Principles are great until one has to survive paying bills, for food, for a place to live. Maybe not so much principles as ideals.
I think of the hippies in the 60s who were so anti-establishment, so certain, and it's not that they were wrong about what they wanted, but the establishment won, and many went on to live quite vanilla lives. It's hard to raise kids in an establishment culture and keep rebelling against it. Many kept their ideals and tried to do their part while being in establishment jobs and living vanilla lives, and tried to pass those values onto their kids.
A couple years ago I was at a hostel in Mexico and some of the guests had met a European couple that day who had a 10-year-old child. They lived in a van and survived by selling a book they'd written. They seemed from what the people were saying to have an unconventional but comfortable lifestyle with a lot of freedom.
An Australian backpacker in his late twenties was very disturbed by the couple. He was adamant the child was being traumatized by being outside of its culture and not in a regular school.
I've met many expat kids who lead unconventional lives. I see them getting benefit from having non-establishment experiences, seeing the world, experiencing different cultures and freedom. The challenge comes when they decide they're ready to pursue their own lives. Some of them want to go to college, and if they can get in despite not having met the conventional requirements, it's challenging for them to function in their parents' country of origin with other students who have never spent a significant time outside of that culture; those people already "belong," and while the expat kid is worldly, they don't have a particular place they fit in.
(@FireFox, you may find what I'm going to write here interesting)
I'm just going to throw this all in one paragraph:
Being an expat is great for adults. It's a way to break free of the establishment, and there are many like-minded expats around the world. I've seen that one can break free, especially if they're young, by having only enough belongings to fit in a large backpack and work in volunteer jobs like hostels that cover food and accommodations. One can buy new clothes at second hand stores, or swap with coworkers, so things don't get stale. After the first job, it gets easier to find others. Some get diving instructor certifications and get the same benefits as well as pay. Some do it long enough that they can get paid manager positions or other specialty positions besides diving. Little jobs can be picked up here and there from expats who have money and big homes. There are lots of jobs like this, such as farms, and there are websites that advertise them. If someone is social, working in hostels can be really great, as they interact with co workers and guests from around the world, and social events are often a nightly occurrence. Some hostels also offer language lessons from locals, so one can learn quite cheaply and practice on the job with staff as well as with other locals at any time. They may find a local establishment run by an expat, such as a bar, and be able to rent someplace very cheaply. If they ever get tired of a place or just don't get along there, they can go to another, and if they get tired of the lifestyle, they can return home and find jobs in hospitality and other fields that match the skills they've acquired. They may want to work for an international organization. I've met young folks who've traveled around like this, gotten work experience, and gone home, but for many, the travel bug bites and they hate being home. Everyone at home, family and friends and society, think they're weird and pressure them to have "normal" lives, and they want to return to the free lives they had. Some do, some cave to the pressure. If one enjoys it, it's a pretty great lifestyle. Some find a romantic partner and share that lifestyle. I've met couples who run hostels together, or work at two different locations in the same area. And of course the networking potential is huge. If one makes friends who go on to other places, they'll get notified when work becomes available and get recommendations.
I myself have lived out of a backpack. It's really freeing to simplify. I used to own a condo, now I have very little, and I'm much more content.
