The New Budget Travel: Globetrotting as a Cost-Saving Strategy

In a surprising twist on conventional wisdom, international travel is emerging as a financially savvy alternative to the soaring cost of staying put. One UK family has discovered that circumnavigating the globe with their young daughter is actually less expensive than maintaining their life back home. Hayley and Lewis Trow, along with their six-year-old daughter Nyla, embarked on a year-long journey in July and found that their travel budget of $2,530-$3,795 per month is significantly less than the $5,422-$6,778 they were spending monthly in Cheshire. The revelation was eye-opening: “It was a real eye-opener as to how much we were spending,” Hayley explained. “Household bills were £300 a month, our food shop cost £200 a week, and a day out would cost around £100.” By contrast, their current accommodations in Bali include an apartment with a pool for just £500 ($675.69) monthly, bills included. This dramatic difference in living expenses has transformed what began as a lifestyle decision into a financially prudent move as well.

The Trows’ journey wasn’t initially motivated by economics but by a desire to break free from the conventional corporate grind. After a 2022 trip to Australia ignited their wanderlust, the couple – both successful in recruitment careers – realized they were “living for two holidays a year” and wanted more for themselves and their daughter. “We’d both spent years climbing the ladder, working towards leadership roles, spending time in boardrooms and endless meetings,” Hayley reflected. The desire for greater freedom, more family time, and broader horizons for Nyla prompted their decision to “trade boardrooms for Bali beaches.” This shift in priorities represents a growing sentiment among professionals who question whether career advancement is worth sacrificing time, experiences, and family connections. For the Trows, the answer was clear, though not without challenges. Family members initially questioned their decision to leave well-paying jobs and comfortable lives, and the couple themselves found the prospect “daunting” at first.

Preparing for their global adventure required meticulous planning and significant sacrifices. The couple spent seven months organizing their gap year, arranging sabbaticals from their jobs, and moving in with Lewis’s parents for six months to maximize their savings. They worked closely with Nyla’s school, which was “very supportive” of their plans, and arranged for her education to continue through online tutoring that aligns with the UK curriculum. They even enrolled her temporarily in a multicultural school in Bali, ensuring her education wouldn’t suffer despite their nomadic lifestyle. “We worked hard to completely strip back our lifestyle,” Hayley explained, viewing these temporary sacrifices as worthwhile for the opportunity to “live differently.” Their journey began with a special trip to Disneyland Paris for Nyla’s birthday, followed by a month exploring Italy’s treasures – Lake Como, Milan, Venice, Florence, Rome, Naples, and Puglia – before settling in Bali until November.

The family’s itinerary is both ambitious and carefully structured, balancing adventure with practicality. After their current stay in Bali, they plan to tour Australia in a campervan before continuing to Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Sri Lanka, and the Maldives in the new year. Throughout their travels, which they document on Instagram, they’ve prioritized educational experiences for Nyla, believing that these real-world encounters provide invaluable learning opportunities. “We’ve been in awe of some of the places we’ve seen, and ticking off historic landmarks whilst experiencing the world through our little girl’s eyes has made it even more magical,” Hayley shared. While being away from home for extended periods presents challenges, Hayley firmly believes the benefits outweigh the difficulties. “We wanted to make memories now, not ‘one day,'” she explained, emphasizing how these experiences positively impact Nyla’s development. “When she looks back, she won’t remember us being stressed about work – she’ll remember chasing waterfalls in Bali.”

For families contemplating similar journeys, Hayley offers straightforward advice: “Don’t wait.” She encourages others not to postpone their dreams until after career milestones or life-changing events, arguing that “there’s no right timing – you’ve just got to be all in as a family.” While organizing a gap year requires substantial planning, various services now exist to help families transition to global lifestyles. Boundless Life, for example, provides “fully furnished, family-friendly homes, vibrant coworking hubs, and a forward-thinking and place-based global education program” across seven countries. This service allows families to travel while maintaining educational continuity, with children potentially completing one semester in Bali and another in Tuscany. The concept of “roam-schooling” is gaining traction among adventurous families seeking both global experiences and educational stability for their children.

The rise of remote work has dramatically expanded possibilities for families like the Trows, enabling them to reimagine traditional notions of home, work, and education. Diana Blinks, a Florida mother of three who discovered similar services while backpacking globally with her family, praises the “homeschooling hubs” that provide her children with peer interactions comparable to conventional schools. These hubs also serve as social gathering places where families forge “lasting friendships” while still enjoying immersion in local cultures through activities like cooking classes and historical tours. As living costs continue to climb in many Western countries, more families may find that global mobility offers not just enriching experiences and educational benefits, but also unexpected financial advantages. The Trows’ story suggests that sometimes, the path to both fiscal responsibility and fulfillment might lead away from home rather than toward it – challenging conventional wisdom about the economics of travel and the meaning of responsible family life in the modern world.