A globe-trotting couple have quit their jobs and taken their child out of school to travel the world – as they believe their son will get a better education on the road.
Nigel Chapman, 46, and his wife Louise, 37, were fed up of the daily grind so decided to quit their jobs as journalists for a ‘mid-life gap year’.
The pair have also taken the brave decision to remove their seven-year-old son Kian from school, as they think he will get a more ‘hands-on education’ on their travels.
Nigel Chapman, 46, and his wife Louise, 37,(pictured in Tenby, Pembrokeshire) were fed up of the daily grind so decided to quit their jobs as journalists for a ‘mid-life gap year’ with their son Kian, seven
Kian wearing woad and holding a wooden shield at Castell Henllys Iron Age Fort in Pembrokeshire
Mr Chapman, pictured with his wife at Slapton Ley in Devon, admitted that you ‘can’t better’ the learning environment of a classroom, but insisted the trip would be worthwhile
The family will travel around America, Asia and Australia during the six-month holiday of a lifetime, at a cost of around £9,000.
Mr and Mrs Chapman, of Spalding, Lincolnshire, will start their trip on September 8, having been travelling around the UK since July 19 volunteering for a travel company.
The jet-setters will start their educational trip in San Francisco, before meandering across to Los Angeles in a luxury campervan.
Having explored the USA, they are then due to fly over to Australia, where they will briefly meet with their daughter Tia, 19, a primary education student at Canterbury.
After spending Christmas ‘Down Under’, they are then due to spend the final leg of their trip touring Asia, before returning home in February to try to find Kian a new school.
Mr Chapman, who hopes to return to his job as a journalist, said: ‘The decision to take Kian out of school wasn’t an easy one at all.
They will travel around America, Asia and Australia during the six-month holiday of a lifetime, at a cost of around £9,000. They are seen at Janet’s Foss and Gordale Scar in Malhamdale
Mr and Mrs Chapman, of Spalding, Lincolnshire, will start their trip on September 8, having been travelling around the UK since July 19 volunteering for a travel company
The jet-setters(seen in Pembrokeshire) will start their educational trip in San Francisco, before meandering across to Los Angeles in a luxury campervan
‘He’s made a lot of friends at school and has been comfortable there, so it’s hard to take him away from that environment and de-register him from the school.
‘We feel that this is the best thing for him, though.
‘He’s at an age now where he is capable of being able to fully appreciate and understand what we are doing, and he will be able to take in a lot of different cultures.
‘However, he’s also at a young enough that we can take him out of school without it having a catastrophic effect on his education.’
Mr Chapman admitted that you ‘can’t better’ the learning environment of a classroom, but insisted the trip would be worthwhile.
He said: ‘To take an example, last year at school he spent time learning about Japan, and now he’s going to be spending weeks there getting to know the culture head-on.
Having explored the USA, they are then due to fly over to Australia, where they will briefly meet with their daughter Tia, 19, a primary education student at Canterbury. Pictured at Carew Castle in Pembrokeshire
The pair(seen at Plymouth Hoe) took the brave decision to remove Kian from school, as they think he will get a more ‘hands-on education’ on their travels
‘At school, he was due to learn about geology from September, but he’s literally going to be standing in the Grand Canyon.
‘Those experiences are only going to further his desire to learn, and he is viewing it as a learning experience, rather than a holiday..
The father said he had started planning the trip with his wife 18 months ago.
He added: ‘The mortgage on the house is all paid for, Tia is off at university, and we decided that there was no time like the present.
‘We’ve got backpacker’s hostels lined up for the American leg, but from there we’re going to plan as we go.
‘The days of our flights are all variable, so we know that we can change things around if we want to.
The family, seen in Malham Tarn in Yorkshire, have backpacker’s hostels lined up for the American leg, but from then on they will book as they go
The couple, pictured in Cornwall, had long dreamed of a round-the-world trip and decided to act early in case travel was harder in retirement
‘We want this trip to provide us with memories to last a lifetime but we’re not naive enough to think it won’t provide us with some challenges and difficult times.
‘When we get back, we’ll be straight into finding a school place for Kian and employment for us.
‘That may not prove easy, but we’ve said all along that we’ll tackle each hurdle as it arises and try and make the most of everything else in the meantime.’
The couple had long dreamed of a round-the-world trip and decided to act early in case travel was harder in retirement.
Mrs Chapman said: ‘We could have waited until Nigel and I were retired but no one can foresee how their health or finances will be then.
The Chapmans pictured on the Pembrokeshire coastline on a previous family holiday
Mrs Chapman said: ‘We could have waited until Nigel and I were retired but no one can foresee how their health or finances will be then.’ Pictured: In Plymouth
‘We wanted to experience it with Kian while he’s old enough to appreciate it and young enough to want to do it with us.
‘We love the outdoors and trying different activities so Real Family Holidays was a perfect fit for us.
‘Nigel and I both fondly remember residential courses from our schooldays so it’s been a chance to relive them and introduce them to Kian and we’ve all loved every minute.
‘We can’t recommend these breaks highly enough.’