Welcome to my life

We did it!  We went on our first international trip during COVID to Costa Rica.  To summarize it in one word-- "exhilarating."

While countries have various restrictions (many are closed to travelers from the US)- I have to say that I felt extremely safe and a lot of precautions were taken, even more than I experience in my home city.

My perspective- As I have shared before, I think that everyone has to do what they feel is right for them based on personal values and lifestyle choices. Even though we went on this trip with concerns (which can be uncomfortable), it did not stop us from living our best lives and reconnecting us with something we love.

Lakshmi's Learnings:  Here was our experience in Costa Rica-

• Air Travel to and from destination- since this is a "grey area" for many, I am providing details .  The plane has constant air filtration and is cleaner than ever.
  • The flight to MIA to LIR was just a regular COVID flight. We wore masks, had lots of sanitizer, and cleaned
  ...

We are all finding different ways to live in this “new normal". I am reminiscing of our beautiful family trip to Bali, Indonesia. As you may have guessed, we have the travel bug! Perhaps one of the few “bugs” that we love! 

Question- We have always enjoyed experiencing the world, but of course in the current global climate, it seems impossible, right?  

Lakshmi's Learning- I think wrong. First and foremost, I will say that everyone has to do what they feel is right based on their personal values and lifestyle choices. As parents, we have this special quality to turn the impossible to possible. I am a member of a few “mommy” groups and have recently had discussions on “when should we travel again”. Lots of families did summer road trips in their respective countries or spent extended time visiting their families- how wonderful! Remember- any and all trips (e.g. to a zoo, to the lake, to another state, to your backyard for a scavenger game, visiting family, etc) are life learning exper...

A throwback to Shriya’s first birthday.

We spent time in Barcelona with the Amruthur family and of course, the Natarajan parents!  Family is awesome and it’s a blessing to travel together for birthdays.

Question: Can toddlers/kids enjoy “famous sights” such as monuments, places of worship, and museums?

Lakshmi’s Learning: Yes, they can! We found that monuments (e.g. structures like the Colosseum in Rome) and places of worship (churches, temples, mosques) are a hit.

From their perspective, these places are open areas to walk around versus paying attention to a tour. Trying to formally tour a museum (e.g. Louvre in Paris) requires more of an attention span. It’s definitely doable, but will feel rushed!

And when none of this works, I am sure the kids will find pigeons to chase and be very happy!

What are your favorite travel experiences with your family?

One of the questions I always receive from EVERYONE I speak to is... “How do you and the kids survive the flights - whether short or long?”

My Insights: Here is an introduction of a series of videos that I will share on how my kids prepare for their flights and do not act out on planes. They have been great (majority of the time) and I do consider them “experts”. They have been on hundreds of flights across the US and 5 continents! Longest flight to date was 20+ hours to Thailand.

You may wonder, how is this possible? Welcome to the airplane game which we have been playing for years!

So, who wants to learn more???