'They were not happy there at all': Parents ditch Derbyshire after agreeing five-year-old was too young for school
The pair are travelling with their children Margot, three, and Stanley, five, who should have been starting his first year at school this month.
A couple are set to save £18,000 a year by ditching the UK for Asia to world school their children who they say are "too young to sit behind a desk".
James Humphries-Stone, 38, and Hayley Griffiths, 42, are currently touring South Asia after giving up their lives in Derbyshire.
Instead, the family have sold most of their belongings - including their car - and rented out their home so they can travel and explore the world.
The couple believe the "outdated" educational system isn't right for their kids who they say are "too young to be sat behind a desk all day."
And they will have even made a profit when they finally return- as their trip works out £1,500 a month cheaper than living in the UK.
The family landed in Bangkok on Monday (15/9) and will move to Chang Mai next week, where they expect to spend the following four to six weeks.
They will move on to Laos, Vietnam, Cambodia, back to Thailand, the Philippines, Malaysia and Indonesia - which is expected to take around 12 months.
They are also planning to extend the trip into Australia and New Zealand - and say it might not even end there.
James said they came up with unconventional method after finding both children didn't enjoy their time in a nursery setting.
James, who runs his own estate agents brokering business, said: "We only decided to do this in April so it has been quite a quick turnaround.
"Both our children had been to nursery before but hated it, they were not happy there at all.
"I'm all for teaching resilience but we couldn't see any educational benefit from them being there.
"We looked at homeschooling but the UK system seems to mainly cater for those with special educational needs and our situation is different.
"I flippantly suggested whether we should go travelling and then Hayley happened to see a Youtube video on world schooling and said 'I'm in'.
"We believe they are too young to start school at this age.
"With world schooling you teach your children through the world, through interaction and experiences,
"Our interpretation of the school environment is that they will spend time behind desks and learning with textbooks.
"Our belief is that we can bring them here and teach them through exploring, through play.
"It's about learning through real-life experiences- they are learning counting through Thai currency at the moment for example.
"I was the same as school, I was not into text-book based learning, but physically show me how to do something and I could pick it up.
"Both my children are exactly the same so we thought it was too soon to send them into mainstream education and decided to do this instead.
"I think the school system is too employee minded and doesn't teach anything entrepreneurial. It works for some people who fit a particular mould.
"But young children are built to move, not to be stuck behind a desk.
"I think the system is outdated and not conducive to creativity. In areas a child excels, they are only really given two hours a week to explore that subject while forced to learn others.
"We're a very active family, so we just didn't see the school environment as very useful for him."
The couple have set aside £36,000 for the whole trip, which will cost them around £2,500-£3,000 a month while in Asia.
But they will be saving money by renting out their home while James continues to work remotely and the cost of living working out cheaper than the UK.
The monthly outgoings at home while living in a three-bedroomed semi-detached in Swanwick works out at around £3,500-£4,000 a month.
James added: "We're in a fortunate position - I really admire those who quit their jobs and sell their homes to do this.
"But we have still sold around 60 per cent of our belongings, including our car, the rest is in storage or in our suitcase.
"I own a business that is doing well, and Hayley is doing well also - and both of us only came out of school with one GCSE.
"It's a perfect example of not going through the conventional system of college and university, yet we still managed to live a life, and we're living life on our terms.
"I think the school system is designed to fit a very one-dimensional way of leading life: paying taxes, getting a mortgage, getting married, having children and conforming.
"We chose Asia as we believe it is one of safest destinations going, the people are so incredible and kind and welcoming.
"It is going to be some adventure and its about making memories for our children while making it an educational trip.
"Life is short, we only get a limited amount of time on this planet, so anyone thinking about it, I'd say just do it."
Stanley said: "My favourite thing so far has been seeing a monitor lizard at Lumphini Park and going on a Tuktuk ride."
Margot added: "I love all the cats and the pretty dresses we saw at the palace [Wat Arun]."
The family are documenting their trip on social media: @live.learn.befree.