My son and I hopped on a flight and traveled to Boston, Massachusetts recently. Diwali was just the perfect time to introduce him to his cousins and make some lifelong memories. He is now two and half, and is very aware of all the festivities around him. So I thought it was apt to make this trip, as kids at this age start remembering names, faces and start building relationships with people around them. I was very excited to travel here during the fall months and was looking forward to experiencing the fall colors, overcast foggy crisp days and some peaceful walks with my toddler.

Apart from reuniting with my cousin sisters and their families, I was lucky enough to finally get to celebrate Diwali out of Houston after 8 years and get a four-day break from my regular life. My official travels have been keeping my schedule booked for the entire year and it has been very hard to find a suitable month and time to plan any family travels. I finally found the perfect window and opportunity and was able to book our tickets almost a week prior. Although, I have been to Boston thrice before, this was the first time we explored places outside the city.

This trip felt like a mini vacation. I needed this time to enjoy and bond with my family. Watching our kids play, dance, fight and enjoy themselves brought back fond memories of our childhood days back in Kota, Rajasthan, where me and my cousin sisters grew up. This also made me realize how old we are getting, and time does fly! Being away from our families in India has not been easy, I miss the support system, the festivities, the love, the food and so much more. But every year me and my cousins try to visit each other when we can. Last time they visited us in Houston and so this time it was my turn to pay them a visit.

The first 2 days we stayed in and let the kids bond. I was pampered by my sisters and brother in laws with great hospitality and food. We chatted for hours, face timed with our families in India and prepared for Diwali celebrations at home. Here are a few pictures from the Diwali celebrations.

                                                       Apple Picking and Farm activities

If you have been following me for a while on my Instagram, you might know I love to explore any place I visit, and we made sure we were able to do some fall activities in this short trip. So, we packed up our kids and headed for Apple Picking at Honey Pot Hill Orchards, an hour’s drive from my sister’s house.

This was one of the most exciting activity of our trip. It was our first-time apple picking and we all had the best time. Even though it was very cold and windy that day, the beautiful fall colors, the excitement of exploring the orchard and getting to feed the farm animals kept us all charged up, especially Vir. He had 2 full apples at the orchard, sang “Old Mc Donald” to the sheep, goats and rabbits, sat on the tractor and harvester at the farm and guided everyone which way the maze would lead to exit. I was so proud of him all the time and it brought me so much joy to see my mini me enjoy the little things. It felt like I was reliving my childhood with him.

Martha’s Vineyards

The next day we left for Martha’s Vineyards at 6:30am, it was a 2-hour drive and then a 45 min ferry ride to the island. The kids did very well in the car, they snacked all the way and even watched some cartoons towards the end of the drive. (the ipad always saves the day)

End of October is not the best time to visit the island as it is very cold, and the island is usually a summer getaway, but hey! We had to go because I wanted to 😊 and it had been on my list for a while. Even though most of the tourist places and restaurants were closed, we got to explore the beaches, lighthouses and the ginger bread houses, one of the main highlights of Martha’s Vineyards. Thankfully we had a lot of sunlight the entire day even though it was cold and windy, the sun was very soothing.

We spent most of our time exploring the Ginger Bread House at Oak Bluff camp ground and I highly recommend going here. A tour through the Wesleyan Grove National Historic District known locally as the Martha’s Vineyard Camp Meeting Association can make you feel like you have stepped into a fairy tale, or even a game of Candy Land. In this district are some of the most photographed and admired homes in all the nation, and with good reason. Loved how whimsical the place was. The bright, painted colors of the tiny houses, reminiscent of the vivid hues of a candy aisle, popped against the gorgeous fall backdrop. There are around 300 gingerbread houses at this camp site and BTW you can also rent them and stay in a few.

There is no surer way of connecting with the Island’s maritime heritage than by taking time to pay a visit to one or all the Island’s five lighthouses. After spending couple of hours at the ginger bread houses and taking hundreds of pictures we headed to the Edgartown Light House. We spent an hour around the light house and the beach. Vir and his cousins kept themselves entertained by throwing pebbles in the sea.

After the visit to lighthouse we grabbed some cheese pizza for the kids and had lunch at a Thai restaurant called Bangkok Cuisine. Props for the place for being open in off season. The kids caught a 1-hour nap in the car and we had a few more hours left before we could take the ferry back. We quickly searched our phones for a closer place to visit and came across Island Alpaca. At first, I couldn’t believe it as these animals are present only in South America, but then soon I realized they are also present on an island in Massachusetts.  We dropped our plan to see another Lighthouse and used our time to head to the Alpaca farm. Vir was so happy to see the alpacas and kept going to each one of them and saying “Hi Paca! How are you”.  Some of the alpacas had hairstyles from afro puffs to spiked punk attitude after their shearing. I also got to touch a few who had maximum fluffiness and then we did see them spit on each other. For few minutes I was transported back to my trip to Machu Picchu where I saw the lamas and alpacas on my hike. There is also a small gift shop where you can buy the softest alpaca blend hats, scarves, scarfs etc. Oh BTW you can also buy an alpaca here.

In the end all I can say is life with kids is busy, As I learned on that first trip, there’s no better reminder to live in the moment during those too-short childhood years than a special vacation just for you and your son.this trip was the perfect bonding experience for me and my son. Spending time with my son out in nature helped increase my emotional health and our physical well-being. I believe family travel doesn’t have to be all about finding the most amazing places to visit but instead focusing on your FAMILY and what each one of you loves to do.  Kids love to have special time with their parents, it doesn’t need to be a getaway only. Scheduling an outing that is just for the two of you. Whether you run out to get milkshakes or just go walk around the mall, being together and having one-on-one time brings you closer.

Happy Holidays !