The meaning of vacation

 This is the time of year when everyone starts planning their summer vacations. Given the current political climate, we often joke that maybe we should just stay within the country and avoid venturing too far. But jokes aside, this is the season when parents start visiting, and families look forward to trips to India.

Over the last 25 years, the meaning of “vacation” has changed a lot for me personally. Growing up, vacation meant spending summer holidays at my uncle and aunt’s or grandparents’ house. Our families didn’t travel to mountains or beach towns — instead, we spent our time with cousins, playing freely without any planned activities. Mornings were filled with outdoor play, and when the heat became unbearable, we retreated indoors for card games, board games, afternoon naps, and delicious homemade meals. The evenings saw us back outside, making the most of the long summer days.

After getting married and moving to another city, vacation became synonymous with going back home for festivals. During those visits, we might go out to eat once or twice, and that was usually enough. Later, after moving abroad, going back to India became the vacation itself.
Since we move to Singapore and then united States in 90s, We have been travelling in and around.  During my trip to India in the early 2000s, we decided to explore at least one new place in India during each time. I got to see some wonderful parts of India with my children. When our kids got a little older, Mr. Husband and I began traveling without kids. We started small, weekend trips then a weeklong trip and then back again to India - Just two of us. A change from driving 100s of miles, big suitcases, kids stuff to backpacking last year Switzerland and Alaska felt like real vacation.

Writing about it today I feel that vacation means different things at different stages of life. It can be a quiet trip home, a scenic drive or just random train travel in Europe. The joy and memories we create matter the most.
It’s not about the places we visit it’s about people we are with, the time well spent and moments to cherish. And of course, the food we enjoy always tops the list!

A simple cotton Paithani for an evening with a high school friend.