Recently, a wealthy friend asked me how much I spent holidaying with my family over the past decade. I told him ballpark, around RM500,000.
To which he expressed shock and claimed that, I could’ve easily bought another house in cash, since holidays abroad are a form of ‘liability’.
To which I asked back the rich insurance magnate: Bro, aside from a divorce settlement, estranged kids, health and weight issues, a smoking problem and randy reputation, what have you got to show for sir – with all those millions stashed?
You could hear a pin drop!
So what have I achieved through my travels? Let’s see:
1. Visited every state of Malaysia, from Kuala Perlis to Tanjung Piai along the west coast to Pekan to Pengkalan Chepa on the east coast, and from Kuching to Kudat
2. Dined and wined with the Mrs. beside the majestic Colosseum in Rome
3. Watched Phantom of the Opera in Broadway New York
4. Jumped off a plane in freefall from 15,000 ft over Dubai before parachuting over the Palm al-Jumeirah
5. Listened to a top live jazz quartet in London
6. Gone skiing at the Elysian slopes at the height of winter in Seoul
7. Finished writing the last chapter of my book overlooking the Pacific Ocean at Gold Coast
8. Explored a 900-year old Hindu temple depicting the origins of the Mahabharata in Bali
9. Had the best pasta on earth dished by the legendary Jamie Oliver himself in Sydney
10. Cultivated an English garden in a French enclave in Hanoi for my wife
11. Drove up to the mountains at Andorra to procure the finest wooden cask brandy
12. Parked myself for three days of Napoleonic history in an old castle in Chambord, France
13. Chronicled different kinds of yachts and helicopters along Perth’s Mandurah
14. Watched a Premier League match at White Hart Lane, Tottenham
15. Climbed a trail along the Cape of Good Hope to catch the meeting point of the Indian Ocean and the Atlantic in South Africa
16. Galloped with camels amidst a bullfight in Sallalah, Oman
17. Dined with pirates and poached sea bass just off the Arabian Sea in Karachi, Pakistan
18. Climbed atop the Blarney Castle in Ireland to obtain the mystical gift of the gab
19. Played the Girl from Ipanema alone on my alto saxophone on a secluded beach in Patong, Thailand
20. Sat in an old school locomotive along mountainous tracks in Southeast China to understand my wife’s origins and diaspora
21. Drove from the Pacific Coast to the Tasman sea along a 2,000 km trip from Auckland to Wellington.
Now travelling is no big deal. Everyone can afford it these days, especially with the advent of low-cost carriers.
Just walk through anyone’s Instagram and everyone’s on holiday. So what’s so different about mine?
It’s this: In every one of my holidays, my entire family is with me! No one is left out.
Many people have lamented to me that they are unable to enjoy holidays with their family, claiming it’s beyond their financial means. To which I ask them again, “Is it travel you’re looking for or is it experience?”
If all you want is travel, then I suggest you spend 5k to visit the Incas in Macchu Pichu, Peru.
But if it’s experience you’re looking for, then I suggest Langkawi for everyone.
And that’s guaranteed to provide fond memories that you’d cherish for a lifetime.
Family travel is one of the best ways to raise children, especially in developing the character traits you don’t learn in school.
For example, visiting Australasia teaches you that it’s silly to think your own country is so great – like an Aboriginal elder once said “like two fleas arguing over who owns the dog they’re on.”
Visiting Oriental countries teaches why you look shallow condemning pork as a food choice for a billion other people.
Visiting Nordic nations teaches you why it’s important to balance welfare and development.
Visiting Islamic counties teaches you how foolish it is to think your race alone has the sole right to use Arabic words in religion.
Visiting the South Indian continent teaches you why it’s important to respect diversity and end supremacist thinking.
So we’d like to encourage all of you to spend the better part of your acquired wealth to travel and learn.
Safe travels this season.
