We have been travelling with our son Riju since he was six months old. In a short span of six years, he has been to Vizag, Puri (twice), Delhi (twice), Corbett National Park, Nainital, Bombay, Kashid, Matheran, Shantiniketan, Assam, Himachal Pradesh, Gadiara, Digha, Dooars, and Sankarpur. Not bad, one would think. Yet I've met parents who believe they wouldn't be able to enjoy travelling with their kids. They feel fussing over their children would rob the pleasures of a vacation. They wouldn't be able to make time for sightseeing and every moment would be taken up by looking after the children.

Nothing can be further from the truth. Children do NOT need any fussing over. They are an amazingly adaptable breed, a trait that Bengali parents often overlook. A friend of mine recounts a horror story of the time she, a sensible mother, was travelling with her husband and kid with another family of three. The other set of parents, true blue Bongs, were perpetually paranoid about their child catching the cold. I forgot to mention that they were holidaying in the hills in winter. The 'thanda lege jaabey' bogey haunted the parents so much that they refused to let the poor child play in the park or remove his monkey caps even inside the hotel room with the heater blazing. The child did eventually run a temperature, but I presume it's more from the claustrophobic attention than from any thing else. The father, who was carrying a drug store around with him, must have felt vindicated.

To say that Riju had never fallen ill while travelling would be lying. He, not even three then, was running a slight temperature in Nainital and vomited all the way back to Delhi on train. Of course, we were worried, but at least had the common sense to realise that this could've happened in Kolkata as well. Riju was fine within the next couple of days and enjoyed the rest of the trip. Moral (reiterated): Children are extremely adaptable.

Besides, children love to travel. Riju falls in love with each place that he visits and insists that he be brought there for every vacation thereafter. He loves the sea, he likes the cool hill stations, and though he's yet to actually enjoy a jungle safari (he's slept through most of them), he doesn't mind a forest jaunt as well. Going anywhere out of the city that involves travelling on a train (his favourite), bus, plane, boat, or a car is fun where he's concerned. Even children need a break sometimes, and it's high time the 'fussy' parents realise that.

I think vacationing is one habit that relaxes you completely, whether or not you intend it to be that way. And vacationing with children (your own, please) simply multiplies the enjoyment. Try it!