if our hectic modern lifestyles have
programmed us to cram as much
into our free time as we possibly can.
Gone are the days of packing some
sandwiches, a few towels, and a bucket
and spade and heading to the beach
for the whole day.
We also put a lot of emphasis on
finding activities that would appeal
to our three-year-old. It was all fun,
for all of us, but I did have a moment
where I tried to remember my own
parents trying so hard to entertain
my brother and me as children, and
I couldn’t. I have memories of fishing
with Dad and traipsing through
markets with Mum. But I’m pretty
sure that my parents weren’t busy
poring over guidebooks looking for
family-friendly activities for us to
do every day, and we still managed
to have a wonderful time! In New
Zealand, once we realised that it was
our
holiday too, we relaxed a little and
dragged the boys to a winery and on a
grown-up boat cruise, and while they
won’t be highlights of the trip, it was
nice to have that balance.
Like the proverb, our recent
holiday was more about the journey
than the destination, and while I
don’t remember a single holiday
from my childhood where that was
the case (once we got to where we
were going we stayed there), I do
remember the car trips quite vividly.
My parents loading up the car, the
music playing on the car stereo, the
roadside cafes where we stopped for
lunch, the games we played, and the
fights with my brother in the back
seat are all as memorable as the
holidays themselves.
We never had iPads or any other
form of portable entertainment in
those days; if we had a long way to
go, we simply had to sit there and
stare out the window, watching for the
familiar landmarks and the changes
in the landscape that signalled that
we were almost there. I can guarantee
we saw a lot more of the scenery than
kids today would, and even though it
made the drive almost unbearable at
times, I do miss that kind of travel.
While the rest of the world may be
reasonably close to us in Hong Kong,
road trips simply aren’t an option
and trips to anywhere else require
a passport. Whether we like it or
not, our children will grow up more
accustomed to check-in queues and
in-flight entertainment than those long
drives we remember.
Keep in touch
For all the differences in our childhood
travel experiences, there are some
similarities. When I was growing up,
my brother and I often spent the school
holidays with my grandparents in their
caravan. There were quite a few kids
who were also in the same place at the
same time every year and one girl soon
became my pen pal. It was all part of
the experience of being away – making
new friends, and catching up with
those we only ever saw when we were
on holiday.
Recently, while we were parked
overnight in the campervan in a
little town in New Zealand, we met
another “crazy Aussie family” who
were also expats, also campervanning
with young children. Their little
boy was a bit older than Joshua and
they got on like a house on fire. But
instead of exchanging addresses and
promises to write, my husband gave
them his business card and we looked
each other up on Facebook – the pen
pal system for the modern age. It’s
“
keeping in touch” with a twist, but it
was nice to know that the friendships
formed in those van parks in random
small towns are as universal and
timeless as travel itself.
January 2013
65