Baby brother Jimmy at a rest stop along Hwy 95, with our Florida-bound wagon
The first travel experience I remember was a road trip in the family station wagon around 1971 from Massachusetts to Florida. My father was to go on a business trip and he asked his boss to give him the budgeted travel money to create a family vacation that we couldn’t afford otherwise. Instead of him flying and staying at a business hotel, he and my mom would pack us five kids, the Coleman stove, and a lot of snacks into our yellow Ford Fairlane 500 wagon. We’d cook our meals at rest stops along Route 95 and all share one room at cheap motels, saving the budget for a day at Sea World.
Me, the big sister, baby brother Jimmy and kid sister Mary, lounging our way down Hwy 5 to Disneyland--party of 10
In 1973 when my father’s job transferred us to Northern California, my grandparents drove the same Ford wagon across country (another creative deal my Dad made with his employer). When they arrived, we rented a Winnebago and drove the whole crew of 10 (5 kids, 2 parents, 2 grandparents, 1 uncle) to Disneyland, upgrading from Coleman stove to camper cooking.
As I began to raise my own family of two girls with my husband, the travel bug continued to burrow in, sprout wings, and fly. We continued the camp and drive theme when we were young and broke, then adapted my Dad’s approach and took part time work at a hotel chain to score free rooms. As our
Cambodia, Angkor Wat
two girls got older we ventured farther. Hawaii, Mexico, and Canada were fairly easy. Costa Rica was a bit more adventurous, on our own with a rented house and car. Then Thailand, Cambodia, and Peru where the awareness of life being different around the world was really setting in.
Eventually, I went to Africa, without the family, on a mission to see where I might help do some good in the world. My deep connection to community support and preserving culture evolved into the travel business I have today. Next, a trip to India led to my daughter marrying a man there and our family traveling together again for glorious celebration and blessings. Today, I’ve expanded my tour business to include cultural journeys to India, and formed Nariku Imports to sell products created around the world as a way to support local people and projects while sustaining my own livelihood.
From my days of watching the sky slide by the windows in the “way back” of the Ford wagon, to now feeling at home amongst Maasai beads, Indian saris, and any airport, I have learned that there’s always a way to wander, and you never really know where it will lead. Get creative on “how” to get there, set priorities on where to spend your money, bring along people you love…and then watch the world welcome you.
Celebrating the Marriage of Ragav and Ishani
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