Backpacking parents who homeschool their kids

(CNN) — Backpacking tends to be associated with young people with few responsibilities.

But more and more parents have been opting to take their children off on extended trips around the world in the past few years.

In fact, a recent travel trends report by American Express Travel found that 76% of those parents surveyed planned to travel more with their family in 2022.

For those traveling with kids for long periods of time, this often means pulling them out of traditional school and homeschooling while on the move.

However, trying to provide a high-quality education to their youngsters while living a backpacker lifestyle, along with working remotely in some cases, is certainly no easy feat.

Here, parents who’ve chosen to go backpacking with their children discuss the joys and challenges of homeschooling while living out of suitcases.

Traveling family

It was a passion for travel and adventure that brought Emma and Peter Tryon together back in 2011.

The UK couple, who are both teachers, began dating when they were both on separate backpacking trips in Cambodia, and took many vacations together before getting married and having two sons, Hudson, now five and Darien, now two.

While they planned to stay in one place once they became parents, they soon got restless and the lure of globetrotting with their children in tow proved too tempting to resist.

“We were drawn to the idea that there is another way to live,” Emma Tryon tells CNN Travel.

After months of saving and making plans, they sold their home, officially withdrew their oldest son from school, and set off on their travels.

“I get why people would think we’re nuts,” she adds, admitting that they questioned whether they were doing the right thing at first.

“When I actually had to sign the papers to formally opt out of UK education — it hit differently. Just seeing it in black and white. I thought, ‘This is a big deal.'”

Under UK law, there’s no specific requirements for the content of homeschooling, only that parents must provide their children with a suitable education.

Peter Tryon stresses that one of the main factors behind their decision was the desire to spend more time together as a family.

“We’ve found that the adventure, spontaneity and the challenges of traveling bring us together and also create the opportunity to bond in a unique and strong way,” he says.

Over the past…