We didn’t leave the UK because it was easy.
We left because staying the same felt harder.
That sentence pretty much sums up everything.
Life in the UK Looked Fine… And That Was the Problem
Before we left the UK, our life looked completely normal.
School runs.
Work.
Quick dinners.
Weekends that disappeared too fast.
And a cost of living that made everything feel tight, even though we were working hard and not living beyond our means.
And the thing is… we weren’t unhappy.
We were fine.
That almost made it worse, because there was no big dramatic reason to leave. There was this constant, nagging feeling that there was more to life than this. That life was passing us by and we needed it to slow down somehow.
We kept asking ourselves questions we didn’t really want to answer:
- Is this it now?
- Is this what the next 20 years look like?
- Are we just meant to wait for weekends… and then retirement?
I know so many families sit in this space where nothing is technically wrong, but something feels deeply off.
The Fears That Kept Us Stuck for Years Before We Left The UK
We had travelled for years before having Jai – we met in Thailand, moved to Australia, then spent years travelling in Asia, and visiting Central and South America, Europe and around Australia.
We were no strangers to packing up and hitting the road.
But the fears had crept in now we had a child….
Fear number one: money.
We’re a budget family. We didn’t have savings stacked up for a big adventure. We own our home, but didn’t have a big income and our monthly expenses ate much of what we earned. If we left the UK, would we have enough money to support ourselves?
Fear number two: school.
What about Jai? Would we mess things up? Would people judge us for taking him out of the system? Should he be in school, or at least in a stable environment with friends and family nearby? What he be lonely or struggle making friends?
Fear number three: judgement.
From family. Friends. Well meaning strangers. Everyone has an opinion and although most people were supportive, there were some concerns raised, especially in relation to Jai and his schooling in we left the UK.
The Moment Everything Changed
There wasn’t a dramatic turning point.
No one stormed out of a job.
No big argument.
No overnight plan.
It was a gradual realisation that things weren’t how we wanted them to be.
We had always intended to leave the UK after Jai was born, but somehow we just got stuck in the day to day routines and systems that we all live with. School, jobs, weekends, summer holidays…..it all just felt so mundane and “normal”.
And we wanted something different.
So when Jai was 6, we started talking about the possibility of moving back to Australia. And then the conversation moved on to worldschooling and travelling.
At the same time, we started having problems at Jais’ school – not Jai, but with the school itself. Other kids fighting, bullying, teachers leaving, understaffed classrooms, talk of class sizes growing…..common issues in UK schools across the country.
We also wanted to take Jai out of school to visit family in Australia, and the school told us it had to be in school holidays – either Christmas (not long enough and far too expensive to fly to Australia), or summer holidays (winter in Oz). Neither worked for us.
So we decided to remove him from the system, the system that had so much control over our lives, and so much say in how we raise our child and live as a family.
We homeschooled for a short while, then made that decision to leave the UK.
“You Must Be Rich” – The biggest myth about how we left the UK
The number one comment we get is:
“You must be rich.”
And I get it. That’s what travel looks like online – luxury villas, infinity pools, £500 days out.
But that’s not how we do things.
We eat simple food – local restaurants, street food, and cooking at home in our kitchen when possible.
Taking local transport or rent scooters to get about.
Staying in homestays, budget Airbnbs, basic guesthouses, and rent long term from local families.
Living very real, very ordinary days, just somewhere else.
We don’t miss out on experiences when we travel this way – we just choose what to spend our money on. If we save on our accommodation, we get to spend more on days out. We don’t do every tourist attraction in an area, but we select the ones that we would really enjoy as a family.
How We Actually Left The UK (No Magic Involved)
I want to be really clear here, because this part matters…..
We’re not special. This isn’t luck. And it’s definitely not secret money.
Here’s what actually made it possible:
1. We downsized hard.
We sold things we didn’t really need (lots of things!), cancelled subscriptions – we had so many unnecessary subscriptions to Netflix, Amazon Prime and more. And we stopped spending on things we didn’t truly need. No more mindless purchases on Amazon at 11pm!
We got more intentional about what we actually spent money on with groceries, toys, household items….do we actually need this or is it a luxury item right now?
2. We chose cheap regions first.
We started in Southeast Asia where our money stretched further and life is simpler. First we flew to Thailand, then travelled overland to Vietnam and Cambodia. This part of the world is easy for travelling with kids and is full of first-time travellers and families who have left the UK. It’s cheap, safe, easy to navigate and super friendly – a no-brainer for us!
Currently we’re in India which is even cheaper, and still with a fantastic community of worldschoolers and families who have also left the UK to find an easier life.
3. We travel slowly.
Staying in places for weeks (sometimes months) cuts costs massively.
We rent accommodation long-term, negotiating better rates and having facilities that allow us to save money on eating out all the time. We can also get better rates on scooter hire, find local restaurants to eat cheaper, get to know local people and businesses, all of which helps us save money long term.
4. We don’t chase Instagram moments.
No fancy cafés every day. Doing constant tours. Or pressure to make it look perfect.
Real life isn’t Instagram – there are hard days, boring days, stressful days, and tried days. If we spent all our time, money and energy on chasing those Insta-perfect shots, we’d burnout really fast.
What We Gained That We Never Expected
This is the part no one really talks about. How life changed in the most unexpected ways.
Time.
We actually have time now. Not rushed mornings and busy weekends. Actual, full days together.
We get to wake up when we want and eat breakfast without the morning rush to get out the door. We can spend the day together, chilling out at the beach, or exploring new cities. There’s no need to be anywhere at a certain time, which allows us to really be present and connected with our days.
Watching Jai grow in real ways.
His confidence has grown so much since we left the UK. He has developed a real curiosity about the world, meeting new people, seeing different ways of living life, discovering new cultures and religions. He has become more independent, learning in ways he never could in traditional UK schools.
Travelling has allowed Jai to grow and learn in the world through challenges and experiences that only this way of living could provide.
Our relationship shifted.
Having so much time together as a couple has had it’s challenges, for sure – going from only seeing each other in the evenings and weekends in the UK, to all day, every day, in all kinds of situations and environments can be challenging.
But it has also naturally shifted our relationship as we get to know each other more deeply again, and as we discover things about ourselves we didn’t know before.
Travel has a way of showing you who you are, what you believe, how you respond to life, and what really matters to you.
We feel alive again.
Not in a dramatic, “travel influencer” way.
In a quiet, grounded, peaceful way.
The Reality Check (Because Leaving the UK Isn’t a Fairytale)
Is it easy? No.
Travel days are exhausting, whether that’s airports, train journeys or overnight buses.
Budgets are tight, and sometimes it’s hard to stick to a budget when you (and the kids) want to have some luxury. But being adaptable and flexible are skills we’ve all had to learn
We’ve had homesick days, sick days, visa stress, long nights, and mosquito bites that drove us crazy!
Some days are messy. Loud. Frustrating.
But even on the hard days… it still feels like the right life for us.
A Little Permission to Leave the UK, If You Need It
If you’re here because part of you is dreaming of something different, let me say this gently:
You don’t have to be rich, or brave, and you don’t have to wait for the perfect time.
You only have to decide that you want your life to feel like yours again.
That’s all we did.
And if you’re not ready yet? That’s okay too.
Sometimes the first step is just admitting the question out loud.
You don’t have to figure this out alone.
I share our real numbers, decisions, mistakes, and mindset shifts for families who feel stuck but curious.
Everything lives here → Real Travel Family