A mother of nine has swapped life in the United Kingdom for a motorhome adventure across Europe, homeschooling five of her children while traveling. Amy Edwards made the move in May 2026, but says the plan had been in the works for nine years after meeting her husband, Shane, in 2016.
Leaving Mainstream Education Behind
The 40-year-old took her eldest children out of mainstream education after the COVID-19 pandemic, and her younger children have never attended school, instead being homeschooled. She describes this decision as 'the best thing' she ever did, criticizing the UK school system as 'too rigid'.
Now, Amy, her husband, and their five younger children—Reggie (15), Belle (8), Shane (6), Jesse (4), and one-year-old Nelly—are traveling through France. The couple dreams of buying land, growing their own crops, and raising animals, integrating this into their children's education.
A Life of Freedom
Amy, originally from Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, said: 'I worked the nine-to-five for 20 years. Although I was self-employed and had flexibility, I still found myself putting my children in after-school clubs. I look back and feel that I didn't get to raise my own children.'
'My older five children never went back to school after the pandemic, and my younger children have never known the school system. Their education is self-led, so they're allowed to lead me to what they're interested in, and we'll study that. Then that normally leads to something else, and it's a big flow of life.'
The Motorhome Journey
The couple bought their motorhome in July 2025 and visited Wales and the Peak District last summer. Amy said: 'We had our motorhome last year, and we toured the UK and spent quite a bit of time on the road. We knew we loved it and could manage it.'
'I love outdoor living; there just isn't enough sunshine in the UK for that. I want to incorporate homesteading into our curriculum too, growing and eating our own food and raising our own animals. It's much cheaper to buy overseas, and the weather is better to build the lifestyle we want.'
'Our end dream is to have land where we can grow our own crops and also have animals and bring all of this into the children's education. This hasn't happened overnight; it's been in the pipeline for nine years. You've got to focus and get your priorities right.'
Future Plans
After France, the family plans to move on to Spain and then Portugal. Despite the van being crowded, Amy sees many positives in leaving the UK and traveling around Europe.
'We aren't tied down to 28 days a year leave, and the children don't go to school, so we don't have to stick to school holidays, which are crazy busy and expensive. We can make our life much cheaper by home-educating the children as well. I absolutely love the freedom.'
'The great outdoors to me is their playground. I don't want them stuck inside playing; I don't want them on any technology; I want them exploring the world. I just think it was the best thing I ever did for my family: take my children out of mainstream school.'
'The school system is 'all should fit'; everyone needs to fit in a square, however some are circles, some are triangular, but they are still expected to go down the same path. I want them to grow and thrive.'
'We live quite a free-spirited life anyway back in the UK, so I don't think anyone was overly shocked by our choice to get on the road. Since we've been on the road, we're like, 'Do we want to settle so soon? Shall we travel for longer?' because we are literally having the best time.'
