How We Did It, What We Learned, and Why You Can Too
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In 2022, our family pressed pause on everyday life to embark on an unforgettable five-month backpacking adventure across Asia with our three children. We left our jobs, took the kids out of school, rented out our house, and swapped daily routines for street food, tuk-tuks, and adventure.
From exploring ancient temples in Cambodia to hiking volcanoes in Indonesia, and from the bustling street markets of Vietnam to the tranquil beaches of Sri Lanka, this journey was more than a holiday—it was a life-changing family travel experience filled with learning, growth, and connection.
Whether you’re dreaming of long-term family travel in Asia or wondering how to make it happen, here’s everything we learned after five incredible months of travelling Asia with kids.
How We Balanced Family Travel and Education
One of our biggest concerns before leaving was how the children’s education would be affected. Taking them out of school for five months felt risky, but the reality was different. Travel became their classroom—immersive, hands-on, and full of real-world lessons. Our children didn’t just read about history or geography—they experienced it first-hand. They learned to surf, scuba dive and swim (for Charlotte who was just 5), they saw wildlife beyond anything they could’ve imagined, they saw the devastating impact of palm oil plantations, learnt about the 2005 tsunami in Banda Aceh, experienced history and religion through visiting temples, mosques and hearing the call to prayer, learnt new languages, used different currencies and experiences a vast array of different foods.
Countries Explored on Our Asian Family Backpacking Trip
Our itinerary included:
- Thailand
- Cambodia
- Indonesia
- Malaysia
- South Korea
- Vietnam
- Sri Lanka
Each destination offered unique cultural experiences, breathtaking landscapes, delicious local cuisine, and countless unforgettable moments. From temple-hopping in Cambodia to watching sunrises over Indonesian volcanoes, every day was a new adventure. Of course there were things that didn’t go quite to plan (not that we had much of a plan) but embracing the flexibility of lack of organisation meant that we were able to adapt and some of these have become some of our best stories.
More than just a trip, it was a chance to reconnect and see the world (and each other) in a whole new way. The kids learned more in those five months than they ever could have from textbooks—and so did we.
Here are some of our takeaways from the whole process of planning our trip and spending 5 months travelling it!
Why Long-Term Family Travel in Asia is Possible for You
Many people told us, “Wow, it’s incredible you did that!” Our answer: you can do it too.
You don’t need to travel non-stop like we did to have a transformative experience. Even shorter or slower trips can provide fresh perspectives and strengthen family bonds.
If you’re a working parent in the UK, remember you can take up to up to 4 weeks of unpaid parental leave per child per year?, a great opportunity to travel without leaving your job.
We funded our trip partly by renting our home on Airbnb and borrowing against our house. While we didn’t earn money on the road, many families work remotely nowadays, making long-term travel even more feasible.
The bottom line? If this has been on your mind—even as a distant “maybe one day” dream—it’s more doable than you think.
Flexibility: The Key to Successful Family Backpacking in Asia
We’re not exactly known for our planning skills—which, sure, can make things a bit chaotic—but it also means we’re pretty good at rolling with the punches. We kicked off our trip with nothing more than a one-way ticket to Bangkok and a couple of nights booked at a hotel. Luckily, Thailand is perfect for spontaneous travellers—there’s always a bus leaving tomorrow, and last-minute plans are expected. That flexibility quickly became more than just convenient; it turned into a survival skill. When we landed in the Philippines, we found out a tropical cyclone was heading straight for us. Twenty-four hours later? We were sipping soju in South Korea, diving headfirst into an incredible (and completely unplanned) two-week adventure.
Planning a five-month trip in detail? For us, it’s impossible. The places you expect to breeze through often capture your heart, while those picture-perfect beaches you dreamed of might fall short. But if you give yourself the freedom to change course along the way, you’ll stumble upon unexpected gems—people, places, and meals you never imagined you’d find.
How Our Kids Adapted to Long-Term Travel and Schooling
I was really anxious about taking the kids away for five months, especially with the huge disruption to their schooling and social lives. I worried about how they’d handle the change, how they’d fall behind in school, and whether they’d struggle with feeling isolated from their friends and familiar routines. I kept imagining them feeling homesick or out of place, unsure of how to adjust. But as it turns out, they were totally fine. They adapted so well to the new environments, making connections easily and approaching it with curiosity. Their resilience amazed me, and I realised that sometimes we overestimate the emotional weight of change, only to find that kids are incredibly adaptable when given the right support.
What is Worldschooling? How We Learned Through Travel
I’m not a fan of the word but I really do believe in the philosophy around worldschooling. Worldschooling is an approach to education rooted in curiosity, flexibility, and firsthand experience. Instead of confining learning to a classroom, it allows the world itself to become the curriculum. Our kids studied ancient history by walking through the ruins of Angkor Wat, learnt about ecology by observing wildlife in the wild as well as learning to to snorkel, swim and scuba dive. It’s not about escaping structure but about reimagining it—learning maths through budgeting travel, empathy and tolerance through cross-cultural connection. Worldschooling doesn’t promise a perfect education, but it offers a living one—where lessons aren’t just absorbed, they’re lived.
Final Thoughts on Family Backpacking in Asia
If you’ve been dreaming of family backpacking trips in Asia or wondering how to balance travel with parenting and education, know this: it’s more possible than you think.
With an open mind, flexibility, and a bit of planning, your family can create unforgettable memories, learn together, and see the world from a new perspective.
Kitchen Family Travels 