Marry Me Fly Free

‘Marry me fly free.’ Perhaps that was one of the clinchers to get Hashim to go on one knee and present the ring six years ago. Ok, so maybe there were other reasons but we only realised the truth in this statement once we started using the travel benefits that an international airline offers its staff-especially flight attendants.

We had access to domestic Indian carriers paying only 10% of the fare and on the company aircraft we could literally hop on and off without spending a dollar. The catch was all travel was subject to load but if you did get on and there was space in business that is where you could find yourself if dressed right. Those were the days!

Within India we used our travel passes to head to Goa (in the pre baby days when we hired bikes and beach crawled. Now we still beach crawl but in a car), Cochin, Delhi, Chennai, Bangalore and Sri Lanka. Our passports wore a well travelled look as the airline took us to Paris, Hyeres (south of France), Rome, Atlanta, Boston, New York, San Diego, San Francisco, Las Vegas, Los Angeles and Chicago.

As the company layover city was Paris, I now know some areas like the back of my hand and in my minds eye retrace those steps often. In addition to the major sight seeing attractions like The Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame, Sacre Coeur, Arc De Triomphe, Lido, Invalides and Louvre, we have experienced the Paris Plage, Mikes Bikes cycling tours, the quaint Albert Kahn garden, the Latin Quartier (with Le Marathon being a favourite restaurant. Head here before 8pm for the Boeuf Bourgonaise), eaten snails, oysters and rabbit and even watched local French alternative theatre and a Circque du Soleil circus. A complete experience.

Rome was a fantastic experience and Tarun has to have been the most travelled foetus as I was 6 months pregnant while touring the Italian capital and he has travelled in the belly to Paris several times, Goa, Kihim and Pune. The Vatican, Sistine Chapel (a certificate of pregnancy allowed us access without waiting for hours in serpentine queues), Fountain of Trevi, Spanish Steps, Piazzas and pizzas we saw them all.

An aunt and uncle who share our passion for travel and the outdoors invited us to share their holiday destination Hyeres. They introduced us to the ways of the simple life – drink Pastis, play petonque / boules, swim in the Mediterranean, eat olives and salads and drive to Axe En Provence. The villages, towns, local markets, fresh fruit, flea markets, cafes, restaurants, countryside, highways, harbours, beaches, stores, we hit them all. Driving through towns really gives you a different perspective of the people and culture.

The highlights from our trips to the States have to be meeting with friends and family and experiencing the cities with them. From catching The Blue Man Group (http://www.blueman.com/) in Boston and eating Boston Chowda to the Aquarium. From the Empire State building, Broadway, Times Square, Central Park, the MET, the West Village, China Town, Staten Island ferry to see the Statue and Grand Central Station, New York. From Universal Studios in LA to Solvang a quaint Danish styled town. From Pier 39, China Town and trams in San Francisco to a tour of the Google office in San Jose. Las Vegas was glitz and glamour 24/7 with Hashim getting quite desperate as my gambling instincts started emerging.

We are happy we had the opportunity to travel and that we clocked in as much as we could during our flying days. ‘Marry me fly free’ could not have been truer.