Traveling Abroad to Save Money
A British couple has found that traveling overseas can actually be more affordable than living at home. They decided to take a year-long trip around the world with their six-year-old daughter, citing that the costs of travel are less than their expenses back in the UK.
“We planned to spend less on travel than what we were paying at home, which seems a bit wild, but it’s true,” said Haley Trow, 37. She and her husband Lewis, 45, set their budget for the journey between $2,530 and $3,795.
During their planning for this “Gap Year,” which kicked off in July, they discovered that the costs of travel were significantly lower than their monthly expenses back home—a whopping $5,422 to $6,778 each month, with about half going towards living and renting in Cheshire.
“It was quite the eye-opener regarding our spending,” Haley reflected, now in Bali with her family. “When you break it down, our monthly household bills were £300 (approximately $406), and grocery spending came to around £200 ($271) a week, or nearly £100 ($135) a day.” In contrast, they currently enjoy an apartment with a pool that includes utilities in Bali.
The adventurous family first caught the travel bug after a trip to Australia in 2022 and realized they wanted to spend more time together and introduce their daughter to new experiences.
“We were both climbing the corporate ladder and found our lives were just two vacations a year,” Haley said, reflecting on her former career in recruitment. “So, we decided we needed a shift to prioritize more adventures and quality time with our daughter.”
Haley mentioned that their initial decision wasn’t easy; they faced skepticism from family and friends who questioned their choice to leave stable jobs and a comfortable lifestyle.
They spent seven months planning their gap year and had to move in with Lewis’ parents for six months to save as much as possible. They communicated with Nira’s school to ensure she could continue her education while traveling, and luckily, her school was very accommodating. Nira is now using online tutoring aligned with the UK curriculum and is also registered at a multicultural school in Bali.
“We worked hard to make this happen,” Haley shared. “It’s a small sacrifice for the chance to live differently.” Their journey began with a visit to Disneyland in Paris for Nira’s birthday, followed by a month touring various beautiful locations in Italy.
“We’ve been amazed by the places we’ve seen, and watching it through our daughter’s eyes is truly unforgettable,” Haley noted. They plan to stay in Bali until November before continuing their travels to Australia, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Sri Lanka, and the Maldives as the new year kicks off.
Haley remarked that while it hasn’t always been easy to leave home for an extended period, the experience has proven worthwhile. “We wanted to make memories now, not wait for ‘someday,'” she said, expressing hope that Nira would cherish these adventures rather than remember the stresses of work.
Haley urged other parents facing similar issues to take action rather than wait for the “perfect time.” “If you’re thinking about family travel, don’t postpone it until you get that promotion or face health concerns,” she advised. “There’s never a perfect moment; you just have to go for it as a family.”
Interestingly, there are services now available that facilitate family travel, like Boundless Life, which provides a way for families to embrace a location-independent lifestyle without losing community quality or educational standards. They offer furnished homes and a global education program, catering to families on the move.
A Florida mother, Diana Blanks, discovered one such service in Portugal while traveling. She noted that it provided her children with a community similar to traditional schooling, emphasizing that they still engage deeply with local culture through activities like cooking classes and tours.
