Things my parents did to make me want to travel!

Tripoto
13th Mar 2016
Photo of Things my parents did to make me want to travel! by Radhika Tonsey
Day 1
One would ask what made me write this post. Simple reason, to break the stereotype description of parents who might be stopping their children from travelling, alone or in a group. I understand their situation, but cannot relate to it. And the following shall be the reasons why: 1. My parents are simple middle class people who believe in the eternal rule of saving money. Where do they break the stereotype you may ask? By living life king size in the money they make. 2. They have been travelling before I was born - as impromptu as cancelling their booked honeymoon trip to Kodaikanal and Ooty and then going to Europe for one whole month and seeing 7 countries back in 1986. Visas tickets everything done in times where no tech support was available online. 3. They are travelling with me in their arms since I was 8 months old, and that same travel bug has been inherited by me. And brothership too. He loves travelling as well and is an avid biker. 4. They made sure we travelled twice a year for 10-15 days each - in India but thoroughly. Seeing places like locals. Never through tours, actually just once since my father couldn't plan at that time. 4. Travel planning skills from fathership - meticulous attention to detail, packing ninja, itinerary sets, research and reading up about places, eating local food from local tiny eateries along the way and being a tough nut. 5. Travel planning skills from mothership - attention to food, never starving, eat what you get and never complain, experiment with food, (okay that was too much about food) take opportunities when you get them, travel responsibly, be kind to fellow travellers, be honest, never compromise with what you feel is right. 6. Last and the most important - Always, always, always, think beyond your comfort zone. My mother roamed 7 countries in sarees, without blinking an eye. She loved it, taught people to wear sarees in the remotest villages of Switzerland and to date reminds me to go to the Swiss Alps to eat sausages and ice cream. Today, as I am back from an 18 day soujourn to Turkey and Greece - very muchly SOLO - this post is a befitting ode to the coolest parents ever. During this trip, people asked me of I was being called a lot from home, and to their surprise I wasn't. Because that confidence was instilled by my parents to be okay, to find my comfort zone wherever I am and more often than not get out of it and find more horizons to look at and experiences to feel deeply and to feel at home in spite of being away from it. This happened because of them!