Ruth and Steven Rowe sold everything they owned and bought a one-way ticket to Sri Lanka
A couple claim they have saved approximately £36,000 by abandoning life in the UK to travel the globe with their children, living out of two suitcases on a budget of just £30 per day. Ruth and Steven Rowe “sold everything” they owned and purchased a one-way ticket to Sri Lanka back in 2023, and have been on the road ever since.
The pair decided to embark on their worldwide adventure after wanting to spend more time with their two young children before they began nursery and school. Ruth was also far from keen on the cold and wet British climate, so the couple are now world-schooling their children, Aurora, four, and Atlas, three, in far-flung locations. The family have already visited 17 different countries, ticking off bucket-list destinations including Costa Rica, Guatemala, Ecuador, and Indonesia.
‘We’re saving thousands of pounds a year’
Staying for four weeks at a time in Airbnbs, they have explored the likes of Thailand, Malaysia, Cyprus, the USA, Colombia and Peru — all while saving around £12,000 a year. The family have spent the past five months living and travelling across India, and next year they are planning to tour a further 10 countries throughout Europe in a campervan.
Ruth, 34, and Steven, 35, had previously been renting a barn conversion in the village of Eardisley, Herefordshire, and welcomed both children during the Covid-19 pandemic. Having long harboured dreams of travelling full-time, they sold “pretty much everything” via Facebook Marketplace or at car boot sales, before setting off with a couple of suitcases of clothes and a handful of toys. At present, the family have no plans to return permanently to the UK and are keen to continue world schooling – spending around £2,000 a month, compared to £3,000 when they were living back home.
Ruth said: “We had travelled before and for us it got to the stage where we were going to put the kids into nursery and it just didn’t feel like the right time. We wanted more time with them as we know those early years are precious, so we thought, why not just do it? So we did.
“We sold pretty much everything we owned, which was an exhilarating experience – we mainly sold it through Facebook Marketplace and car boot sales. So our car, our furniture, everything but a couple of memory boxes with some of the children’s things inside and a few clothes.
“We set off at the start with two big suitcases – a medium and a small one – and a stroller. And since then we’ve downsized to just two suitcases – it is really surprising how little you really need.
“Possessions don’t make you happy, life experiences do. We bought a one-way ticket to Sri Lanka not knowing if or when we were coming back and we haven’t stopped since.
“We’ve been travelling full-time ever since, slow-exploring the world as a family, while my husband runs his coaching business remotely and we embrace world schooling on the road. It’s been beautiful, chaotic, challenging and incredibly freeing.”
Educating their children along the way
The couple say their children are now educated through “life experiences” – whether that be picking up Spanish in Latin America or learning about volcanoes while hiking in Peru. They say eliminating screen time entirely during their travels has helped the youngsters to become more patient and creative.
Ruth added: “They are also learning counting through things like paying a tuk-tuk driver in different currencies and the first time Aurora ever wrote her name was in sand on a beach with a stick. We give them no screen time at all, which I think has taught them patience on their travels and to be more creative when they are bored sitting on a bus.
“They thought the TV back home was a radio, as we’d only use it for Spotify, and we think that’s allowed their imagination to flourish. I have just seen their confidence grow so much and of course there’s no way of really telling how they would have been at home, but they are just so open and talk to anyone – young and old.
“I will sit down and teach them some reading and phonics and writing, but we’re not rigid with it and it’s still very much about learning through playing. It wasn’t a case of we hated the UK – we just love the world. But I was never a fan of the cold and rain, so that is something I don’t miss. The only thing I miss is friends and family and also British chocolate.”
Supporting themselves financially on their travels
The couple also sustain themselves financially through Steven’s online coaching business, which he is able to operate from anywhere across the globe.
Steven said: “These positive environments have brought such positive developments so far in our children. Atlas was swimming independently at two.
“This way, they get one-to-one without being part of the larger school system, which we have no issue with, we just see the benefits from doing it this way. We make sure the children are at the centre of what we do, we always research kids’ clubs and activities wherever we stay.
“They are loving learning about all the wildlife too – we had iguanas and sloths outside our doors in Costa Rica. Aurora had surf lessons in Bali and will be sandboarding in the Peruvian desert, it’s magical for them. We use Airbnbs mainly, but I’ve been working out of little cupboards in some places – it has been challenging at times, but we’re in a fortunate position.”
The countries they have visited so far
Sri Lanka
Indonesia
Thailand
Malaysia
Cyprus
USA
Guatemala
Costa Rica
Colombia
Ecuador
Peru
Bolivia
Brazil
India
Nepal
Portugal
Morocco
Follow their travels via Instagram.
