This week we're bringing you some #inspo. We're talking about three things. Explore. Express. Experiment. Three things we believe as mothers, as parents, as husbands & wives we can do more of in our everyday lives...
So, first up we have the dynamic Deenaz Raisinghani. She loves travelling with her little one. Read on to get inspired!
What does the word ‘explore’ mean to you?
To explore is to go beyond the known and take a leap that will challenge all your senses.
Why is it important for you to explore as much of the world as you can?
Human beings the world over are as similar as they are different. It is these differences and similarities that makes us bond with or question each other. Without a fair knowledge of the world, we become prone to prejudice and assumptions, and only travelling more can help you break preconceived notions. Mental and physical barriers are broken we accept more when we see and interact with people and places that look and feel unfamiliar. Exploring as much as you can is the road to more acceptance and empathy.
What are the challenges that you have faced while travelling with your child?
Every parent faces several challenges while travelling with children and they are dependent on the child’s age and physiological makeup. I too have faced a varied set of challenges; some when she was a little infant while travelling (such as feeding on flights, food, sleep, carrying them around all the time etc ) and some when she is older (food, health, tantrums and portability). However, these challenges are not a deterrent to stop us from exploring together and I have learnt a lot from handling her and travelling with her starting from a few months old to now when she is almost five.
How does travelling change or connect you as a family?
We have always believed in following our passion for travelling and not let a child affect that passion by having to alter our way of life. We travel a lot, and utilise most of our funds in travelling. We don't have too many material possessions as we would rather use our savings on seeing and experiencing the world as a family. We also don't like to fuss too much around the kid and have let her adapt to our lifestyle.
Spending quality family time, away from gadgets and from our busy lives is the most important factor for us while travelling. We like to switch off and immerse ourselves in the destination and devote ourselves to enjoying the moments as a family.
In your opinion, do you feel you are passing on a part of yourself to your child through your journey of exploration? Is it an important aspect for you?
As a mom, I have solo backpacked with my daughter at various ages of her life. This was something that actually surprised a lot of Indian moms who find it a little difficult to continue pursuing their passions after motherhood. So this is something that I'm definitely passing onto her and I really hope she grows up to adapt the same. Through our travels I want to inspire and encourage more Indian moms to travel alone with their kids as its something that is not seen often in our country.
Why is it important for you that your child travels when he is young?
As children, we were never exposed to the beauty of travelling from such a young age. We would go on planned family vacations but never backpacking as babies with our parents. We started travelling with our daughter when she was three months old and did her first international trip at 7 months. Since that first trip, we have always tried to inculcate the habit of responsible and immersive tourism in our daughter. She has now been to 13 countries with us and counting. She backpacks and lives with us in communal hostels, lives with local families across countries, and is becoming a conscious and empathetic individual open to global cultures and diversity. Such exposure is extremely important for any child when growing up. She is learning to be a global citizen. She is meeting people and having new experiences with each journey. She is learning to be empathetic towards ethnicities and people who look different and maybe from another culture. So many times she has picked up her own perspective about places she's been to and people she's met.
Any tips or advice for parents looking to explore the world with their kids?
My advice is to just GO! Take a small trip and see if it worked well. Don't put off travel until they grow up as there will never be enough time with kids once they are old enough. Do a lot of research, keep a plan B in place, read a lot of travelling parent blogs, and keep buffer time for emergencies while travelling. Also try staying at BnB or home stays and indulge in conscious and responsible tourism while teaching the same to your children. They will thank you later.
Thank you Deenaz. Thanks for sharing and inspiring more moms to travel with their little ones! Click here for the best kids' travel games with a desi twist.
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