Week 31: The Family Road Trip We’ll Cherish Forever

A while ago, Soundarya and I made a promise to ourselves—to take our parents on a vacation at least once every year. This year, when we asked them where they’d like to go, both sides gave the same answer: the 6 Padai Veedu temples in South Tamil Nadu.

At first, we weren’t sure how it would turn out if we brought both families together on the same trip. And honestly, as a young couple with kids, temple-hopping wasn’t exactly on our bucket list.

But then we paused and reminded ourselves—it wasn’t really about the temples or the travel. What mattered most was giving our kids(and us) the chance to walk this journey with both grandparents(parents), and create memories we'll carry long after this trip.

And practically speaking, it worked out better too—one big trip was far more affordable than planning two separate ones. A complete win-win.

Plan

The plan was to have no plan. We kept everything completely open—no advance hotel bookings, no rigid itinerary. Each day, we visited the temples, saw how long they took, and only then decided where to stay for the night. This flexibility was a lifesaver because some temples that usually take an hour ended up taking almost four, thanks to the sudden popularity on Insta reels. With unexpected crowds everywhere, keeping things open was the best decision we made.

The Trip

Since this was our first long trip (4 days), we naturally divided our roles and responsibilities. My job was to organize the van, driver and keep track of all the trip expenses, while Soundarya took care of finding cozy, comfortable stays so we could recharge after the day-long travel and temple visits. She also tirelessly looked up well-rated restaurants, ensuring we always had good, healthy food. With elderly parents and young kids on board, their comfort and health were always our top priority—and she handled it beautifully.

The Kids

The kids had an absolute blast. They spotted peacocks, elephants, and even had close encounters with monkeys. Our son surprised us in ways we didn’t expect—he chose to sleep one night with my in-laws, another with my parents, and one with us. During the long drives, he sat with my mom, listening intently to her endless stories. Wherever we went, he ate by himself—no one had to feed him. Watching him handle himself so independently was heartwarming.

But the real star of the trip was our daughter. We’ve sometimes worried she wasn’t catching up to the growth we expected, but this trip proved us wrong. She turned out to be the most energetic of us all—climbing 270+ steps in a single stretch without slowing down. While we were nervous she might stumble, she never cared—she was unstoppable. Whether inside the van or out exploring, she was full of energy, insisting on walking on her own. We couldn't wait to tell her later about all the “atrocities” she pulled off during this trip.

In total, we covered 1,855 km, stayed in two different hotels, tasted wonderful food, explored beautiful places, and collected memories for a lifetime.

This trip will always hold a special place in our hearts. Having both sides of the family together and watching our kids create memories with both their grandparents—it’s something we’ll cherish forever. ❤️