Growing up with Asian parents is an experience like no other. From being fed herb filled ‘black chickens’, asked to do or not do things for good luck, forced to learn the piano but not allowed to become a pianist. Asian parents can be like Gods who know the best way to parent.
Asian parents always have their kid’s best interest at heart. But when travelling, they refuse to do what is practical or let go of their complex habits from home.
Here are 24 Signs You Grew Up Travelling with Asian Parents
1. Instead of preparing for the trip, your parents were busy watching ahead their favourite Asian drama series.
They generally don’t like reading or researching. They would copy their friend’s itinerary and even stay in same hotels.
2. Your Mum brought along supermarket worth of wet wipes and sanitizers.
Germs! Everything outside of the house is infested with germs. Wipe restaurant chairs, wipe tables, spoons, forks, plates and wipe kids’ mouth after every spoon feed.
3. Your Dad secretly packs instant noodles and a bottle of chilli sauce.
Because Asian dads can’t survive 2 days without eating Chinese food.
4.There was that time when you travelled with the rice cooker.
Don’t forget to also bring rice
5. Every day you were forced to wake up for free hotel buffet breakfast.
“Eat more, it’s all you can eat”
6. Before leaving the hotel, you were asked to study first.
Your parents already bought next year’s maths textbook! Holiday is a golden opportunity to learn ahead.
7. No matter how hot it is – they are always convinced it is too cold or windy outside.
You wore multi layer when other kids wore singlets.
8. “When they ask, tell them you’re ____ years old”
Your parents would practice role play before walking up to a ticket booth.
9. You had to pose multiple times at one photo spot.
The normal look, the peace sign, the look away, the candid shot, the “nice one for grandma”, the everybody jump, the move back and forth for Boomerang Instagram.. etc etc
10. Your parents kept a complete list of ‘must visit’ restaurants and ‘must try’ snacks for the whole trip.
Daily itinerary is then based around where you’re planning to eat
11. When you forgot to take a photo of your food before eating, they give you that dirty look.
Wow it’s fried prawns on skewers, we never seen this one before
12. During lunch you had to finish your meals in 10 minutes.
“Eat quicker!”
13. At nice restaurants, your parents would argue how much is the lowest they can tip.
“Eh in this one you don’t have too!” They would prefer visiting places that doesn’t require tipping. So: avoid the US.
14. When travelling with extended family: your parents would yell and scream in restaurants, for the right to pay.
Western waitresses be like, is everything ok?!
15. You are endlessly compared with other kids.
“I saw your photos, your kids are very good ”.
16. After coming home you are reminded of all the bad things you did during the trip.
Asian parents have a perfect photographic memory of their children behaving badly during trips. “Next time we won’t bring you again”. On the other hand, little or no praise is given if you behave.
17. Instead of learning history, you learnt history of brands.
“Owww Louis Vuitton is from France, Gucci is from Italy”
18. Everyday during the trip there was that ice cream shop talk.
“If you’re good, we are going to ice cream shop”.
“If you’re naughty, we are not going to ice cream shop”.
19. Your mum spent the entire trip avoiding the sun.
She hates getting tanned and sun spots. So why did we keep going back to Bali?
20. Many afternoons were spent napping at the hotel.
Your parent did not allow you to sleep on the stroller. Also THEY need their nap
21. You repeatedly had that “Our airline is so stingy with baggage limit” talk. On the way over, and again on the way back.
“100kg for 4 of us is not possible, should be at least 30kg per person”. They would sometimes try to negotiate at the check in counter to get more baggage allowance.
22. Your family came home with heavy luggages filled with foreign store plastic bags.
Especially branded stores. This is kept to show their non-travelling friends.
23.For a few months after the holiday, you proudly lived off a collection of complimentary hotel soaps, shampoos, conditioners and hotel slippers. Same goes for salt, sugar and ketchup packets, even cutleries from the airplane.
No wonder the luggages were heavy
24. There was that time they left you home with your grandparents. And they posted that: “Missing you already” Instagram post at the airport.
Quietly.. Asian Parents prefer to leave kids at home with the grandparents.
Note: These are obviously caricature generalisations which exist because many travelling Asian parents do fulfill them.
For places we have visited, Checkout our website’s travel Destinations section. We buy our travel essentials online via Ebay
