AS MOST mums shopped for school shoes and lunchboxes, Hayley Trow was instead picking up a pair of Minnie Mouse ears for her daughter.
Rather than preparing for year 4, the now 37-year-old mum, was treating six-year-old Nyla to a day in Disneyland.
Hayley and Lewis Trow have taken their daughter Nyla, 6, out of school for a year[/caption]
The couple say that their cost of living has decreased even after a trip to Disney[/caption]
The parents won’t be homeschooling their daughter, instead relying on online tutors[/caption]
And Hayley and her husband Lewis, won’t be rushing their daughter back to the school run anytime soon, in fact this will be her life for the next year as the family embark on a non-stop holiday.
The parents are currently taking a “gap year” to travel the world with their six-year-old daughter and say the adventure is cheaper than it would have been to remain in the UK.
Hayley and Lewis have “traded boardrooms for beaches” in order to make once-in-a-lifetime memories with their little girl, Nyla.
It has meant leaving their jobs, home and family behind, deregistering Nyla from school, plus spending months saving and planning in advance.
But, despite crossing continents after leaving their home in Warrington, Cheshire behind in mid-July, Hayley, 37, and Lewis, 45, have been stunned to discover they are actually saving money being on the road.
“We’ve budgeted our travel costs to be less than our UK outgoings, travelling midrange, which is crazy – but completely puts into perspective UK living costs currently,” Hayley says.
The couple settled on a budget of £2,000-3,000 per month – enough for them to visit all of their dream locations.
When they started cutting back in order to save for the trip, they realised how much they had been spending at home – with their outgoings averaging £4,000-5,000 per month.
It’s a far cry from their current living and rental costs, which average £1,500-£2,000 per month, and they estimate their outgoings are 50% less.
Saving money hadn’t even been on their agenda when they first started planning the trip, which was inspired by an extended holiday they took to Australia in 2022 – catching the travel bug.
Hayley, who worked in IT recruitment until quitting her job for the year of travel, says: “We’d both spent years climbing the ladder, working towards leadership roles, spending time in boardrooms and endless meetings – but it got to the point where we realised we were living for two holidays a year.
“We wanted more time together, more adventure, and more freedom for our daughter.
“So we traded boardrooms for Bali beaches – and it’s been the best decision we’ve ever made.”
However, Hayley says that it was also one of the toughest decisions they’ve made.
She continues: “We were anchored down to the UK way of living, so when it came to stripping back our lifestyle and everything we’d worked towards in our careers, it was a real eye-opener as to how much we were spending.
“Household bills were £300 a month, our food shop cost £200 a week, and a day out would cost around £100.
“In comparison, right now we have an apartment with a pool including bills in Bali that costs us £500 a month.”
Hayley and Lewis, who works in recruitment and is taking a one-year sabbatical from his position, also knew they would face concern from friends and family about the unconventional choice.
As well as wanting to spend more time together, the couple wanted more ‘freedom’ for their daughter[/caption]
The parents say that Nyla’s school were ‘understanding’ about her dropping out[/caption]
The family four weeks travelling around Italy – including Lake Como, Milan, Venice, Florence, Rome, Naples and Puglia[/caption]
Hayley adds: “Something as bold as this can be hard for people to understand.
“Friends and colleagues thought we were mad to walk away from stable, well-paid jobs and a nice lifestyle.
“We’ve even had people say we’re selfish to take Nyla out of school and risk her falling behind.
“Others couldn’t get their head around why we’d throw away years of climbing the career ladder.
“But at the end of the day, we know deep down that we didn’t want to wait for the“perfect time” that never comes.
“When you’ve followed the norms of society for so long, most people around you question why you would leave your well-paid jobs and a comfortable lifestyle.
“To get up and leave can feel daunting, but we knew deep down it was the right decision for us as family.”
The family spent seven months planning how to make the trip a reality, which included leaving their rented home to live with Lewis’ parents for half a year to save as much money as possible.
When she looks back, she won’t remember us being stressed about work – she’ll remember chasing waterfalls in Bali
Hayley Trow
Hayley explains: “We worked hard to completely strip back our lifestyle.
“It was a small sacrifice, the way we see it, for the opportunity to live differently.
“We’ve budgeted enough to cover a year of travel at around £3000-£4000 a month, but we actually spend far less each month travelling than we ever did at home.
“People assume you need to be rich to do this, but really it’s about choosing a different lifestyle and cutting out the excess.”
They also had to inform Nyla’s school, who they say were “very supportive”, with the parents finding the process was surprisingly simple.
Nyla has been having online tutoring that aligns with the UK curriculum while they have been away, and they have enrolled her temporarily at a multi-cultural school in Bali to continue her education.
The family kickstarted their travels in Disneyland Paris celebrating Nyla’s birthday, before spending four weeks travelling around Italy – including Lake Como, Milan, Venice, Florence, Rome, Naples and Puglia.
From there, they flew to Bali, where they will remain and continue exploring until November.
Hayley says: “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.”
After Bali, they will travel to Australia and have booked a campervan to explore the country.
In the New Year, they will move on to Singapore, followed by Malaysia, Thailand, Sri Lanka, and the Maldives.
While it’s hard for them to be away from home, the family says it’s well worth it.
Hayley adds: “It’s all worth it because we’ll never get this time back.
How easy is it to move abroad?
Brexit means British citizens now have to apply for visas to move to countries within the EU. While some countries residency restrictions are easier than others, here’s what you need to do at home before moving:
- Notify HMRC about your upcoming move.
- Let your local authority know and provide a forwarding address.
- Contact your mortgage and utility providers and bank before leaving.
- If you have paid enough UK national insurance contributions, you can qualify for a state pension abroad – contact the International Pension Centre.
- You can sign up to the Royal Mail’s redirection service.
- If you have outstanding student loans, contact the Student Loans Centre.
- If you have children, give due notice to childcares and schools.
“At six years old, Nyla still wants to spend every second with us, and we know that won’t last forever.
“We wanted to make memories now, not ‘one day’.
“When she looks back, she won’t remember us being stressed about work – she’ll remember chasing waterfalls in Bali.”
Hayley admits that isn’t all ‘chasing waterfalls.’
“Tantrums still happen, the heat can be overwhelming, and spending 24/7 together is a huge adjustment from our old lives,” she says.
“But compared to juggling the school run with late-night emails?
“We’ll take the chaos of travel any day.”
The couple admit they are prone to the odd argument.
“Of course we clash – we’re human. We argue about directions, what to eat – the silly stuff,” says Hayley.
“But honestly, it’s made us stronger. Instead of juggling work stress, endless commutes, and barely seeing each other in the evenings, we now have all of this quality time together. “We’ve gone from a couple of hours in the evening together to 12 hour days so it’s learning to be patient with each other and enjoying the new dynamic.”
The couple admits that travelling as a family can make it more difficult to be intimate.
Hayley explains: “Travelling as a family means privacy can be limited but what we’ve gained is closeness.
“We’ve never spent this much time together, and it’s changed the whole dynamic of our relationship but we didn’t come away to spice up our sex life; we came to create memories. And those are what will last.
“We also don’t plan on having any more kids, travelling with one is already a big enough adventure.”
She’ll return with stories most kids can’t even imagine, and that will only enrich her school life
Hayley Trow
Hayley says that Nyla has also got used to life away from home and her friends.
She says: “Of course she misses them, she frequently chats to her school friends on video calls and she knows that everyone back home is just a call away.
“But she’s also made new friends on the road and is constantly meeting people from different cultures.
“She’s so resilient – more than we even expected.”
And while the parents have faced criticism about their decision to take Nyla out of school they say they believe the positives far outweigh the negatives.
Hayley says: “How Nyla will re-intergrate is definitely a thought in the back of our minds; however we believe this experience will give her adaptability and confidence – skills that will help her long after this travel year is over.
“She’ll return with stories most kids can’t even imagine, and that will only enrich her school life.
“At Nyla’s age, we know it will have an impact on her life and future development as she grows and we are so grateful to have this time together to reconnect and explore the world as a family.
“I’d recommend to any family that has similar aspirations to travel as a family to do it – don’t wait.
“Don’t put it on hold until you’ve got the promotion or had the health scare, or lost a loved one.
“There’s no right timing – you’ve just got to be all in as a family.”
Hayley says she wants to make the most of her daughter wanting to spend time with them[/caption]