August 21st 2023.
Tessa Hawes wanted to create her dream life by travelling the world - and she was determined to make it happen.
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Tessa Hawes, 46 from Chelmsford, Essex, and her husband Arron, 47, had a dream to take their children Oscar, 11 and Annie, 6, out of the school system and travel the world.
Tessa, who had a successful career as a financial advisor and senior leader in the City for 23 years, decided to quit in 2013 to be a more present mum.
“Five years ago my husband and I asked ourselves, what would we be doing if we were living our dream life? We both agreed that travelling the world as a family was it so we set about putting plans into place,” she said.
The couple set about renting out their home, organising finances and speaking with the school. As it was a private school, Oscar was already one year ahead, and the school encouraged them to continue to motivate their children to read and write with Annie.
“Once they knew we were leaving, they just wished us well and said based on what we wanted to do it sounded like a wonderful educational trip!”
The family then shared the news with their friends and family, many of whom questioned their decision to challenge the ‘norm’. Tessa said some people may have been disgruntled with their own lives and not have the courage to change.
So, the family decided to book one-way tickets only, giving them the flexibility to decide how long they wanted to stay and change their route if desired.
The first country they visited was Cape Town, South Africa and the family have now visited 15 countries in total, including South Africa, Zanzibar, Uganda, UAE, Thailand, Malaysia, Borneo, Philippines, Vietnam, Cambodia, Indonesia, New Zealand, Bolivia, Peru, Colombia and Costa Rica.
Tessa and her family practice world schooling, which doesn’t involve sitting at a desk, but rather being immersed in different cultures and integrating into local communities.
“For us, learning about the slave trade in East Africa whilst sitting in one of the dungeons in the old slave market in Zanzibar is way more impactful than learning in a classroom from books and videos,” she said.
The family also have to pace themselves, taking regular rest days without travel and sightseeing to keep the children energised.
Tessa believes that conventional school is not the only option and the adventure has already taught her children to live life the way they choose.
“Most teachers do a wonderful job with the tools and time that they have but are often so bogged down with red tape that they don’t have the time to get the very best out of each student,” she said.
“We are big fans of kids doing school but mainly for the social aspect, to play team sports and learn in the traditional sense. However, there’s a big wide world out there and I truly believe education, fun and experience have benefitted our children far more than sitting at a desk in a classroom in the last year.”
Tessa argues that the school system is largely based on achieving academic grades and that travelling the world has opened her children’s eyes and hearts to a world that is focussed on so much more than a grade on a piece of paper.
The parents believe this adventure has already taught their children many valuable lessons, such as travelling by boat, coach, plane, understanding money, how to budget, convert currencies and spend wisely, as well as the social skills, courage, kindness, and wisdom that come with world schooling.
The family have encountered some challenges along the way, such as language barriers and not always having the right cooking facilities. But Tessa says it’s not luck that made their world travelling happen - they dreamed, planned, worked hard and made it happen.
“Knowing that whatever we put our mind to we can do is very empowering for us,” she said. “They say ‘the magic happens outside of your comfort zone’ and the one comment that disgruntles me is ‘You are so lucky!’ We are lucky that we were born into a country which allows us many choices - but the rest was dreaming, planning, working hard and making it happen.”
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