Travelling is common these days. The youth of today already travel or yearn to become travellers. Well, I fall into the first category. I was introduced to travelling in my formative years. Admittedly, back then I had no great fondness for travelling and it was all because of my parent’s itchy feet that I had to travel at least twice a year.
I vividly remember days when my siblings (my brother and sister) and I conveniently bunked school for days just to travel. I thought that my parents were unlike other parents – who wouldn’t even let their child to take a single day off from school. Clearly, I was the fortunate one!
Subsequently, at a very early age, I had seen many places with my parents. We continued our voyage together for many years up until I was sent to a boarding school.
Then , school excursions and exchange programs replaced family vacations and we scarcely travelled together. Owing to our busy schedules, we started taking holidays at our convenience, with or without each other. However, my parents never did stop travelling and neither did I. I was always moving for education or for work and that’s how I became a nomad.
Years passed before the realisation struck me that I hadn’t been on any vacation with my parents in the last several years. The same thought occurred to my dad a few months ago, resulting in our trip to Dubai.
It was a herculean task. We were no longer students and had busier schedules with work commitments. Nevertheless, after months of planning, that involved chats and conference calls, we finally embarked on our journey.
I remember a quote – “When you travel in the company of those you love, it’s a home in motion.” And that was exactly the case. I was meeting my parents almost after a year, and that too, on a vacation. It indeed felt like a home in motion
As a family, we pretty much knew each others’ likes, dislikes and idiosyncrasies. However, I got to see a side of my parents that was previously unknown to me – an adventurous side. In my head, they feared water, height and almost everything that could even remotely be dangerous. But their ride in the humongous roller coaster at Ferrari World left me with much shock and surprise.
I am extremely acrophobic (scared of heights) and thus, I didn’t join them for the ride. Admittedly, I couldn’t match up to my parents’ sense of valour and enthusiasm.
More often than not, we are conditioned in a way that curtails us from doing certain things with our parents. And as a generation, we consider ourselves to be very cool doing those same things with friends. Well, for me, it was a whole new ball game teaching my parents how to smoke a hookah.
Honestly, I was amazed with their fixation with few things. I wish to meet a father who is constantly sulking about not having a perfect picture clicked for Facebook. I wonder if there exists any mother who is very eager to enter a club and party.
As western as it may sound, I can vouch for the fact that my parents are some of the coolest people I’ve known. Obviously, there are topics that irks me, such as marriage.
Nonetheless, as the days passed, I came to terms with my own feelings. While growing up, meeting new people and making new friends, I had almost forgotten the people who had been my friends for the longest time.
Having a nomadic life is what many individuals today crave for. To my fortune, I have one. Perhaps I’d never appreciated as much before. I always considered myself to be unabashedly independent, but that too wasn’t something I had voluntarily chosen.
Today I am happy. I am happy to see that my parents have grown like fine wine. I don’t want to say that they are aging. Their zest for life makes me feel old and timid. The wrinkles on their faces don’t engulf me in guilt. I feel proud that they aren’t the sort parents who only wish to see their kids live their dreams.
Lastly, I am glad all of us could make it to this trip. Usually, after a trip, I make new friends. But this time, I rediscovered some old friends. They have made me believe that truly, old is gold.