JOIN USExcursions with friends are fast replacing the traditional family trips
In a rapidly changing world, a new mushroom has been seen sprouting, that of youngsters preferring to go on excursion trips with their friends instead of family.
The concept has been prevalent for long but the trend is catching up fast amongst youth. A society where terms like generation gap, difference in opinion are heard constantly, the current generation likes to spend more time with its own age group.
Agrees Prerna Panda, intern with Smile Foundation, “I have a group of six friends. We go out of Delhi on weekends quite often. The best part is that I can share all my secrets with them including jokes that parents find offensive. It is a perfect way to be free of all tension and stress.”
Though, parents do not usually allow their children to go with people who are not familiar to them. “My parents know about my company. They know it is my age to have fun. Trust is an important factor”, says Palak Kohli, working with an MNC.
When asked about their preference to choose between family and friends for trips, many say that it depends upon the location of the excursion. For Dishant Bhasin, Sales and Marketing leader with Holiday Rentals; “I will never take my mom to Goa. It is not a place for her. Going to Bridavan or any religious place would probably be a better idea.”
Even if parents allow their children to go on excursions, they make sure that the child is safe. Pragati Sharma, a student of Home Science and Social Work says, While I was in college my mom made sure that I gave her alternate numbers other than mine. She wanted to know about how many people were going, our means of travel, accommodation etc.
With friends it becomes easier to be chilled out and have untimed conversations. They do not mind being up till late in the night discussing all kinds of topics. For Yesha Jain, subject matter expert with KLM, if family rarely goes out on trips one tends to spend time with friends. “With family it can become boring and mundane while with friends you are more free and relaxed. You can choose any destination on the globe!”
But doesn’t going out without parental supervision, tempt the youngsters to cross their limits? Drishti Ganguly, a DU student, says, “It’s true that there is no objection or control with friends. In my previous trip I drank two bottles of rum every day. But knowing that at the end of the trip I have to return to my family I stayed in limits.”
Unless there is enough comfort level between friends, such trips do not take off. The youth of today is well connected with each other all the time. There are lesser reservations, more unconventional ideas and enough intelligence to convince their parents to allow them to go on a jaunt.