"Every summer of my childhood began the same way: with a packed suitcase, an early morning train, and my parents double-checking everything while my sister and I sleepily followed behind. My parents were always the ultimate planners. Tickets, snacks, backup plans for the backup plans - they had everything sorted. Even as my sister and I got older and each moved to different countries, our parents still took the lead when we traveled with them."
"It all started with the visa process. Schengen visa forms (for non-European Union nationals to visit the Schengen area in Europe) aren't exactly fun, but my parents seemed completely overwhelmed trying to figure them out. As I sat with them as they tried to fill out the forms, my mom kept asking the same question about which travel insurance to take, and my dad struggled with the portal for booking the visa appointment slot."
"They also put me in charge of the itinerary. Although my parents had planned international trips before, this time, they seemed unsure of themselves. I thought they were just being cautious since it was their first time planning a multi-city trip through Europe, so I handled figuring out the routes, accommodations, and timing. However, it wasn't until we landed at Amsterdam Airport that I noticed things had really changed."
A family took a two-week trip through Europe in December. The parents had historically planned every detail of family travel, managing tickets, snacks, and backup plans. As the children aged and moved abroad, the parents continued to lead on trips until this visit, when the parents relied on the narrator and sister. The narrator managed the Schengen visa forms, travel insurance questions, booking portals, and the itinerary including routes, accommodations, and timing. At Amsterdam Airport the narrator noticed the parents walking behind and displaying uncertainty; the father handed over his passport, signaling a role reversal and increased dependence.
Read at Business Insider
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