Let’s get this straight, 2020 literally sabotaged all the travel plans for every one of us, which is nothing shocking anymore. Lol! Jokes apart, we had planned 3 trips for 2020, Europe & another trip to Thailand (an irreplaceable destination in our yearly travel plans as we visit Thailand at least once every year if not twice). Also, we had plans for Finland (which we were just about to book the tickets for) apart from that we were planning to explore a few Indian destinations.
*Ding Ding*
#Storytime: We met and have been together for more than a decade now. All the credit goes to our destiny! We can’t thank our destiny enough to bring us together. We know each other since 1999 when we literally hated each other. Who knew that we will be inseparable after a few years. Touchwood! When we met again in2009 it was an incident of what we call ‘luck by chance’. We started talking just because we bumped into each other at a place where we had no option but to greet & indulge in little chit-chat sessions. However, we had become matured enough not to behave like adamant kids & just walk off. Haha! Look at us now! We’re literally inseparable & can perfectly fit for adhesive glue commercials. People who know us will support the statement as they don’t see one of us alone even in a market! 😀
Sorry for our long story. We will now come to the point.
So, our Europe trip was booked. For the first time ever, Rinnku had booked business class tickets for us (usually we upgrade our seats to business class on the airport depending if any last-minute offers are available). So we were about to get picked up & dropped by Emirates from our doorsteps to the airport & airport to the hotel. During the whole trip, they were about to send a chauffeur-driven Mercedes or BMW for the same. She was very excited! Our accommodation for this trip was booked in the city center & all of them were expensive ones. Usually, we prefer to stay in the city center anyway, but this time they were in the prime location with premium rates, for example – our hotel in Paris was a 5 Star hotel with a full view of Eiffel Tower from the room & so on. Our hearts were broken when we had to cancel/postpone the trip. With absolutely no clue when the travel is going to happen again. We were trying to get used to our new “normal” lifestyle.
It was Rinnku’s Birthday on 28th July. And it’s a huge deal for her. She always wants it to be special unlike me who hates celebrating it. No, please tell me what’s there to celebrate on birthdays in the comments below! Let’s see if you can convince me to celebrate mine next year. :’)
But she freaking loves birthdays. And I had to make it special. For us ‘special’ means travel, of course! And luckily the shackles of lockdown were unwinding slowly & gradually. Our hotel industry was steadily reopening its doors with all advised guidelines & precautions. I tried looking out for options & checking what kind of precautions & safety measures they are taking. After a lot of research, I finally concluded to go for either Taj or The Leela for her surprise birthday holiday.
In the meantime, I came across the detailed hygiene & safety measures that The Leela hotels had released to make sure that all their guests are safe & at the same time they feel pampered as they always ensure. Now, the next hurdle for me was which property of The Leela to select for her. Because I know she would let her birthday go just like that but not step inside the flight. So, I started looking for a place where I can drive her down ( I am not a huge fan of driving, things men do in marriages you see!) & I was sure that is the only option.
And then destiny played its role again!
The Leela Palace Udaipur suddenly out of nowhere came up with this “Drivecation Holiday Package” – where they offer you pick up & drop off from your doorstep in Mumbai in a Chauffeur driven BMW 5 series. Two years ago I had promised her to take to a palace either on her birthday or our anniversary. Can you believe this? I still have goosebumps while penning down this blog!
A holiday in a palace on her birthday (that too during a pandemic). Checked!
Drivecation announced by The Leela Palace out of the blue. Checked!
Pick up & Drop off by a chauffeur-driven car at the doorsteps for which she booked our Emirates business class tickets for Europe & this package had that same thing. Checked!
The moral of the story is – our life is so driven by destiny. We have so many stories to share which we never ever planned but destiny had planned that for us. We are so grateful to this universe for all the happiness we have in our life. And this pandemic made us even more grateful for the smallest things that we took for granted earlier.
We believe this happens when you are ready to share with an open mind & heart with your loved ones. When you respect & love your parents, your elders, and everyone around you. And then this is what you get in return from the universe. Try to be more loving & caring to everyone around you. Don’t crib or gossip about someone especially in their absence. Don’t spread negativity if you can’t spread love. Don’t hesitate to share your knowledge, or helping anyone if that’s in your capacity. No one will get anything more or less than its destined. So, be the reason for someone’s smile. Be the shoulder for someone in pain.
And don’t expect anything in return!
The universe will give you everything in abundance.
So back to our travel story, I couldn’t even give a second thought on this one & just booked it immediately. This was around the first week of July. I was planning to not tell her until the last minute. However, had no option but to tell her a week before our travel date who would do our packing then! And since it was a palace she had some different ideas of her dresses to be packed. (You will see the images of the same in our Travel Post Lockdown – Part 2).
When I broke this news to her, she was in shock and so confused about the whole idea of traveling. But after showing all the safety measures The Leela Palace was taking, she agreed for the same. Though she was not fully happy with the idea of traveling. She even asked me to cancel or postpone the trip on the day of departure. 😀 And yes, after all the hesitation finally we left for the Drivecation on 29th July (next day of her birthday) Because she wanted to spend her birthday with her parents whom she couldn’t meet for months. Thanks to COVID-19!
We left at 7.30 pm on 29th July in a BMW 5 series for The Leela Palace Udaipur. Our first trip post lockdown period, our first trip during the Covid-19 pandemic, our first trip of 2020, our first trip with a little hesitation, our first trip where we took precautions like never before. We are already writing on our whole experience of The Leela Palace Udaipur Drivecation Blog – part 2 coming soon. Stay Tuned!
Also, we have a lot of such stories to share. Do let us know in comments if you would like to read more about our destiny stories or tales which always took us with surprise.
Also, do share if you have any such stories, we would love to hear it from you guys.
Let’s spread some smile along the way & thank the universe for everything! 😀
