Travel And Me
I, Rinky Palrecha, possess a 24*7 job of a homemaker and a mother of two after quitting the job of an Interior designer. I am blessed to have attained a tag of a happy woman, mom and a housewife so far with all the ups and downs of life. I believe the credits for this goes to nature as nature has it all. Whenever I am tired, frustrated or need to get recharged, I would take up a trip be it short, long or just a weekend getaway. This keeps me going as it not only energizes me but feeds my soul with confidence, happiness and sense of fulfilment.
I was a travel enthusiast right from my college days but now I am at a point where travel has become part and parcel of me. I still remember the first trip as an adolescent to the Andamans, a school excursion with my friends and teachers. I wanted to join this trip but hesitated as we weren’t financially strong during those days, but my parents, however, managed to send me for the trip. It was through this trip I got lost in myself. Thanks to my parents for knowing me so well and now my in-laws for respecting all my travel plans, allowing me to explore the world the way I want to.
The Decision
It’s been 12 years since I got married and all these years I have enjoyed travelling so much with my best ever travel partner my husband, Vipul and my kids, Dhrish (8 yrs) and Mayansh (5 yrs). I love being around my kids either by indulging ourselves in crafts or sports or just by strolling in our apartments listening to their daily talks. Recollecting the moment when my elder son stepped into my life there was this mixed feeling of how would I cope up with the new phase of motherhood, responsibilities and travel?? I was craving for travel as I was restricted to travel during pregnancy by my doctors. Then, there was this question of how Dhrish would take up travel as an infant? But Vipul’s never-ending support made it possible for me.
The First Trip
We planned our first trip with our infant to Singapore & Langkawi and trust me the joy was 100 times more than we could ever imagine. There were certain precautionary measures to be kept in mind- doctor visits prior to our trip, list of things to be packed, induction stove, food materials for my infant, waking up a couple of hours early to cook and pack up the food my baby required for the day-long excursions. Years passed joyfully by exploring many new cities and countries and we had a new addition to our family, my younger son. This time it was just a repetition of what I had done with Dhrish, with the only difference that now the duos have their own world of enjoyment & fun.
Life changed and so experiences too, from two of us to four of us. Travelling with kids everywhere was fun and frolic to us, but our friends and relatives always were astounded as to why is this couple not leaving their kids behind and having some quality time spent. Now it’s been 8 countries, 32 cities and many more to follow. The excitement, laughter, questions and the curiosity my kids have for every trip will be cherished throughout, mainly because of the Travel seed sown by me & my hubby.
Bali-Gili Trip
I still remember the day when I with my friends for the very first time were planning a girls trip to Bali. Hesitantly I said a yes though I wasn’t very happy from within to leave my kids behind for the very first time. Later I had Dhrish coming to me and telling that he would also love to explore Bali And Gili with me. And that’s when I decided to plan Bali and Gili with my family. Though many of my friends were shocked to hear ‘Bali and Gili with kids’, I was firm that this would be one of the best of our trips and the most romantic one too.
Planning
I started gathering information from the Internet as we wanted to do all the adventurous activities Bali had to offer. Firstly I calculated the number of days I would spend there, then went ahead with the bookings.
I booked my tickets through sky scanner as it tells you the cheapest fares available from all the portals. I decided to stay 3 days in Ubud, 2 days in Seminyak, 1 day in Mara River Lodge and 2 days at Gili. Later I booked all my hotels through Airbnb and booking.com. Finally, I started gathering information about the vendors there from whom we would hire the services because I believe when bookings are done through local vendors, it is much cheaper and gives you a better idea about the place and culture when compared to booking through a local agent in your city. Those agents provide you with the standard itinerary where only charting popular places. And I am one to go beyond those.
Bali
Through trip advisor, we could block Bali’s safest driver as our commuting partner. He helped me out in finding the best people for our activities too. A day at Mara River Lodge was fantabulous for the kids and for us too. Breakfast and dinner with the King of the jungle, the night safari where you are caged and the animals freely roam in their habitat was awesome.
Swimming with the striped animal Zebra and Rhino was like a fantasy world to us. In Ubud, we explored the Bali Swing (swinging from a height of 120 ft), River-rafting, Open Volkswagen car ride(a ride that exhibits an essence of the Ubud town and its beauty), the waterfalls, paddy fields, the jungles, swimming in the hot spring and so on. To catch up on the sunrise view of the Volcano, we had woken up at 4.00am and it was worth the efforts. Our kids were also super excited to see a volcanic mountain and the sunrise.
Then we visited Gili islands, the most famous insta worthy place, but the moment I saw the beaches at Gili, everything that I had read fell short and did not do justice to such a mesmerising view. We took a two and half hour ferry from Bali to reach Gili. We stayed at Ombak Sunset Resort, Gili Trawangan and we witnessed the best ever Sunset there. Gili has pristine white sandy crystal clear beaches.
Trawangan is the best place for partying and nightlife while Gili Meno and Gili Air are quiet and pleasant. We took a day excursion hopping on and off the of 3 islands. Snorkelling was at its best here. We witnessed many colourful fish, sea turtles and the lost world.
Dhrish, my elder son had the best snorkelling experience here. Then a yacht party was like icing on the cake. We left our kids at the kids’ area in the hotel with a caretaker. The mornings were no less than a fairy’s palace. This place definitely took me and my husband to our twenties and a feeling that we were on our honeymoon.
Next was saying goodbye to Gili and heading back to Bali, Seminyak. This place has all the happening hangouts, shopping malls, night party places. Here you also have the ATV ride of 3 hours, through the Valleys, Paddy fields, Streams, Waterfalls and villages which cannot be missed. My elder son indulged in all the activities be it ATV, rafting, swing, water sports, snorkelling, safari, submarine and so on while the younger one tried those that were applicable to his age.
And the last day was well spent at Jimbaran Ayana Resorts, which has the World’s best bar, the rock bar. The sunset here is definitely a must-see activity. The waves hitting the rocks and the Sun setting down is the picture-perfect backdrop with your loved ones.
With such fantabulous experience to Bali and Gili with kids, I am even more sure that I can take up a trip to Philippines, Polynesia and Bora Bora too with my kids and with the same enthusiasm and energy. My kids too have started loving to explore the world and always look forward to taking up what nature has to offer. They have become more adventurous, loving all the activities and accommodative in every situation be it a tent or a bus, an affordable hotel or a cab, a luxurious resort or on a plane.
My Message To The World
I would like to give a message to all the mommies out there, if you love travelling with your kids but fear how would you manage things trust me, leave the worries and pack your bags as a family. The smiles and the laughter on your kid’s face would be a memory for a lifetime to cherish. There is no such place in the world meant for a particular person, every place has something to unfold for everybody.
I remember asking a question to Dhrish and Mayansh, that if you would get two options that is going out on all the Sundays to play zones, buy some games, eat some good food and ice creams at the restaurants or save all the money and go for a short 3-day trip every 3 months. I was astounded that they chose the latter. This shows how much they love to travel. Go plan your own family vacays and it’s going to be the best!
Also Read: Kamiya Jani Travels The World Despite A Job, Husband & Kid
This article was contributed to Curly Tales by Rinky Palrecha. If you have a story to tell us, drop us an email to hey@curlytales.com