I have been to Goa 7 times with my parents, and I'd do it again

Hum saath saath hain

If Dil Chahta Hai has taught us anything, it is that a spontaneous trip to Goa with friends can fix 99% of life’s problems (except a low bank balance). And social media has gone a step further to paint a solo trip to Goa as a cheat code to unlock self-growth and freedom, and find our ‘main character moments’. That’s what Goa is: wild, rebellious, reflective, freeing and fun—none of the things we usually associate with a family vacation. Which is unfortunate, in my opinion.

I have been to the sunshine state seven times in the last 10 years, and I have loved each visit, not because I attended wild parties or ‘discovered myself’, but because I found comfort in my parents’ company each time I was there. And contrary to popular notion, I didn’t feel like a caged bird. Together, we explored beaches, waterfalls, and the coolest restaurants and markets there. Call it unconventional, but travelling with my parents, even to a destination that seems like the perfect place to escape family life, has brought me incomparable joy.

I am not alone in my view either. The Travel Trends 2026 report by Skyscanner reveals that Gen Z and millennials are increasingly embracing multi-generational travel, with 55% of Gen Z having taken trips with parents in the last two years. For 64% of adults, these vacations are a powerful way to create memories beyond home. For me, travelling with my parents and sister has always been a highlight, and it still delivers the same happiness I’ve known since childhood.

Where my love for travel began

​Anyone who has had a proper conversation with me about my life would know that I like to take regular breaks from my routine to escape the city and travel to different places. But the ones who truly know me would know that 90% of these trips are with my parents. Back in the 2000s, when I was a child, it was a tradition in my family to take an annual trip to a hill station from Delhi. We explored many tourist destinations in the Himalayas, from Mussoorie and Manali to Shimla and Dalhousie, and even lesser-known ones like Chail and Kanhatal.

​And we didn’t just visit these places, we truly immersed ourselves in all the experiences they had to offer. When I turn the pages of my photo albums, I see my sister and me dressed in traditional pahadi attire, holding bamboo baskets on our backs. And me petting a rabbit and a goat. And my dad teaching me how to precisely hold and aim the gun while trying to pop balloons at a local mela. All these recorded memories remind me of how joyously carefree and fearless I was, and can be. But more than that, they remind me of how I was privileged to see the world beyond my home early on in my life because my parents made it a point to lead me to those experiences.

​How then could I have let that deep joy go after growing up? Even after we moved to Mumbai in 2012, the tradition continued, but the destinations changed. Over the years, we explored places like Alibaug, Silvassa, Daman and Diu, and of course, Goa. In 2024, we visited the Andaman Islands, and in 2025, we ticked Udaipur and Sikkim off our bucket list. Through all the voyages, one thing remained constant—the satisfaction of retaining a family ritual that brings the four of us together.

​While I am perfectly capable of travelling alone as a 23-year-old, why should I not do it with the ones who ignited my love for exploration in the first place? Especially when I’m lucky to have parents who are not at all like Babuji in DDLJ, who needs to dictate his daughter’s life, or Rani Sa in Khoobsurat, who has a 1000 rules for her children to follow.

Safety, stories and snacks

As someone who gets homesick easily, there is no greater joy than waking up at a new place but feeling the familiar comfort of home because of my parents’ presence. Having them around gives me a sense of safety, an assurance that I can explore a destination without worrying about talking to strangers, returning to my accommodation on time and budgeting for everything.

​This sense of comfort and security is complemented by the freedom I feel around them; mom and dad do not implore us to stick around with them, or demand we travel on their terms; they leave us to take our own paths. On one of our Goa trips, didi and I felt the sudden urge to explore a neighbourhood market around 10:30 pm, after we had already returned to our Airbnb. My parents didn’t want to step out again, but that didn’t mean we couldn’t go. Clad in our pyjamas, we went to the market without any objection from them, but instead the ease of knowing that they knew where we were. In fact, now, we always book two separate rooms while travelling so that everyone gets the freedom and space they need.

There is another reason I love travelling with my parents. Through all the road trips, late night planning in hotel rooms, and their excitement to try new activities and visit certain places, I have gotten to know them better—their stories, their experiences, their lives and their secret wish to keep exploring the world even when they turn 80. When you are in unfamiliar territory, out of your comfort zone, you reveal sides of you that you wouldn’t otherwise.

For example, I wouldn’t have known my dad played cricket in his school and college days had I not seen him picking the bat and playing with some locals on our trip to Mussoorie. Or understood how much mom loved to escape her routine and just chill and relax, if I had not seen her peacefully soaking in the sun at a beach in Goa without worrying about anything else.

There are other practical reasons too. When I travel with my parents, I never have to worry about missing a train or a flight, because they are my living alarm clocks. With them around, I never have to think about where and what to eat because they are always armed with snacks, and a list of restaurants where we can get the food we like. Everything just seems simpler when I travel with them (are you travelling with senior parents?).

Not just rainbows and unicorns

My parents are my favourite travel partners, but going on a vacation with them does demand certain compromises. While my sister and I draw up itineraries that cover seven places in a day, they prefer slower travel. While we want to go paragliding, scuba diving and rock climbing, they just want to chill by the beach. While we are free to do whatever we want, a sense of guilt creeps if we think of ditching them. As we grow up and they grow older, their comfort has become our priority on trips. The commute, accommodation and itinerary are all curated keeping them in mind. This sense of responsibility sometimes comes at the cost of what I really want to be doing on a trip.

And sometimes, arguments and disagreements do make their way into family vacations. When we don’t wake up early morning to experience a beach sunrise despite having decided to do so the night before, dad makes it a point to school us about our general lifestyle of waking up late. Minor inconveniences sometimes turn into full-fledged blame games. But that is a small price to pay for the memories and learnings that are far bigger and more precious.

The journey continues

I have travelled with friends to destinations like Jodhpur and Pondicherry. And what Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani and Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara were trying to tell us is true—there is a different kind of high in going on trips with friends. It is liberating. But there is hardly any movie that talks about the exhilaration of setting out on new journeys with your parents, especially when they are understanding enough to give you your space. No matter where I am and how many trips I take in a year, my annual travel quota will not be fulfilled without going on at least one vacation with my parents.

​They included me in their trips when I was a kid. It is only fair that I do the same for them now. They gave me the dream of exploring the world. It is only fair that I fulfil it alongside them. So, while travelling with parents may not be the popular choice, it will always be the top choice for me.