En route the Great White North!

Photo Courtesy: Unsplash

With a few tears and a lot of hugs and kisses, we started the next leg of our journey. A 2-day layover in the UAE to break the long journey, and then to Canada. What started off as a peaceful trip turned into utter dismay when Little N (our baby boy) fell extremely sick on the way and was rushed to the ER in Abu Dhabi. 7 days of hospitalization, staying in a country without a visa, deciding to delay our move, and finally moving in with my parents in Oman until our baby boy recovers – those few weeks tested every bit of us, but that’s a story for another time.

We didn’t quite make it to Canada as planned, but our trip to Oman turned out to be a blast! A month in Oman flew by. We packed and repacked. We took a trip to the beautiful Salalah with my parents and had the most amazing time. My little boy bounced back, and how! Let me tell you, nothing beats the hospitality of grandmas and grandpas! Little N lived his best life, pampered with love and endless treats (I was low-key jealous, to be honest). In a blink of an eye, we were at the airport, all set to fly and start this new chapter.

Travelling with kids can be daunting. Little N has been a hit and a miss in this. He’s super fun to travel with if he’s with both his parents. The few times I’ve had to travel alone were TERRIBLE. Again, I’m saving that story for later. I call this phase ‘Operation Chaos Control’. Prepping for this long flight was no less than preparing for a grand expedition. Snacks? Check! Toys? Check! Art Supplies? Check! Patience? Cheeeckkkkkk! We were all set to fly, finally!

To my surprise, the journey went quite well. We landed at the Toronto Pearson Airport in a jiffy (it just took us 17 hours, duh). As the immigration officer finally granted us permanent residence, we couldn’t help but get excited about the adventures that awaited us. The journey to this day wasn’t easy. There were hurdles to cross and heartbreaks to face, but I’m quite proud of how we stuck together and came out of the rabbit hole. It took us a lot of time, effort, grit, and resilience. But among all the joy, my anxiety crept in. We were now in a strange land, trying to start fresh. Our new reality.

The cold September breeze was a little too much for us desert heads to bear. Little N had goosebumps on his goosebumps! Welcome to the “Great White North,” indeed! Canadians are known for their friendly and polite nature, and true to that, a lot of smiles and hellos were exchanged during our evening strolls and grocery walks. We caught up with our family and friends, which did give me a little relief in this new land that we now call HOME.

If you are someone planning a long-haul journey with a toddler, here are some things that helped us get through 17 hours as easy as ABC:

1. Talk to your child about the journey – We had a lot of conversations with Little N about how the journey would be and showed him images of the aircraft we were flying, the seats we had booked, the complimentary kids bag they provide, and a lot more. This got him really excited, and he looked forward to the journey.

2. Pack a looooot of snacks – Yes, pack more than you think you will need. Pack a variety of goodies. Sneak in a surprise. Toddlers are hungry monsters.

3. Keep them engaged – While packing toys and activity books or kits, make sure they are handy. You are already dealing with a lot, and you don’t want to search through your cabin bag for your child’s toys. We had a dedicated bag for Little N, which had some of his favorite toys, activity books, art supplies and play-dohs. Apart from some of his favorite toys, the rest were new, and we managed to hide them from him until we took off.

4. Screen time – If you allow your child some screen time, download their favorite shows. Like all the pointers above, download more than you think you will need. Little N enjoyed episodes of Paw Patrol, Daniel Tiger, Llama Llama, and some games. I do not recommend YouTube Kids, as inappropriate content can very easily find its way to your little one.

That’s all, folks. Stay tuned for more laughs and adventures as we rebuild our lives after migration.