’t work like that. They are not schools with a curriculum. They are places with hands-on life experiences.
What to Keep in Mind When Choosing a Hub
Your experience starts long before you arrive; it starts with how well a hub communicates.
Before you book, make sure you understand what is actually included. What does the programme look like? What support is there? What is the environment like? What is not offered?
The clearer the picture you have upfront, the better your chances of a great experience. It comes down to fit, not luck.
Is This Worldschool Hub Legit? Here’s How to Check
With so many worldschool hubs out there right now, it can feel overwhelming trying to figure out which ones are actually worth joining. Some are brilliant. Some are still finding their feet.
And a few, honestly, aren’t quite ready to be taking families’ money yet. Here’s a simple step by step way to think about it before you sign up.
1. Understand Exactly What You Are Looking For
Before you even start looking at hubs, get clear on what you actually need. Ask yourself:
Is this the type of community I am looking for?
Is this the type of education I want for my child? (Not all hubs have a curriculum)
Do I want to join as a parent, or do I need a drop-off programme?
What would I like to gain from this experience?
What are my non-negotiables? (Remember — different countries, different cultures, different ways of parenting)
What is my budget?
Having a clear picture of what you are looking for makes it so much easier to filter out the hubs that simply aren’t the right fit, right from the start.
Remember:
Not all hubs are the same. Prices can vary depending on the country, the cost of running the program, and, most importantly, the value being offered. This includes the quality of activities, the expertise of the hub creator and facilitators, and the overall experience.
Rather than choosing a hub based on price alone, take the time to look at its values, purpose, and what you are truly looking for. Then decide if the price reflects the value for that specific country and experience.
2. Look at the People Behind the Hub
A legit hub is usually built by people who are visible and transparent. Ask yourself:
Who is organising this hub?
Do they share their background and experience?
Are they active in the worldschooling community?
Do they show their face and their story?
Are they open and honest with their doing?
You don’t need someone with a formal teaching degree, but it helps to know if they have worked with families, children, or communities before. Have they hosted groups or travel groups before? How long have they been worldschooling? Do they actually understand what worldschooling means, and does that fit with your values?
Some hubs are new and may not have hosted families before—and that’s completely fine. What matters is that they communicate this clearly and honestly. As long as there is transparency, and they don’t present themselves as more experienced than they are, clear communication is what truly counts.
If you can’t clearly see who is behind the hub, that is worth paying attention to. Understanding who they are and where they are coming from matters a lot.
3. Check Their Communication
Good hubs communicate clearly, even if they are new. Look for:
A clear website or information page
Transparent pricing (How much p.p or family)
A clear programme description
Dates, location, and program details
The option to book a call with the hub creator ( I always recomend to do this)
If you do reach out with questions, notice how they respond:
Do they answer openly and respectfully?
Do they take time to explain things properly?
Good communication is often a sign of good organisation behind the scenes. If getting a straight answer feels like hard work before you’ve even booked, it’s unlikely to get easier once you arrive.
4. Read Testimonials and Community Feedback
One of the best ways to check a hub is through other families. Look for:
Testimonials and reviews on their website
Google reviews
Families who have attended before , you can even reach out to them directly
Photos or stories from past gatherings
Posts in worldschooling Facebook groups asking if anyone has attended – Go to a Facebook group and give in the name of the hub/pop-up you will find a past post.
There are also pages like:
We are worldschoolers reviews
But again, I would take Facebook and website reviews with a grain of salt. Many people don’t share their experiences publicly, whether they are good or bad.
I’ve often seen happy families not leaving reviews at all, while negative experiences tend to stand out more. That doesn’t mean everyone is unhappy, it just means that feedback online doesn’t always reflect the full picture.
Community feedback is usually very honest. But some people just do not like to give comments on Facebook.
A personal conversation or personal feedback can sometimes help more.
That said, keep in mind that what didn’t work for one family might work really well for yours. There is a difference between one person’s personal experience and the overall quality of a hub. Read reviews with an open mind and heart. Listen to your gut, what feels good and what doesn´t.
5. Does It Sound Real, or Does It Sound Like a Selling Brochure?
Some hubs use a lot of beautiful, exciting words that don’t actually tell you much. Phrases like “authentic cultural experience,” “vibrant community,” or “heart-centred space” sound great, but on their own, they can mean very different things to different people. Keep that in mind.
It’s not just about the program or the price. A hub is about the overall experience, and that goes much deeper than simply selling something.
The way a hub communicates, through posts, content, and information, should help you understand what it truly stands for. It should give you insight into the hub’s values, purpose, ethics, parenting approach, and the methodology behind how things are run.
This helps you decide if it’s the right fit for you and your family.
That’s why get on a call with the hubs!
What you want to see is simple, concrete information, but also purpose and values (Do these values also fit my own values and purpose) , what is the “drive of this community”
Understand the program, but also the people!
If the writing feels AI-generated and blurry, dig deeper before trusting the experience will be any different.
I 100% do not agree with Hub or pop-ups that are showing AI pictures. This is for me a RED FLAG! It is not showing the real-life experience it is just selling a DREAM or WISH!
Ask questions; this is your research!
Real hubs can answer these things clearly, fast and simple
6. Ask the Questions That Matter to You
Hubs are not schools. They don’t automatically come with the same rules and safety systems that schools back home have. What is normal?
👉 This is worldschooling, not a school system.
You are dealing with strangers, so ask questions!
Things like:
What happens if my child gets sick?
Does your child have special needs that need to be communicated to the hub?
Is someone there to help with those special needs?
What is the plan if something goes wrong? (THIS EVERY HUB; CAMP, POP UP SHOULD BE ABLE TO TELL YOU!!)
A well run hub will have thought about this and be happy to answer. A poorly run one will be blurry or avoid the question, get angry or not answer at all.
SAFETY should be the priority in EVERY hub / Pop-up / Camp / Gathering or school!
👉 If not, RED flag!
7. Check How They Take Payment
This is a big one. You should always be paying through a proper business payment system, not someone’s personal PayPal, not a Venmo friends-and-family transfer, and definitely not a donation or tipping platform.
If a hub asks you to send money as a gift or through a casual payment app, that is a warning sign.
It usually means they are not properly set up as a business, which can make it very difficult to get your money back if things don’t work out.
8. Look for Proof That It Is Real
Real photos of real families doing real things (Again not AI)
Reviews from people in worldschooling communities
A social media page that has been active for a while, not just a few weeks (You can check this)
Word of mouth in worldschooling groups
Ask around. This community shares information freely, and honest feedback is easy to find.
9. Warning Signs
One key thing I look at is the group ratio. For example, if there are 15 children and only one facilitator, that’s a red flag for me. Just imagine if something happens, how can one person effectively manage the situation?
For me, this reflects poor planning and a lack of proper structure.
10.Free or Low-Cost Hubs / Travel Hubs
Some free (Paid when you arrive) or low-cost hubs may not be operating legally, which can also mean they are unintentionally taking opportunities away from local providers.
When a program isn’t set up properly, it often operates in a legal grey area.
There are ways to run these kinds of hubs correctly, but not all organisers take the time to do so. This can also have consequences for you as a parent, depending on the country’s regulations and laws, especially if something were to happen.
This is often one of the reasons for price differences between hubs or pop-up programs. Some charge more because they are set up properly, follow local regulations, and prioritise safety even while operating in other countries; they provide structure, are secure and well-organised.
11. Policies and Insurance
Before you book, make sure you can easily find the hub’s cancellation, refund, and transfer policies. These should not be hidden or hard to understand. You should also know exactly who to contact if you have questions about them.
On the insurance side, it is worth checking a few things. Does the hub carry any insurance for its programme? Do they encourage families to take out their own travel insurance, for things like illness, unexpected travel changes, or situations where the hub itself has to close? And do they remind you to have health insurance that covers you in the country you are visiting?
One thing to keep in mind: depending on where a hub is based, liability insurance can be very difficult or even impossible to get.
That does not automatically make a hub unsafe, but you should read through their information carefully so you know exactly what they cover and what they do not. If you need to get extra insurance for yourself during your stay.
If you need to look into some insurance, here are a few examples:
SafteyWing: SafetyWing Website
Genki: www.genki.world/with/
Note: Not every hub will fit you 100%, but it is also about the experiences and learnings we make on this journey.
Also, understanding ourselves and the people we meet. This blog is there to help you have a bit of a guideline, understanding how to differentiate hubs and what you are looking for.
12. What you get and what you do not get!
A good hub is clear about what you get, and just as importantly, what you DON`T. And being clear with that!
If you are reading through their information and still cannot figure out exactly what is covered, and you ask, but there is no clear information. RED FLAG!
13. Responding time
A hub should have a quick, clear response time to your questions, emails or WhatsApp. Except it is outside of their operating hours!
14. Understanding hub boundaries and community rules
This needs to be communicated and is nothing bad, if a hub has thought about this, great! They are putting their time and effort into creating a good community space experiance for everyone.
15. Copy and Marketing Hubs!
There have been cases where people simply copied another hub’s messaging and promotion, but the actual experience didn’t match what was promised. This is why doing your research is so important. If something sounds the same and familiar, think twice.
Another red flag is when one hub speaks negatively about another just to convince you to book with them instead. That’s not a good sign.
There is enough space for everyone in this space. There’s no need to put other hubs down or use them as a reason to promote your own.
16. Random people popping up
As a hub mentor, I can say that many hub creators put a huge amount of time, effort, and heart into what they build. They plan carefully, organise properly, and truly care about doing things the right way. Creating a solid hub takes time, often months.
When I see hubs suddenly appear, from people I’ve never seen before online or within the worldschooling community, and there’s little to no information about them, it raises concerns for me.
Creators who are building their hubs properly usually have some presence; you’ll see them sharing, engaging, and being part of the community over time.
17. Safety trained
Something that has triggered a lot of hub creators in the past is when I asked if they were safety and first aid trained! And if someone gave me a weird reaction to this, then I knew something was not sitting right! When hubs deal with children, this is the first thing they should have in place and be happy and open to talk about it!
18. Reviews and other hubs
For me personally, it’s also a red flag when people use other people’s negative reviews or experiences to promote their own hubs. Let me explain why.
Using someone else’s bad experience as a marketing tool to make your own hub stand out doesn’t feel right. In marketing, and in general, it can come across as taking advantage of another person’s weakness or difficult situation for personal benefit. To me, this already says something about the character behind the promotion, but also shows a lack of confidence in being able to highlight their own hub values in a positive way.
Hub creators should support one another in this space and treat reviews and complaints with respect, because situations like this can happen to anyone. No hub is perfect, and challenges can arise in any community.
When creators publicly use another hub’s negative reviews, it can create a “That hub is bad, come to ours instead” effect, which personally doesn’t leave a good impression on me.
If you come across complaints or reviews, read them carefully and find your own balance and perspective. There will always be families who had a wonderful experience and others who did not. At the end of the day, you need to make your own decision based on what feels right for your family.
Also, hub creators who build their marketing around criticizing others may eventually face the same challenges themselves, because not everything in community building runs perfectly. What matters most is not perfection, but how people handle situations, communicate, and grow from them.
Example:
Recently, I came across a hub promoting their own hub under someone else’s review. Out of curiosity, I decided to take a closer look, and a few things immediately made me skeptical.
The first thing I noticed was that there were two donation buttons on the website that didn’t even work properly. I could not see who is behind the donation and for what. This needs to be clear and transparent.
At the same time, it was very unclear who was actually even behind the project.
On Facebook, the profile was only under the hub name, with no clear personal profiles or information about the people running it. I had to search for quite a long time just to find any details. And was still not sure, only guessing. And still, I could not find more past details about this person on the org. Facebook profile.
Eventually, I found a website linked through Facebook, but it led to another page with a completely different name. Even there, it was still unclear who owned or operated the project. I could not find proper terms and conditions, ownership information, or transparency about who was responsible for the organization. Yet, they were asking for donations and presenting themselves as specialists for children with special needs.
What stood out to me most was how difficult it was to find basic information that should normally be easy to access. The social media pages only had a small number of followers, and despite spending a long time researching, I still struggled to understand who they were and what exactly they were offering.
The photos also raised questions for me. Most of them were general holiday or landscape pictures from different places, without showing community activities, families, learning experiences, or even the people behind the project. Yet at the same time, there were claims that they had been doing this work for a long time. Personally, that lack of transparency and consistency did not feel very legitimate to me.
The page also mentioned specializing in children with special needs, (What is great) yet I could not clearly find information about qualifications, experience, or professional background related to this after a while I found a small text but what was written was not enough to understand. When working with children, and especially with special needs support, transparency and trust matter even more and need to stand out.
Of course, every project starts somewhere, and small communities can grow into something beautiful over time. But when basic transparency is missing, especially when donations, children, or special needs support are involved, I personally prefer to step back, observe, and wait to see how things unfold before placing my trust in it.
If you find a suitable hub…….
Take your time, write down questions, and get on a call with the hub creator and ask questions. Reach out to families and then decide if this is a good fit or not.
Also remember, if a hub creator says, “This might not be the right fit for you and your family,” that’s not a bad thing; it’s honesty.
It can actually save both you and the hub creator time, money, and unnecessary stress. Rather than judging it, it’s something to appreciate.
It shows they care about alignment and are being open and genuine about it. Because not every hub will be a good fit.
Hub creators need to find the right families for their hubs, and families need to find the right hub for their family.
Other Blogs To Read…….
👉 Worldschooling hubs and families – How the world is changing: Click here to read more about hubs and families
👉 Want to create your own community or worldschooling hub?
Join OurWorld Hub Creator Community
👉 DOWNLOAD your Freebie “Become a hub creator”
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