I posed this question to my family members. For me it was at age 10 (my sister was 9) on board a very rickety Garuda Airline to Medan, Indonesia and we saw the beautiful Lake Toba.
For my mum it was at age 23, just before her 24th birthday and it was on honeymoon to Hong Kong.
For my mum’s younger sister it was at age 25 to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
For my uncle it was age 25 to Lake Toba as well when he was working as a teacher.
For my little nieces it was at age 3 to Barcelona and they don’t quite even recall the trip being too young.
For my dad my mum recalls that it was about age 24 back to Sri Lanka to visit his parents after graduation. His mother’s brother wanted him to marry his cousin, so after that he avoided his uncle and didn’t go back. I recall him telling me this tale of how they owned a jewellery shop and the uncle was not happy with him for not agreeing to marry his cousin. My dad’s brother was in fact disowned by his father as he married someone not of their choosing. I thought it was pretty romantic in fact and they had a beautiful relationship. I’ve gone off tangent but I couldn’t resist relating this tale.
My dad never kept secrets from me and was so open so I could kick myself for not being more interested then and asking more questions. Hence the reason why I’m doing this now. Family stories and family history is so important.
Also memories tend to fade as you age. My mum is trying her best to remember.
I am keen to pose this question to more family members.
Would love to hear about your first journey in the air.
