I’m truly in love with travel
When I think about it, it’s not a new love. I feel like I was bitten by the travel bug at a very young age. The only people I can thank for this love are my parents. They took us everywhere. They gave a whole new meaning to the word journey. My siblings would probably joke about how they knew about “my bug” early on when they saw me puke all over a carpeted casino floor in Sun City. I was probably eight years old. I’ve never been able to live that down. Siblings - the people that have to love me. Note to self: Insert a picture of me with an evil grin here. My conservative Indian parents were quite the Wanderlusters. For their generation and considering we weren’t in any way wealthy, they loved travelling and somehow made it happen. They packed up the kids and all the things you can imagine taking on a journey. That usually meant not spending too much money along the way if they could help it. So we probably had a food version of a Mary Poppins bag.
As children, we loved it all
The new holiday clothes - in the 80s that style was precious - the junk food in excess and the long car rides. I think I fell in love with road trips here. The music on the journey, the conversations with my family. The fighting. Oh, the fighting; that’s when I realised my power as a troublemaker. When you travel with family, you are often herded to do things that are not always your first choices. That’s our first lesson in compromise. It’s awful sometimes, but it’s also the beginning of discovering new experiences you would never have chosen for yourself. It makes you realise the importance of being open to this. As an adult, I often marvel at how well my parents played the “parenting” game. I’m one of four siblings; each of us are so different from the other and we had such large age gaps between us that we also ran the risk of not relating to each other. They somehow found a way to keep us connected. I don’t know how. They ran on instinct and love. It worked. When I was growing up and got caught up in my education and finding my way into studying, work and life, I watched as my parents took their dreams of exploring up a notch. Again, we were not a wealthy family. They worked hard.
Their first international trip was to India
They decided to go on holiday and discover as much of the country as they could in six weeks. The thing that amazed me about this journey and their sense of adventure was that they only booked their international flights and at least their first night in Mumbai. The rest of the trip was a detailed itinerary, but no bookings. This was in 1999. My dad - who I call Pithaji (Hindi for dad), just gave my mum whatever he could. He wanted what she wanted. He also trusts my mum implicitly. My mum was the mastermind and the adventurer. She had no access to the internet. All she had was access to people who had travelled before, their advice and a healthy library access card - through a child obsessed with reading (of course I’m that child!). She made copies of Lonely Planet books and maps where she could highlight train and bus routes. And she made copious notes. I watched her plan this trip and just have faith that it would work.
A few years later she did it again with her mum and another relative. That was a passion project for her. She wanted to do it for her mum. I think I need to interview my mum about her travelling. I’m realising that she is a freaking force of nature as I write this. I need some of that force! My first trip as an adult was to Cape Town. And yes you’ve guessed it; my parents were the ones who asked my younger brother, Anuj, and I to join them. Supportive, but so sneaky; they wanted the family to be together. My first international trip was two years later to India and Dubai.
Again, it was my mum’s idea for Anuj and me to go with them and my aunt. She wanted us to experience India and was concerned that us being the picky and germaphobic freaks she knew we were would stop us from ever going on our own. So she convinced us to come along. We were away for a month. I saw the force of nature in action. She just takes charge, finds her way and moves ahead.
In 2010 Anuj got a scholarship to study in Liberec in the Czech Republic for two years. We joked around about going to see him graduate. It felt like a pipe dream. Of course, my mum tried to convince all her children to go along. I was the only one who was convinced. I was such an easy mark. I’m a wuss. So in 2012, we decided to go to Prague and Liberec, a small town outside Prague. We also decided to go on a little European tour. This was my first time being a planner. I had the convenience of the internet and yet I was still a nervous wreck. My parents were going to be dependent on me. I was terrified. Was I going to inherit some of that force? It appears I was a baby force.
In 2014, my mum told me about Pithaji’s desire to go to India again. Pithaji was in the relatively early stages but in the throes of a downward spiral of dementia. The thought of my mum going alone with Pithaji was something I couldn’t allow. It was going to be tough on her all alone. I decided to go with them. We were going for three weeks but at a slower pace than our previous trips. Again, I became the planner. The baby force was getting an upgrade. Everything was booked via the internet and my uppermost thought was to ensure that my parents were happy and comfortable. This was an emotional trip for me, but something I’m so glad I did.
My newfound confidence in planning and going away gave me the confidence to plan local trips. I realised that travelling was all about discovery and adventure and sometimes relaxation and recharging, while it also meant exploring - new places and ourselves. My first ambitious local trip was a trip to visit my niece, Suhina, in Stellenbosch in 2016 and make this a week of road-tripping and chilling between Stellenbosch and Cape Town. It was liberating and allowed me to also bond with my niece uniquely and wonderfully, with memories we still treasure. As a family, we try to make little weekend trips to places like the Midlands to try and reconnect with each other. My older siblings, Samantha and Prashan, love going off on little holidays with their little families too. Anuj, who lives further away from us, takes an international holiday every year, but comes home every few months to reconnect with family and friends. They’ve all been bitten by the bug.
This year, 2018, was going to be my chance to plan a big trip to celebrate my 40th year of life. This time I was making the trip with two friends. We explored parts of Europe in 20 days. It was beautiful and felt like I had finally come into my own when it came to traveling. I have beautiful memories with people who know me at my best and at my worst.
Now as an adult, we are still so different, but the memories we created and the values we share have linked us for life. Now we choose to be part of each others’ lives and be active participants in how the next generation turns out.
Think about those memories that made your childhood special. Those special moments captured as a family. The journey that took you through childhood, bonding with your family in a way that was uniquely yours. These aren't just thoughts of a time gone by; it's your story. It's special because it is yours. I love traveling. It’s in my blood. My memories are now a balm to my soul that helps remind me of my blessings and why I am who I am.
© www.priyashukla.co.za
When I think about it, it’s not a new love. I feel like I was bitten by the travel bug at a very young age. The only people I can thank for this love are my parents. They took us everywhere. They gave a whole new meaning to the word journey. My siblings would probably joke about how they knew about “my bug” early on when they saw me puke all over a carpeted casino floor in Sun City. I was probably eight years old. I’ve never been able to live that down. Siblings - the people that have to love me. Note to self: Insert a picture of me with an evil grin here. My conservative Indian parents were quite the Wanderlusters. For their generation and considering we weren’t in any way wealthy, they loved travelling and somehow made it happen. They packed up the kids and all the things you can imagine taking on a journey. That usually meant not spending too much money along the way if they could help it. So we probably had a food version of a Mary Poppins bag.
As children, we loved it all
The new holiday clothes - in the 80s that style was precious - the junk food in excess and the long car rides. I think I fell in love with road trips here. The music on the journey, the conversations with my family. The fighting. Oh, the fighting; that’s when I realised my power as a troublemaker. When you travel with family, you are often herded to do things that are not always your first choices. That’s our first lesson in compromise. It’s awful sometimes, but it’s also the beginning of discovering new experiences you would never have chosen for yourself. It makes you realise the importance of being open to this. As an adult, I often marvel at how well my parents played the “parenting” game. I’m one of four siblings; each of us are so different from the other and we had such large age gaps between us that we also ran the risk of not relating to each other. They somehow found a way to keep us connected. I don’t know how. They ran on instinct and love. It worked. When I was growing up and got caught up in my education and finding my way into studying, work and life, I watched as my parents took their dreams of exploring up a notch. Again, we were not a wealthy family. They worked hard.
Their first international trip was to India
They decided to go on holiday and discover as much of the country as they could in six weeks. The thing that amazed me about this journey and their sense of adventure was that they only booked their international flights and at least their first night in Mumbai. The rest of the trip was a detailed itinerary, but no bookings. This was in 1999. My dad - who I call Pithaji (Hindi for dad), just gave my mum whatever he could. He wanted what she wanted. He also trusts my mum implicitly. My mum was the mastermind and the adventurer. She had no access to the internet. All she had was access to people who had travelled before, their advice and a healthy library access card - through a child obsessed with reading (of course I’m that child!). She made copies of Lonely Planet books and maps where she could highlight train and bus routes. And she made copious notes. I watched her plan this trip and just have faith that it would work.
A few years later she did it again with her mum and another relative. That was a passion project for her. She wanted to do it for her mum. I think I need to interview my mum about her travelling. I’m realising that she is a freaking force of nature as I write this. I need some of that force! My first trip as an adult was to Cape Town. And yes you’ve guessed it; my parents were the ones who asked my younger brother, Anuj, and I to join them. Supportive, but so sneaky; they wanted the family to be together. My first international trip was two years later to India and Dubai.
Again, it was my mum’s idea for Anuj and me to go with them and my aunt. She wanted us to experience India and was concerned that us being the picky and germaphobic freaks she knew we were would stop us from ever going on our own. So she convinced us to come along. We were away for a month. I saw the force of nature in action. She just takes charge, finds her way and moves ahead.
In 2010 Anuj got a scholarship to study in Liberec in the Czech Republic for two years. We joked around about going to see him graduate. It felt like a pipe dream. Of course, my mum tried to convince all her children to go along. I was the only one who was convinced. I was such an easy mark. I’m a wuss. So in 2012, we decided to go to Prague and Liberec, a small town outside Prague. We also decided to go on a little European tour. This was my first time being a planner. I had the convenience of the internet and yet I was still a nervous wreck. My parents were going to be dependent on me. I was terrified. Was I going to inherit some of that force? It appears I was a baby force.
In 2014, my mum told me about Pithaji’s desire to go to India again. Pithaji was in the relatively early stages but in the throes of a downward spiral of dementia. The thought of my mum going alone with Pithaji was something I couldn’t allow. It was going to be tough on her all alone. I decided to go with them. We were going for three weeks but at a slower pace than our previous trips. Again, I became the planner. The baby force was getting an upgrade. Everything was booked via the internet and my uppermost thought was to ensure that my parents were happy and comfortable. This was an emotional trip for me, but something I’m so glad I did.
My newfound confidence in planning and going away gave me the confidence to plan local trips. I realised that travelling was all about discovery and adventure and sometimes relaxation and recharging, while it also meant exploring - new places and ourselves. My first ambitious local trip was a trip to visit my niece, Suhina, in Stellenbosch in 2016 and make this a week of road-tripping and chilling between Stellenbosch and Cape Town. It was liberating and allowed me to also bond with my niece uniquely and wonderfully, with memories we still treasure. As a family, we try to make little weekend trips to places like the Midlands to try and reconnect with each other. My older siblings, Samantha and Prashan, love going off on little holidays with their little families too. Anuj, who lives further away from us, takes an international holiday every year, but comes home every few months to reconnect with family and friends. They’ve all been bitten by the bug.
This year, 2018, was going to be my chance to plan a big trip to celebrate my 40th year of life. This time I was making the trip with two friends. We explored parts of Europe in 20 days. It was beautiful and felt like I had finally come into my own when it came to traveling. I have beautiful memories with people who know me at my best and at my worst.
Now as an adult, we are still so different, but the memories we created and the values we share have linked us for life. Now we choose to be part of each others’ lives and be active participants in how the next generation turns out.
Think about those memories that made your childhood special. Those special moments captured as a family. The journey that took you through childhood, bonding with your family in a way that was uniquely yours. These aren't just thoughts of a time gone by; it's your story. It's special because it is yours. I love traveling. It’s in my blood. My memories are now a balm to my soul that helps remind me of my blessings and why I am who I am.
© www.priyashukla.co.za
This was such a special read Priya, I enjoyed every ounce of it. It was as if I was there, part of it all. Your MUM!!!!!!! WOW WOW WOW. Priya if I could be any little like her, I would be awesome.
Such special times my friends, what a blessing. Where there is a will, there will be a way ❤️💕
Lovely article, with memories and experiences from the heart