Travelling around the world has given Janhabi Nandy the space to be present in the moment. But the greatest gift the experience has given her? Time spent with her son

Editor’s Note: This story was a part of the series The Gift, which ran in the March 2026 issue.

Janhabi Nandy, left, and her son are currently on a five-month trip around the world. Photo Courtesy Janhabi Nandy

I’m sitting in a petite hotel room in Tokyo, three months into my five-month trip around the world with my 12-year-old son.

I first imagined living abroad for a few months when my son was a toddler – time away from work and school to explore the world – and started saving up. Fast forward a decade and I still can’t believe we’re doing it. I’m grateful my employer approved unpaid time off – I had initially requested it two years ago and had been working in the year prior to set my colleagues up for success in my absence. My son’s teachers were excited for him and set us up with some work to do while travelling, with the rest to be figured out upon return.

We booked around the world tickets, which were much cheaper than booking separate tickets. It does require that you travel in only one direction, and an anchor for us was visiting family in India in December, so we travelled from Ottawa starting in November to France, Greece, UAE, India, Thailand, Australia, Japan and Korea. We booked a weekend to Siem Reap in Cambodia and a two-week stay in Hawaii separately. I booked all the flights and most of the hotels in advance.

Janhabi Nandy, right, and her son in Greece. Photo Credit Janhabi Nandy

As it’s just the two of us, it was important for me to stay in hotels with 24-hour front desk support in case of an emergency, and we mostly stayed in three- or four-star rated hotels. While that is costly, it balances out a bit with staying in places with kitchenettes and taking public transit instead of renting cars. Food is a huge focus for us, but we mostly go where we walk by, rather than looking up places or aiming to eat certain things and we are enjoying all kinds of local cuisine. 

This long trip has given me the gift of changing my mindset. Balancing work as an executive in the public service and being a single mother is a lot of being “on” all the time, always planning for the next meeting, the next grocery run, the next registration deadline.

Nandy, left, and her son, age 12, in Cambodia. Photo Credit Janhabi Nandy

While travel does involve a lot of planning, we are going slowly, with a lot of time to sit in cafes, walk rather than drive, hear from local guides rather than just take pictures of places. There is plenty of time to just be present in the moment, to let my thoughts wander, to call old friends when the time zone permits and to learn new things, like making sushi or riding an e-bike.  

The greatest gift is time together with my son. Every day is full of images and insights we are taking in together and chats over new foods about the past, the future, and how things work – and also disagreements about how to read maps or how much to try and blend into the culture.

I am less assured in new places than at home, and he takes on new roles to carry luggage and use ticket machines. Our roles as parent and kid have morphed slightly, giving both of us the ultimate gift of travel – pushed out of our comfort zones to find new zones.

-30-

Janhabi Nandy’s tips for travelling with a child

Age matters: My son is 12 and in Grade 7, old enough to be helpful but not so old that he’s over spending time with mom.

There’s a lot of planning: Some things like getting time off work, booking the primary around the world ticket and booking some hotels were months in advance – some planning took more time than I anticipated in the weeks ahead like what to pack, medications and travel insurance – and a lot of planning of itineraries is best done on the road.  

Packing is an art: As we are traveling through all four seasons, we couldn’t pack for it all. We took layers and bought clothes and shoes on the road. In the last part of the trip, I’m using luggage delivery and storage whenever possible, and saving shopping till the end of the trip. We have met a lot of people in laundromats.

There’s an app for that: Using apps to plan was incredible. Expedia offered lots of locally owned hotels and solid reviews – I always got exactly what I expected. Get Your Guide has been great for finding local guides and classes. Ride share is something that changes from country to country, so researching the right app for transport in each place is important.

Take the little wins: I was proud of our little victories like taking a local bus or understanding a sign in a foreign language. The journey really is the destination.