Teddy travelogues – Travel Fun with Kids

Some great man said that “The World is a book and people who do not travel read only one page” I find this line very appealing. Travelling is always a pleasant break from the daily grinding of life and it also gives us an opportunity to learn new things. We adults feel the need of a break from daily chore and travel comes as the best excuse. Similarly for kids also routine life tends to get boring and travel brings the much needed fun break. Be it your own kids or your nephew and nieces , travelling with kids always adds extra fun to the travel. Kids are always filled with a kind of raw energy which keeps everyone charged.  Their innocent questions and cute giggles can turn a boring long drive into a fun trip too. However planning a trip with kids is bit different then planning one without them. There are various things to be taken care of when we are travelling with kids.

First of all the travel destination should be chosen keeping kids in mind. This does not mean that with kids we only have to go to Disneyland each time, but we should try to find kids friendly places. Place where they can get lots of space to have fun, and where they can see something different then what they see in their day to day life.  Some place from where they can bring back some new learning and interesting stories to share with their friends. Also, there should be easy access to resting area and yummy food which they love. Taking care of hygiene is also very important when planning trip with kids.

As kid I used to like going to places about which I have read in my books. Going there used to give me a chance to connect things I see there with what I read, whereas my brother used to like going on nature trail and places where he can see animals closely.  My parents used to make sure that where ever we go we are eating hygienic food and have access to clean water. As kids tend to get very curious about things and have tendency to do risky things, my parents used to make sure that always one adult is there supervising all the kids on trip. By keeping these small things in mind my parents made all our travels fun and memorable.

Talking of these things, I feel while travelling with kids it’s always a good idea to select a new destination each time which is different than the one they have visited in past. And the stay should be booked in a resort kind of place, so that even on days you are not going out for sightseeing kids will still have lots of activities to do inside the resort itself. That will keep them busy and will give the parents some time to unwind J

Club Mahindra is a great example for same. They have thousands of resorts in India and abroad, which gives comfortable stay and the feel of that place even inside the resort also. So with them you and your kids get travel experience of different places with the same friendly comfortable feel each time. With so many destinations to choose from now we don’t need to get worried about having selective travel options for kids, just pack your bags and explore a new place each time with your kids :D

Rise Above Fear

Fear is always considered a negative feeling. Fear of someone or something always stops us from reaching out to things we actually want to do or get. Fear keeps us inside our limits and never lets us take challenges. And as we know until we take challenges and go out of our comfort zone we can never achieve or know our maximum capabilities. As gold has to go through fire to achieve its real value, we also need to rise above our fears to achieve more in life.

In everyone’s life one moment comes when we have chosen between fear or challenge and until we challenge our self we never know our true capabilities. Today I will share once such experience from my life. I have always been a studios kind of kid, who was favourite of all teachers and popular in her friend circle, but when it used to come to talking to new people I used to get scared. I had this fear of strangers; I used to hide myself behind my books whenever some guest used to come home. Similarly I was also scared of sports and outdoor activities, I used to change my way whenever I used to see my sports teacher, due to my good height she always wanted me to join school’s basketball team but I was scared to play. But then my NCC teacher got hold of me one day and asked me to join NCC, I tried giving her some vague reasons of why I cannot join NCC. She was not convinced and asked me to fill the form for joining the next camp which was happening after a week. I tried convincing her that I don’t want to go, but she did not agree. To keep her quite I took the form home and next day gave it back to the teacher and said my parents did not agree and they don’t want me to go for the camp. I was happy that I don’t have to go out of my comfort zone, and happily went back to my class. Later that day I got a call from principle, and when I went to her room I saw my Dad and the NCC teacher sitting there. NCC teacher was not convinced by my answer so she called my Dad to check why they don’t want me to go for the camp, and when Dad said he has no idea about all this they called him to school. I felt very embarrassed in front of my teachers and my parents, and so decided to go for the camp to see it myself if I can survive it or not.

I was 13 year old and that was first time in my life when I was away from family and all on my own. Getting up very early, intensive physical outdoor activities and strict discipline of the camp was making me miss my home even more. On the last day of that 2 week camp, I was happy that I will go back home, but I got selected for the next camp which was the republic day training camp. I called my mom thinking she will tell me that she is missing me and will ask me to come back, but she said that she is proud of me that I got selected and she wants me to do well in next camp. After that there was no looking back, I gave my 200% to every activity in the next camps. I cleared regional levels and got selected in the state team. I also got to represent my state in the best cadet competition. For this competition I was trained on many things like interpersonal skill, 0.22 rifle shooting, first-aids and so on.

 I finally went to the republic day camp in 2000, and I begged 1^st price in 0.22 rifle shooting and stood 3^rd in the Best cadet completion in National level.  That was a great achievement for me. My state team, my school, and my parents everyone was very proud of me. When I came back to my city I was treated like a celebrity. I was enjoying all the attention and compliments, and then when I went to meet my NCC teacher she asked me how you feel now, I said I feel more confident than ever, and then she said that is why you have to take challenges in life. Until you challenge your fear, you will never rise above it and find your real potential. She was so true; rising above my fear made me a better, confident person. Rising above my fear made me achieve something nice in life which I am proud of. It’s so true “Daar kea age Jeet hai”.