Kids become avid travelers when you start travelling with them when they are still young. Though it’s challenging, it’s doable. When I grew up, we were a family of 6. My dad was with (India) Govt and had the LTC (Leave Travel Concession) plan and took us all out on a 10 – 15 days trip once every 4 years until he retired from govt service. It was an All-India bus trip while i was 5 and Hyd-Banglore-Mysore-Ooty trip when i was 10. I vaguely remember those places that we visited until age 10, but somehow took a liking to travelling and learnt to adjust well. No fancy accommodation or fancy eat outs. Still, we all thoroughly enjoyed it. Dad used to plan A to Z for our trip, the time line, booking the train tickets, accomodation etc. My mom used to write travelogues during each of our trips. I still remember the one line where it said "Nangalil thangal, pinbu soodana pongal".
We did the same thing with our son while living in Europe. We went around Europe when he was between 4 and 7 years. I thought he is not going to remember anything, but surprisingly he does. He is a foodie who loves exotic cuisines (no kid’s meal for him) and associates each place with the food he had eaten there J Spain is Shrimp Paella, Germany is Schnitzel, Prague is street side food, Italy is Pasta di Nero (Octopus), Calamari, Vongole (Mussels), Seafood Pasta/Pizza, Alaska is king Crab etc. No matter how he remembers the places, as long as he has a hang for travelling, my task is accomplished. He is now 10 and already has his travel wish list which includes Brazil’s Amazon Rainforest, Kenyan Safari, and unlimited cruise to anywhere anytime.
At any point in life, we are not going to remember the material things (like clothes and jewelry) that we possessed in the past. But experiences and memories will be part and parcel of an individual which we will cherish until we die.
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