It is the first time in almost 5 years that I am taking leave without a travel plan. The travel bug has really bitten me- the pain of not being able to travel is really hard. My uncle’s health is not at its best, and my parents want to be home to support my aunt in case of any emergencies. Last few months have not been very pleasant, both on family and work side. Many cases of cancer hitting seniors in the family. On work side, market situation for the topic I worked ate away my role, forcing me to move towards a support function that I am not too happy about
We had Nepal, Costa Rica in our shortlist for this year. Costa Rica had challenges on visa approvals for us and we ended up cancelling flights to save on working capital. With lot of wildlife spotting in the Peruvian Amazon, I don’t feel too bad about postponing Costa Rica. There are few locations that are good for travel in December, given extreme cold and shorter holidays for me. Hoping we can still do Nepal during year end. Nepal is close enough for us to get back if things go south on family side
For the first 8 years of corporate life, holidays meant chilling at home and catching up on sleep. After Covid, I was somehow able to manage many weekends at home, so the need to go home during leaves was reduced.
I typically plan my leave in January, with 3 trips in the year. I know it sounds like a lot, but we manage budgets by planning in advance. Our frequent travel has caught the eyes of our relatives quite a bit with a lot of envy, in both good and bad ways
I spent a lot of time over the last 2 years just planning itineraries in 10+ locations so that we can quickly execute back-to-back. Long term US visa meant a lot less hassle on individual country visa. I still hope that we can do something like this atleast over next 5 years which should help us cover must-do locations in our wish list. With Trump’s idiosyncrasies, you never know if a renewal of visa will go through and the costs are becoming prohibitive
It pinches to not be able to travel while health, leaves and financial condition are positive. Somewhere at the back of my mind, I feel there are only limited number of years where conditions favor travel, and we should never miss one. This year I moved roles by taking a pay-cut with a heavy heart to be able to work remotely from home. Given it is early days, workload is yet to pick up. It would have been one of the best times to travel
I also recently learnt that my company gives a month off after completing 15 years of service, something I am eagerly looking forward to, although it is 3-4 years away. The planning phase and the eager wait is sometimes even better than the actual trip
I also realize how important it is just to be present for family. A child is never raised by parents alone; it takes a village to raise one. My extended family has always been there for me and my parents; we owe them a lot and want to support them. At the same time, it feels bad that I am doing nothing at home. The support is like insurance, better wasted than availed
Medical emergencies are quite a dilemma- you cannot help beyond a point, besides giving moral support. Maybe moral support is itself worth it for someone in tough times. The plan is to restart my daily walk, visit temples weekly, spend time with my kittens, focus on gardening and rest a while. Want to avoid an idle mind. For now, soaking in memories created during our Japan trip in April and Peru- Bolivia- Chile during August on Instagram!