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Adventure by Chicken Bus
An Unschooling Odyssey through Central America
by Janet LoSole
Imprint: Resource Publications
Embarking on a homeschooling field trip to Central America is stressful enough, but add in perilous bridge crossings, trips to the hospital, and a lack of women's underwear, and you have the makings of an Adventure by Chicken Bus.
Buckling under a mountain of debt, Janet LoSole and her family are at their wits' end. Determined to make a drastic change, they sell all worldly possessions and hit the road. With only a few items of clothing, a four-person tent, and little else, the family visits a sleepy island backwater in Costa Rica to save endangered sea turtles. In Panama, they bounce around like turnips in the back of a vegetable truck to reach an isolated monkey sanctuary. In Guatemala, they scale the ancient Mayan temples of Tikal.
In between tales of begging rides from total strangers and sleeping overnight in the jungle with an indigenous family, Janet endorses community-based travel--supporting local businesses and favoring public transportation called chicken buses. She also writes candidly about what it takes to travel long-term with two little girls amid the chaos of border crossings, erratic drivers, and creepy crawlies lurking at the edge of the jungle.
Janet LoSole is a freelance writer living in Ontario, Canada. She holds a bachelor of education degree (French) and is a certified TESOL instructor. Janet is a staunch advocate of community-based tourism. She and her husband use responsible world travel as the primary educational resource for their two homeschooled daughters.
"Anyone who puts her children and the ecology of the planet ahead of herself is a singular person in my book. But this is Janet LoSole's book, full of daring adventures, selfless volunteerism, and endless curiosity--a must for community-based travelers. Adventure by Chicken Bus is a delightful romp into Central America and an important story for our time."
--Karin Esterhammer, author of So Happiness to Meet You: Foolishly, Blissfully Stranded in Vietnam
"Helping children learn without school is always an adventure. Doing it while backpacking and adjusting to and respecting foreign cultures makes it an epic adventure. This family's story will keep you spellbound. It will make you laugh, cry, and hold your breath in fear, and help you appreciate both the value and joy of learning from life."
--Wendy Priesnitz, editor of Life Learning Magazine
"Janet LoSole's entertaining and instructive book about her adventures traveling for nineteen months through Central America with her husband and their daughters, ages eight and five, occasionally sends a chill down the spine of any parent, with harrowing tales like clinging to the edge of a shaky bridge over a river to avoid being hit by passing trucks while crossing the border from Costa Rica into Panama. But this story will also light a fire in the heart of parents who wish for their children to experience other places and cultures."
--Michael Lanza, author of the National Outdoor Book Award-winning Before They're Gone: A Family's Year-Long Quest to Explore America's Most Endangered National Parks
"Buckle up for an unforgettable ride; an emotional journey that takes the reader on an exciting family adventure like no other!"
--Alan Mallory, author of The Family that Conquered Everest
"Adventure by Chicken Bus is a fascinating look at one family's journey of international travel, cultural immersion, personal discovery, and learning together through it all."
--Kerry McDonald, author of Unschooled: Raising Curious, Well-Educated Children Outside the Conventional Classroom
"Brave and inspiring, Adventure by Chicken Bus immediately draws you in with its honesty and color. . . . This book has so many important messages about parenting, caring for the planet, and daring to strive for something more from life."
--Mia Taylor, award-winning senior staff writer for TravelPulse
"Adventure by Chicken Bus follows the experiences of a young Canadian couple keen to teach their children to treat others with respect, regardless of background, income, and material possessions, and appreciate the differences between their privileged lives and those of the Majority World."
--Clare Weeden, University of Brighton
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