The Holiday Pressure Cooker

The worst of the Delhi summer is drawing to a close,hopefully.

The worst of the Delhi summer is drawing to a close,hopefully. Those wearied parents whove trudged across continents to expose their kids to new sights,exciting cultures and that torturous destination called Disneyland can finally kick up their heels in relief. Its over. School begins in less than two weeks!

Im sure many parents would agree,the two month long summer holidays can be exceedingly trying. Firstly,they just dont seem to end. After you spend the first half of the holidays completing homework and organising daily playdates comes the question,where do you take a vacation? One that suits your budget and is child friendly? Kids these days,at least the ones in Delhi and Mumbai have strong opinions and their own closely evaluated,destination hierarchy. Within India,not cool at all. Asia,alright,you might just cut it if its Disney Park in Hong Kong. If youre 10-plus,you want to explore dinosaur remains in Europe and if youre 15,the coolest place to visit this summer is undoubtedly Africa,to watch the World Cup. Besides peer pressure to own a Nintendo V and Playstation,theres even pressure to take the right vacation.

Traveling abroad with young kids is an absolute nightmare. Im sure some people have nice experiences but in a nutshell,life becomes an endless cycle of feeding,cleaning and dressing. With one kid,you might just salvage some time to do fun,touristy stuff. With two,its all over. Besides the expense which is wholly subjective and if you can afford it,what the heck,yet,travelling is hard work. Sightseeing,waiting at airports,adjusting to a new routine comes with its own share of pressures. While its great that people in India can spend lakhs on a vacation abroad,carting around 5-year-olds who will have little or no recollection of their travels,isnt it a lot simpler and easier to head somewhere close by,maybe to the hills?

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But then,when school begins,your kid will make an extremely dated show-and-tell on a drab,crumbling hill station,while some other smug child can show off his pictures next to the pyramids in Egypt. Or the Eiffel Tower in Paris. Travel is education,after all.

Many parents choose destinations that their kids will love,as usual,putting their own requirements last. Even if that means standing in long queues under a blazing sun waiting to buy tickets for a ride at the amusement park or the museum. Thats fine if you enjoy that kind of thing but Im immediately suspicious of any 40-year-old who tells me Disneyland in Orlando is his dream destination. However,practically all family vacations are better in hindsight. When you look at the pictures years later,the hours of discomfort fade away. Nothing like a holiday,especially once its over. hutkayfilms@gmail.com

(Leher Kala takes a quirky look at social trends and life in general in her weekly column)

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