A British couple, Leo and Jess Houlding, have completed a year-long 'adventure education' trip with their two children, Freya, 13, and Jackson, 10. The journey, which began in July 2024, saw the family take the children out of school to experience a variety of extreme adventures and cultural immersions across the globe.
Their travels included scaling the iconic El Capitan, a 3,000-foot granite cliff face in Yosemite National Park, California. The climb, which Leo Houlding described as similar to a camping holiday requiring significant logistics for food and water, took the family seven days to complete. During the ascent, they lived in a free-hanging camp, sleeping in a cramped tent on a hanging platform known as a port-a-ledge.
Beyond Yosemite, the family's expedition spanned multiple continents. They sea-kayaked for 60 miles across an archipelago in Papua New Guinea, trading goods with local communities and camping on uninhabited islands. In Kyrgyzstan, they drove off-road vehicles to reach a remote valley in the Tien Shan mountains, where they spent three weeks before summitting an unclimbed, unnamed 4,231m peak on Freya's twelfth birthday.
During their travels, the Houldings homeschooled their children, teaching subjects like English, maths, and science in diverse settings, from the shade of coconut trees to their port-a-ledge camp on El Capitan. Leo Houlding, a professional climber and adventurer, stated that the core idea was to provide their children with experiences that build resilience and strength, emphasizing the benefits of embracing discomfort and facing fear.
"When we became parents, we continued to do a lot of adventures with the kids, but when they start school you have so little time for it," Mr. Houlding explained. "Between full-time education, after-school activities, sleeping and eating, you barely see your kids."
The year-long journey also included a visit to Norway, where they lived in a van, and time in Japan, where they spent three months in central Hokkaido. They also visited Hawaii and spent a month surfing in Indonesia. The family concluded their adventure in Kyrgyzstan.
Reflecting on the experience, Jess Houlding noted, "I'll always treasure that year together with the kids. Not every day was easy, but we made so many memories that we'll be talking about for the rest of our lives." Leo Houlding added that while the adventures were significant, everyday parenting challenges like getting the children to read or brush their teeth were equally demanding. He believes that children are often underestimated and capable of more than adults realize.
The family's adventures were designed to offer a different kind of education, fostering a deep family bond through shared experiences in the wilderness, away from screens and conventional routines.