I recently read somewhere, ‘happiness comes in salty waters’! How true this stood for me. We planned a trip to one of my most awaited dream destinations, Bali. From the cottony clouds we flew down to the palm trees, ocean breeze, salty air and sun kissed hair. I had never before witnessed such spectacular shades of blue all under one sky. This voyage did a whole lot good to me. I was travelling in the company of my husband and my two lovely boys, a 7 yr and the other 10 months. Being a hard core perfectionist when it comes to my kids, I wanted to make sure I travel with every possible item of use for them. I googled about travel tips with kids, what to carry and checked the weather forecast, had their extras handy just in case, even change for the entire family for we had a transit of 3 hrs, what if we were pooped n puked on! So this was the maximum luggage I ever carried on a trip (off course considering I never travelled with my infant before this, it was his first international flight.) All said, it only made me much wiser and it enriched my experience. Here is what I have to share.
- Let go of any hesitation
We had planned almost each day of our holiday. I wanted to kids to enjoy some activities as well get some rest time. We had10 things on our to-do list, which we definitely didn’t complete it all. We planned three visits in a day but we could barely manage one, as it would take up a lot of time (travelling n handling the little one). Without worrying or regretting, we agreed to simply let go of what couldn’t be covered, instead we happily spent more time in the pool and the beach. Life never seems to be perfect and that’s the whole charm, in spite of the shortcomings everything was so wonderfully achieved.
- Take chances while you are alive
The latest abreviation YOLO kept ringing in my ears while I was thinking about this. We had chalked down a boat ride with snorkeling for one of the adventures. This was solely for my older boy. And because he couldn’t be left alone we joined him along. All set in our jackets and snorkeling equipments, we head to the deep blue sea. It looks so beautiful in pictures and the professional divers make it look very easy, but it wasn’t so. I have to admit, I was petrified! One plunge into the water, that’s how close we were to it. Without feeding my mind with cluster of thoughts I managed to jump in the sea. This must have been the most splendid sight I ever witnessed. So vivacious my space became. Seeing colorful fishes at less than my arms length was something I will treasure for the rest of my life. If it wouldn’t have been for my boys I don’t think I would have the courage to do this alone ever. We even did river rafting later. We were soaked in the most exotic views of nature. Yes life is meant to be lived, being alive is never enough! So go ahead and take your chance.
- Learn to trust…
Going to another country with a baby can get a little tricky. If you have adventures planned or even if u need time off in the pool, you have to make sure the baby is well taken care of. As soon as we got off the airport, we rented a car with the driver (without posing any risk of driving in another country). He happened to be our guide for the next 7 days. Took us to places and arranged great deals for us. A young father himself, he was so good with my baby, I could instantly see them bond. I called him God sent angel who was with us throughout our trip. Each time we went for an adventure he was around my sleeping baby. (We had his details off course) but a mothers instinct can never be wrong. We learnt to trust and it only did well for us. Also considering the fact we were in a land of most caring and kind people, it made trusting them easier.
- Be childlike happy
We always keep worrying about so many how’s, what ifs, but, this and that’s when we travel with kids that we actually forget the essence of it all. Even after not following our itinerary and skipping some places of visit, I always saw my babies happy. Nothing actually disappointed them. just being in a new place, even if it meant doing snorkeling or simple swimming, from elephant rides to the hotel kids club, they knew how to make the best out of it all. No complains of getting tired, or change of cuisines, they were simply so adaptive to all the changes, always excited to explore the new land. It only made me realize how we keep complaining about the tiniest of problems in life. Children really teach you the joy of living and the art of celebrating everything including ourselves.
Travelling made me realize that the entire globe is living towards one goal: happiness. It made me expand my view towards the world, learn what I never dreamt of, eat new food, learn new language and most of all conquer my fears. I took all my lessons home with me and came back a better person with a rejuvenated soul.