Travelling

Travel is not a checklist exercise.

When we travel as a family, we are not simply taking a break from our family routine. We are stepping into a new classroom every time we explore a new city or town. Every country, city, and street becomes a new place of learning without walls, filled with unexpected lessons.

Our kids learn by asking, doing, seeing, thinking, walking, exploring, trying, and tasting new cuisines. They gradually discover that not everyone speaks the same language, eats the same food, or lives the same way. Through new flavors, unfamiliar streets, places of interest and different cultures, they begin to understand that life is not lived in a vacuum. The world is beautiful in its diversity, and there is definitely no single way to live, dress, or behave.

For us as parents, travel is also a good reminder that time spent exploring, getting lost, laughing through missteps, navigating delays and faux pas, and discovering new things together is far more valuable than anything money can buy. Traveling especially with young children is always messy and exhausting. It is rarely smooth, but it is real, raw, and truly unforgettable. It teaches patience, flexibility, and gratitude at a depth that no toy ever could.

At the end of the day, it is not all  the souvenirs that matter the most, but it is the stories, pictures, memories, growth, and conversations we continue to hold close to our hearts. Travel is not an escape. For us, it is "outdoor education" for our children, and for our family as a whole. Our kids may not remember all the toys we bought, but they will remember the indoor playgrounds in Kuala Lumpur, the Vegetarian Festival in Jakarta, the peach tea at Phúc Long in Ho Chi Minh City, and the countless mango sticky rice treats (Abby’s favorite!) in Bangkok .

It has brought us closer as a family, and I am deeply grateful that we managed to squeeze in at least 10 family trips last year, just before Abby starts Primary School tomorrow.

Kids

It’s not easy to raise kids without a village.

No babysitters. No helpers. No maid. No dishwashers. No car. No luxury.

It’s basically only the two of us. Just the 2 of us. Just me and my spouse. Week in. Week out. Every day. Every night. Every single waking moment. We make all the meals, we change the diapers, we clean the messes, and we also carry the weight of responsibilities since day 1.

We move in and we move out, not always gracefully, but always with the right intent. Always with unconditional love. Always with the right understanding that we’re in this together. We are the village. The safety net. The middle-of-the-night shift and then the morning chaos crew. No back up plans. No easy way out. It’s not easy. It’s a lot of work and not a lot of breaks. But we have built something steady. We cried, we argue, we laughed at one another, but we always figured it out as we go. For sure, we are tired. But we are showing up each and every time. Every single time. For our kids. For ourselves. For our family. For our future.

So here’s to the ones doing it without the crowd. We might be the rare species. The ones who have somehow figured it out along the way. The hard way. The ones making it work with what you have. And realizing what you have is actually everything that you need. Because even without a village, we’re still raising something beautiful. Something that we can be proud of.

We are the parents of 2 lovely kids born under 7 years old and we have survived 7 years balancing babies, kids, life, love, hobbies and our career without a village. The best part is that we still manage to pivot towards what we really like to do and excel in our careers.