Family Traveler Spotlight is the section of our publication where we profile families who love taking their children along on their travel adventures. In this edition, we meet Kaamna Dhawan of MomAboard. She shares with us why the Maldives is amazing, how Halkidiki, Greece is a great family destination, and how travel has made her children infinitely adaptable.
Interested in having your family featured in Family Traveler Spotlight? Email us at editorial@topflightfamily.com
Tell us about your family.
Our family consists of me, Kaamna Bhojwani-Dhawan, my husband Rohit Dhawan, my 7-year-old son Karam Bhojwani-Dhawan, and my 5-year-old daughter Kimaya Bhojwani-Dhawan.
Where do you live when you’re not traveling?
London, UK
What type of work do you and your partner do?
I run MomAboard full time. I also teach a Bollywood-Latin-Pop fusion dance class.
Tell us about MomAboard.
MomAboard was started by me as a family travel blog when my first child was born 7 years ago. I was living in Australia and traveling around the world with my baby but couldn’t find any reliable information on traveling with a child. Over the years, the problem has only gotten worse with more and more uncurated information. I revamped MomABoard into a trip planning service earlier this year to make the process easier for parents. We offer customized itineraries tailored to your family’s ages, interests and budgets. The unique point here is that the itineraries are built by local moms (our “Mombassadors”) so you get the best of a town, from the parental perspective. We have 60 Mombassadors around the world and are adding new ones everyday.
Why do you believe in traveling the world with your children?
I believe that travel is the best education you can give your children. Forcing them to interact with new environments from a young age has two very important effects: one, it makes them comfortable with ambiguity and more adaptable, and secondly, it gives them true appreciation for the diversity that makes up our world. My kids have been traveling since they were three month each and I am proud to say that they will sleep anywhere, eat anything, and have a genuine curiosity for people and places.
Luxury means different things to different people. How do you define luxury when it comes to traveling with your family?
To me, luxury when traveling with family means having the opportunity to spend time together without worrying about logistics or chores. It means no responsibilities or curfews, so we can all let loose and unwind from the hustle and bustle of our everyday lives.
What’s the best travel experience your family has ever had?
I’d have to say it was a week in the Maldives. The resorts in the Maldives epitomize what I’ve described above and because when you check into a hotel you’re basically confined to it for the period of your stay (island hopping is hard), hotels go out of their way to make your stay as relaxing and interesting as possible. For our 7 days there, we snorkeled and swam, and lazed, did yoga and played tennis. The kids hung out in the kids’ club some afternoons while my husband and I napped and every evening we would watch the sun set over the immaculate Indian Ocean. We ate like kings and were pampered like queens. Our kids beg to go back on a regular basis.
What’s your favorite family-friendly luxury hotel?
The Jumeirah in the Maldives was amazing, as described above and this summer we stayed at the Sani Resort in Halkidiki, Greece, which was a family paradise as well.
What three items do you never travel without?
My phone and noise-cancelling headset (I do everything on it – listen to music, write notes, watch shows). A scarf for flights and to give outfits a little lift. A dark eyeliner to add some definition to a travel-weary face.
What’s your favorite online travel resource?
MomAboard of course!
What’s the worst mistake you see other parents making when traveling?
Over-scheduling. I learned very quickly that nothing goes according to plan when you have kids so we try to take things slow and prioritize the few most important things we want get in. If it doesn’t happen, so be it.
What’s on your travel bucket list?
African safaris. Waiting for my little one to get just a little bit older.
Read more from Kaamna Dhawan at Mom Aboard, and be sure to follow her on Instagram, Pinterest, Facebook, and Twitter.