Thursday, May 19, 2011

A 'big' family affair







Family on the beach.jpg
A 'big' family affair (Thinkstock photos/Getty Images)
Everyone has heard the old saying, the more the merrier. We are taking this saying to heart.
As the summer vacations are here, it's a perfect time to take a nice, long trip with one's family. But many of us are multiplying this fun by bringing their relatives along for the journey. Obviously, when you travel with a group of twenty people, including your cousins, nieces and nephews, it sure makes the trip a memorable one. 
With today's busy schedules, getting to spend quality time with one's family is a huge moment. Gaurav Sethi, partner of a realty service company, says, "We are a very close knit family. But due to work schedule, it gets difficult to catch up with the everyone." Due to this, Sethi's family goes for one big family vacation once a year. "Our last trip was to Goa. We were 20 family members in all. We partied to our heart's content, had some incredible seafood etc. Such trips make the family bonding stronger and better." Sethi's family is also contemplating two holidays instead of one.
These trips are a great way to bond with the extended family. And this is what newlywed Nisha Jagtap experienced when she and her husband's family took a trip to Khandala. "I had met my husband's relatives during the weddings and on occasions like Lori. The trip gave me a chance to bond with all of them. There were 28 of us, and we spent time playing cards, singing folk songs at night and going sight seeing. It was a lot of fun. I also got to know the cousins, the younger lot." Jagtap's family is planning to plan such trips at least once in a month.
It is on these trips that one experiences those simple moments of pure joy. Sailee Jagdhane, a physiotherapist, feels every moment is memorable thanks to her extended family. "I have ten nieces and nephews. And travelling with them and their parents is always a treat for my family. We stay in different cities, so it is a wonderful feeling when we get together even for four to five days. There is nothing more exciting than playing with my nieces and nephews. In fact, their parents use the forthcoming trips as a bargaining chip to make them study well for their exams," she quips.
And the various experiences and incidents are the memories that last forever. Student Akash Shah tells us, "We have experienced many wonderful incidents when we have taken extended family vacations. We were once chased out of a farm for stealing mangoes. On another occasion, we made a run for safety when we hit a beehive while playing cricket. On one trip, my grandmother even learnt how to ride a motor boat.
Today, with all our cousins grown up, we sit back and remember those incidents and we have a hearty laugh about it."
If you're looking at creating happy memories with your family, why not get ready for your next trip with the entire family? It will be a journey that will be unforgettable.

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