Family trip! the mere thought of a family trip abroad makes my heart beat faster! Family trips are not new to me. Although I cannot honestly say that I’ve traveled abroad with my family prior to May this year. As a child my siblings and I traveled back and forth between our parents and our grandparents . Since our grandparents lived in the countryside it was a long journey for a child. I think my siblings did not always enjoy it but I have always enjoyed travel. More recently my sisters and I have taken trips together but mostly we visit each other.
Family is Important
Family is important to me and will always be. From the moment we are born we are dependent on the family unit to care for us. Our families influence and help to form the person we will eventually become. As family members we each draw strength from each other. We are constantly leaning on or supporting each other. This I think is a part of the glue that holds families together. I am especially grateful for those family members who have supported and nurtured me. Of course I too supported family members as best I could and I am grateful to those I have supported. I think the responsibility of consciously being a good role model helped stabilize me as a young adult.
Not all of my family are biological. Some of the people I consider family are those who I feel intrinsically connected with. We are family because we support, protect, respect, love and value each other and our loyalties extend beyond mere friendship. This is the type of family bond I have with my best friend and travel buddy Hazelin. I always look forward to setting off on an adventure with her. I have also enjoyed a few great trips with her family as well!
Auntie Barb
Last April my sister Penny and I set out on a long journey to visit one of our aunts. Auntie Barb is a paternal aunt who by all accounts was one of our caregivers while we were very young. Auntie Barb moved to England while I was still a child. I have only fleeting memories of her visit when I was 10 years old. My best memories of her are from my late 20s. She and her sister Auntie Pat spent the better part of a visit to Guyana with me and my sister. Although she hadn’t seen us in almost 20 years, she still managed to bring us thoughtful presents. My lasting impression of her visit was her boundless energy! she was constantly on the go. I also remember her kindness, her love for dancing and travel.
The Aunts in Antigua
A few years later she paid me a surprise visit when she heard that I had migrated to Antigua. She and her 2 sisters, Auntie Pat and Auntie Elsie had gone to Grenada. After visiting my sister Jacqui there, they all decided to come visit me in Antigua! We had so much fun! I remember showing them the little I knew of the island by bus. I had recently moved to the island and did not have a car yet. We took the bus from the West bus station and went on sightseeing excursions, stopping wherever we felt like. Returning quite late at night blissfully tired from our long day.
Auntie Barb displayed her love for finer things by splurging on expensive dinners at the island’s best restaurants. One day she impulsively purchased an exquisite pair of diamond earrings and a matching necklace at Diamonds International! I discovered that Auntie Barbara was a dizzying combination of no nonsense attitude, sharp tongue, and unexpected generosity. As most sisters do, ‘The Aunts’ argued over their differing recollection of past events and teased each other mercilessly.  I think that visit helped establish the kinship I now enjoy with my aunties. Sadly, my Auntie Elsie passed away a few years later and that is my last fond memory of her.
Family Trip!
We were in London at cousin Jimmy’s wedding when an 80th birthday celebration for Auntie Barb was first mentioned. Hazelin and I immediately said yes! Hazelin had met Auntie Barb for the first time and loved her immediately. The initial plan was to have a surprise family gathering somewhere in London. Eventually it was decided to have the celebration in Stamford then whisk Auntie Barb off to Paris, her favorite city!
I was super excited for a number of reasons; I was going to celebrate this milestone with my Auntie! and I was going to Paris! Plus, I was going to reconnect with my cousins! and I was going to do it all with my sister Penny and my best friend Hazelin! I was going on a European family trip!
I began to make my travel plans in early February. First, I’ll fly from Antigua to New York to meet with Hazelin. We will fly from from New York to Gatwick then take the train to Stamford. We were scheduled to stay in Stamford for 4 nights before taking the Eurostar to Paris. I couldn’t wait to see how my Auntie Barb would react to the big surprise!
Trip Cost
My flight from Antigua to New York on American Airlines was $185. Our 2 seats return from New York to Gatwick on United was $1124.10. Watch for the next post “London, Paris Here I Come!” for more about my exciting family trip!
