A couple are set to save £18,000 a year by ditching the UK for Asia to ‘world school’ their children, who they claim are “too young to sit behind a desk”.
James Humphries-Stone, 38, and Hayley Griffiths, 42, have swapped their lives in Derbyshire for Southeast Asia, travelling with their children: Margot, three, and Stanley, five, who should have been starting his first year at school this month.
Instead, the family have flogged most of their possessions – including their car – and let out their home so they can jet off and explore the globe.
The pair reckon the “outdated” educational system isn’t suitable for their youngsters, who they say are “too young to be sat behind a desk all day.”
Since their adventure costs £1,500 a month less than living in the UK, the couple are even set to turn a profit when they return, reports the Manchester Evening News.
The family touched down in Bangkok on September 15 and will head to Chiang Mai next week, before journeying to Laos, Vietnam, Cambodia, back to Thailand, the Philippines, Malaysia, and Indonesia – which is expected to take around 12 months.
They are also planning to extend the trip into Australia and New Zealand.
James said they hatched their travel plans after discovering both children didn’t enjoy their time in a nursery setting.
James, who operates his own estate agents brokering business, said: “Both our children had been to nursery before but hated it, they were not happy there at all.
“I’m all for teaching resilience, but we couldn’t see any educational benefit from them being there. We looked at homeschooling, but the UK system seems to mainly cater for those with special educational needs, and our situation is different.
“I flippantly suggested whether we should go travelling and then Hayley happened to see a YouTube video on world schooling and said, ‘I’m in’.
“We believe they are too young to start school at this age. With world schooling, you teach your children through the world, through interaction and experiences.
“Our interpretation of the school environment is that they will spend time behind desks and learning with textbooks.
“Our belief is that we can bring them here and teach them through exploring, through play. It’s about learning through real-life experiences – they are learning counting through Thai currency at the moment, for example.”
He continued: “I think the school system is too employee-minded and doesn’t teach anything entrepreneurial. It works for some people who fit a particular mould. But young children are built to move, not to be stuck behind a desk.”
The pair have allocated £36,000 for the entire journey, which will set them back approximately £2,500-£3,000 monthly whilst in Asia.
However, they’ll be cutting costs by letting out their property while James carries on working remotely, and the living expenses are lower than in the UK. The monthly expenses for living in a three-bedroom, semi-detached house in Swanwick can range from £3,500 to £4,000.
James said: “We’re in a fortunate position – I really admire those who quit their jobs and sell their homes to do this.
“But we have still sold around 60 per cent of our belongings, including our car, the rest is in storage or in our suitcase.
“I own a business that is doing well, and Hayley is doing well also – and both of us only came out of school with one GCSE.
“It’s a perfect example of not going through the conventional system of college and university, yet we still managed to live a life, and we’re living life on our terms.
“I think the school system is designed to fit a very one-dimensional way of leading life: paying taxes, getting a mortgage, getting married, having children and conforming.
“We chose Asia as we believe it is one of the safest destinations going, the people are so incredible and kind and welcoming.
“It is going to be some adventure, and it’s about making memories for our children while making it an educational trip.
“Life is short, we only get a limited amount of time on this planet, so anyone thinking about it, I’d say just do it.”
Five-year-old Stanley shared: “My favourite thing so far has been seeing a monitor lizard at Lumphini Park and going on a Tuktuk ride.”
Three-year-old Margot chimed in: “I love all the cats and the pretty dresses we saw at the palace [Wat Arun].”