The Road to 40 Day 252/365: Travel Buddies

Vino has been traveling with us practically since he was born

I never saw this as a life I’d have for my kid, but here we are. I’m not complaining, it’s just that I never imagined I would have a life full of travels.

It was never in my plans to travel the world. I always thought it was expensive and it didn’t make much sense for me. But at the same time, sometimes, there was a Truman Show feels to the life I was living before I traveled.

It’s like everything that is not my home is fiction.

The first time I went out of the country was 2009, to visit my sister, who was living in Singapore at the time. It didn’t ignite my love for travel, but it did make me realize that there is so much of the world to see.

Che left for Singapore in 2013 in a move that I felt was going to make or break us. Personally, I thought I did everything I could for the relationship, that if she met someone else during the time we were apart, I’d be at peace knowing we split while we were both in a good place.

Thankfully, she didn’t, and we got married two years later.

Later, she got a role that required her to travel. A lot. So since Vino was born, we’ve been going where she goes. It’s been fun exploring places, and we’re lucky that Vino is such a good traveler even when he was a baby.

He was never the irritating baby that cried the whole duration of the trip. It was as if he was built for this.

As he grew older, he’s gotten more used to it. He’s grown enough to pass through auto gates, and it’s always amazing to watch.

Even though I never intended to see the world, I’m lucky that I’m seeing a lot of it now. Sometimes, I still feel like new destinations that we go to are not real. I can’t thank Che enough for this kind of life that Vino gets to experience.

This weekend, we’re heading back to the Philippines to celebrate a dear friend’s birthday. It’s his 40th, which is a big milestone.

I picked up Vino from school at lunch and went straight to the airport. I brought him a change of clothes. He had Ippudo for lunch, because he’s always going to pick it if he was given the choice.

In the plane, he ate well again. He didn’t sleep, but it’s fine. The flight landed on time and it was a quick drive to the place we were staying at.

We had dinner with Che and were able to sleep together in the same space for the first time this week. It’s going to be a quick, fun weekend getaway for everyone.