'The world is their classroom': Yorkshire teacher couple who set off travelling with a seven-week-old have 'home schooled' their kids in 18 countries

Teachers Emma Tryon, 36, and Peter, 37, decided to take their kids - aged four and one-and-a-half - on an around-the-world adventure.They wanted to teach them about other cultures and the natural world - breaking away from a traditional UK classroom environment.

Both teachers, the pair 'home school' their children on the go - from yurts, hostels, treehouses and hotels - visiting 18 different countries with their family.

The family has been travelling since their eldest was seven weeks old and have been jet setting on-and-off ever since.

The kids have been learning to cook in Morocco, to surf in Thailand, charity work in Cambodia, lake swimming in Kirgizstan, hiking in Switzerland, and 'ninja skills' in Japan.

Emma, who used to teach design and technology, from Sheffield, Yorkshire, said: "All we need is a pen and paper - the world is our classroom.

"We teach our boys the basics - like maths and English - but travelling the world allows us to go beyond that.

"Our sons experience things they'd never get the chance to living in the UK - if they had a traditional education."

The couple hiked with their eldest son in Japan to teach him about Japanese snow monkeys and they even stayed in an off-grid eco home in Morocco to teach him about sustainability.

Adventurous Emma and Peter got together while backpacking in Cambodia in 2011.

Together they’ve travelled to over 50 countries - including Columbia, Japan and Indonesia.

They got engaged in Thailand in October 2011 and tied the knot in Corbridge, Northumberland, in August 2012.

The couple returned to the UK in 2016 to visit family, but Emma fell pregnant, and their short visit turned into a more permanent family set up.

They both worked several minimum wage jobs until Peter got a more permanent role teaching secondary science.

The pair found they quickly slipped back into a 'normal Western lifestyle' - before realising it didn't suit them.

They continued to take long back packing trips with their eldest from as young as seven weeks old. Seeing the learning opportunities from their shorter trips inspired them to embark on their adventures full time.

They packed up only the essentials and gave away everything else that they didn’t need – before heading off to Thailand in August 2021.

Emma said: "We tried to settle down and live a sensible life.

"We did what everyone strives to - a house, marriage, kids - but it just never felt right for our family.

"We love having the freedom to travel and to experience new things.

"We didn't want our family to be tied to one place."

Domestic life didn’t suit the intrepid couple, and the social expectations and norms of Western life didn’t align with what the family wanted.

“My baby would cry whenever Peter would go to work because he missed him so much. It was really sad, and we just didn’t want that for our family,” Emma said.

When their eldest son was old enough to start school, they realised that the family would have to start spending even less time together.

The family decided to defy expectations and live their lives the way they wanted instead.

They gave away their belongings and now they only own what they can carry on their backs – they only check in one bag between them at airports.

“Possessions weigh you down,” Emma said.

"We travel light and teach the boys to value experiences over material goods.”

On their travels, the family has visited 18 different countries - and they don't plan on slowing down anytime soon.

They have maths lessons by visiting local markets and science lessons through walking through jungles – and teach the boys about the plants and natural world around them.

Although it may sound like the family are on one big holiday, they ensure that their days are structured by a routine and are full of education.

Emma said: “When we wake up in the morning, we start the day with some exercise, then we do some reading with the boys. Then we have one-on-one time with them.

"With our eldest that might be maths or English lessons, and with our youngest it’s playing together and singing songs.

"It just might be that we're on the beach whilst teaching and learning - or beside a beautiful lake, up in the mountains or in the middle of a forest - rather than stuck in four walls.

“In the afternoon we do educational activities, whether that be visiting elephants and learning how to make loo roll out of elephant poo, or teaching them to swim in the ocean.”

Speaking about how they make their lifestyle work practically, Emma said: “It’s a simple lifestyle and surprisingly affordable.

"Street food in Asia is really healthy and cheap, it’s the equivalent of £1 a meal and there’s no washing up at the end which is great for me.

“Life will always have its challenges. Running a household has so many logistical challenges and it just wasn't me - I was terrible at it.

"I could see people around me doing domestic life so well and being so content, but it just didn’t feel like that was going to be our path. It didn’t feel like what we were made for.

"We choose our own challenges by living the way we do, it just works for us.”

In Thailand the couple taught their boys about conservation by spending time at a Thai elephant sanctuary.

They learnt about Thai culture through art classes with local artists. They have also done Thai cooking classes with their sons and even learnt how to make paper out of elephant poo.

In Japan their eldest son learnt about the culture through staying in a Buddhist monastery on Mount Koyasan. He also learnt about Japanese snow monkeys through hiking through the hills to find them.

In Morocco, the boys learnt how to live sustainably by spending time in an off-grid eco home.

Peter and Emma saved up while living in the UK, living humbly to fund their adventures.

They now work as digital nomads, running a website called thebackpackingfamily.com and they share their journey on their social media channels and their Youtube channel The Backpacking Family.