No Road is Long When Traveling With Family

Travelling with family is a great way to make memories and strengthen the bonds between family members. The family as a whole can experience the place that they are travelling and really become ‘family’.

Travelling by oneself is something everyone wishes to do. However, as the years go by travelling with someone or with family is a joy in itself. While travelling with family, people tend to experience and make memories that are quite different in comparison to when travelling by oneself.

With this in mind we sat down with Mr. Ankur Jhunjhunwala proprietor of Swiss Timepieces, Durbarmarg who travelled with his wife Mrs. Arpita Junjhunwala and with their grandparents to Turkey during the Dashain holidays. As someone who usually favors traveling with his wife, the following is what he had to say given his experience of travelling with other members of his family this year.

What made you travel to Turkey with your family this year?
Initially, I had planned to go to Thailand with my wife Arpita for Dashain time. But the plans changed as my grandparents told me how Dashain would be boring and lonely since they would not have anything to do and anywhere to go to. Hearing that, my parents suggested that we go to Turkey as they had been there the year before and we received great reviews from them. So, we changed the plans about a day before our initial departure. Since it was a family trip, we opted to visit three cities in Turkey: Istanbul, Cappadocia, and Antalya.

How was your experience while travelling to the three cities in Turkey?
We travelled to three cities in Turkey. Istanbul, the Capital city is very well known for its history, culture, food and architecture, Cappadocia, popular for its cave structures and sceneries as well as its history associated with Christianity, and finally Antalya, a city close to the beaches and a prime destination for relaxation for both locals and tourists alike. Currently, 90 to 95 percent of the population is Muslim, but they tend to look more European and aren’t orthodox Muslims. This makes the country extremely adaptable to the change of cultures, which in turn makes them more open toward people visiting the country.

Turkey is such a place that every city needs to be visited via flight. The transportation to and between cities is an issue because of the time it takes via wheeled transport. Due to this there is no option beside flight to get around quickly around Turkey if you are visiting.

Istanbul was a great city to explore and roam. We visited buildings such as the Hagia Sofia and some museums. We took tours and were inclined toward getting to know the history of the city and its culture. There were great places to shop which is also an experience in itself. Overall the city of Istanbul is a good place to explore, shop and eat.

Cappadocia is a city where Christians flourished in the past. Archeological finds show that people who lived in the region dug and constructed caves in which they took shelter. During the visit there we took guided tours of these ancient caves. A good thing about Turkey is that all guides are certified by the government and they focus on their promoting their historic sites via tourism. Another activity that is quite popular here is the Hot air balloon ride. Despite being popular we couldn’t experience that because of the windy weather. Many of the things here has essence of history engraved into it. While traveling there it feels like the old and new have managed to co-exist peacefully.

Antalya is like a holiday home sort of place in Turkey. Many of the people living there are retired individuals. The city is well known as a relaxation place even for locals in addition to tourists. Antalya also has a section called “old city” where there are old buildings and architecture that have been very well preserved. The city also has many spots to explore and beautiful restaurants to dine in. Over all the city is perfect for relaxing by the beach, or simply just walking and sightseeing.

What are some of the Fun Activities that you experienced during your visit?
Speaking of fun activities, we mostly went on the guided tours and sightseeing along with shopping. While shopping I also bought a nice watch to commemorate the trip as I am an avid watch collector. One of the fun things for me personally was when we visited a museum that displayed a large rare diamond and a two hundred to three hundred year old dagger presented to Nader Shah, the King of Afghanistan. We did want to try the Hot Air balloon but we couldn’t do that due to weather conditions. Over all trip felt a bit unprepared since it was a last minute change and we weren’t able to fully immerse in the country’s history and culture despite wanting to.

How was your experience in Travelling with Grandparents?
The experience was quite pleasant. It was quite cool in the sense that my grandparents had the opportunity to look around and sightsee as per their ability and leisure. Once they were done we could also explore and enjoy the vacation on our own. One of the primary concerns was that we needed to be sure about their health and care since they are over 70 years of age. Therefore, we stayed in nice hotel, and managed for private transport during the trip. The trip had its comforts but it came along with the responsibility of taking care of their needs. If we were travelling on our own, we would have stayed at an Air BnB or taken public transport to get around.

How important are family vacation?
I feel that family vacations are important to a limit. I personally love travelling with my wife as it is easier in terms of time and managing travel locations. When I’m travelling with my wife there is more time to spend with her and the expenditure is less on transportation, food and lodging. While travelling with friends for example, it gets tedious since we have to wait for the other person, be aware of their habits, timings, and focus more on planning and also possibly spend more expenses wise. However, with family it is also important to have the mindset to not have family members feel left out during the vacation. This vacation was very pleasant since it was a great way to make memories with both my wife and grandparents.