Text credit: Charishma Thankappan

Being a single parent does not mean that you have to miss out on all the exciting things in life – which includes going on a holiday! Travelling with a baby can be quite challenging but 31 year old single mom from Cochin, Kavya Baburaj proves how it can be done the right way without losing any fun.

Kavya has been taking her two year old son Aarav on holidays with her ever since he was 20 days old. Born in Qatar, bringing him to India for his naming ceremony was her first travel challenge. “Travelling with a three week old newborn gave a fit to whoever heard of my holiday plans, but once I got a clear chit from my son’s pediatrician, I hopped on a plane and much to my relief he slept all throughout the four hour journey. Since that first hassle-free journey, there was no looking back,” says Kavya.

Following this, the mom-son duo have visited Dubai, Thailand and places in India such as Delhi, Agra, Rishikesh, and Mumbai. Early this year, she moved back from Qatar to her hometown in  Cochin. This summer, she picked up her pint-sized travel companion and headed to Colombo and brought in Aarav’s second birthday at Disneyland, Hong Kong.

“Travelling with my son gives me a sense of achievement, confidence, and independence. I feel accomplished and free and the experience I get from each holiday excites me,” says the traveller mom. “Aarav has been an incredible easy travel companion and has given me zero-trouble till date, inspiring me to plan more holidays. He enjoys it too and totally takes after me when it comes to travelling.”

If you’re thinking how she is able to manage it, the traveller mom has sound advice to inspire fellow mothers. “A stroller is my best friend during the travels. Packing smart and staying organised is the key to enjoying a trip with kids. Taking along things to distract and entertain the kid when he gets bored, online check-ins in advance, stocking up enough baby food and other baby essentials, requesting for an infant bassinet in flight, informing the hotel in advance about staying with a kid etc were few tips that has come handy for me. Holidays with kids might seem daunting to many, but travelling alone with kids gets you many preferential advantages like not having to wait in queue, getting the preference to board early, getting special assistance in-flight etc. Most hotels have a lot to offer the kids from their kid-friendly policies.’’ Kavya says that she has never had a bad travel experience till date while going solo with Aarav. In fact, she feels that “people act much better and nicer when they see an infant with you”.

If not exotic destinations and long holidays, these two never miss an opportunity to hit the roads on weekends in Kerala – travelling to different places within the State and those quick getaways fascinate them equally and says there are many hidden gems – beautiful places in Kerala that are yet to be explored by many. “Having a mini-me in tow does not stop me from following my passion of visiting new places and exploring new cultures,” she says.

The travel bug hit Kavya when she was in her teens and she has been to 11 countries both as a solo traveller and with friends. Her favourite destination in India is Kashmir and recalls that Maldives was the most exotic place she has visited. A trip to Europe is her dream and its on her travel itinerary for next year.

Kavya is a freelance Public Relations professional and has a blog Follow Your Sunshine. Photography, driving and music are her interests apart from travelling.

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