I do not remember how or when I developed itchy-want-to-travel-feet.

Among my earliest memories are the Girl Guide Camps that I so enjoyed and loved that they have left an indelible mark in my mind. My other memory is the commute to college – a distance of 55km each way.  I travelled everyday by bus during the first year and over the weekends during the subsequent 3 years. I loved that journey. It wasn’t just the familiarity of the bus driver, ticket collector and friends that made it a fun trip but the landscape that we passed was very soothing. We crossed three rivers on that journey, all three gliding gracefully to join the Arabian Sea. I have always looked into the horizon and wondered what lay beyond it and tried each time to spot something new – a new boat in the river, a new tree, a new temple, a new signboard, something new, anything new.

I found a travel companion in my better half. Under the pretext of introducing me to the new country that I then called home (the United Arab Emirates), we drove around quite a bit on weekends. While the only commute people knew was the one between office and home, we had visited all the seven Emirates and went around again and again when we had family visiting us.

Over time, work took control of our lives, we had kids and travel took a lower priority, but it was short-lived. We managed one trip overseas and a few short and local ones every year from the time our kids were 1.5 and 3.5 years old respectively. One particular year we went to Germany for 18 days in summer (May), Ahmedabad (Gujarath, India) for a week during Diwali (October) and to Sri Lanka for a week during Christmas (December). That was one year in particular when it left like we were living out of a suitcase and we LOVED it!!
Thanks to improvements in Google the search engine, Googlemaps and the big big world of internet, our trips are researched upon and well planned. Having small kids meant planning so that their schedules were not disrupted too much and they would enjoy the outings as well. I would prepare a document that would include the itinerary, things to do (a few extras and alternatives), things to know (for e.g how and where to validate a subway ticket). I would delete the document after the trip. The better-half advised that I not delete them and it helped very much when friends wanted tips for their own trips 🙂

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Pics above – In 2003 on our first trip overseas to Thailand & in Hong Kong in early 2019.

I signed-up on WordPress about 3 years back, but did not write much then. Suddenly I found myself with time on hand and decided to use my notes to share our travels with the world.

I have at certain times deviated from my main objective and written about my childhood as I seem to be forgetting all the little happy details from that time and would like to document it for posterity 🙂 There are other thoughts and views that do not really belong to a particular hard category, but they are here too.

So while I unpack having just returned from a trip, you go pack your bags and see a new place. No time? Fret not, it could be some place in your own city that you took for granted and never bothered to even give a sideward glance. Go on and have a good time!!