Two Little Boys and the Beginning of a Lifetime of Travel

TL;DR – For The Impatient Traveller

What started as a simple Egypt family holiday in 2012 became the journey that changed our lives forever.

With Julius aged four and Jordan barely one, we spent seven days exploring Cairo, sailing the Nile River on a Felucca, riding horses around the Pyramids of Giza, discovering the mysteries of the Great Sphinx, walking through the ancient temples of Luxor, and relaxing beside the crystal-clear waters of Sharm El Sheikh and the Red Sea.

Along the way, we learned how Egyptians made papyrus, explored Old Cairo, visited St. George’s Church, met incredible local people and discovered that the best travel memories are often found far away from guidebooks and tourist attractions.

Fourteen years later, that first family trip has grown into almost 40 countries travelled together as a family. Looking back, Egypt was not just another destination on the map. It was the first chapter of a journey that would eventually shape our children, fuel my passion for travel and give birth to The Lost Mumbaikar.

The Lost Mumbaikar Says:
“Long before 100 countries, there was one family holiday beside the Nile.”

Egypt: The Family Trip That Started Everything

There are some trips that become memories, and then there are a few that quietly change the direction of your life without you realizing it at the time. For me, Egypt was one of those trips.

Today, after travelling to almost 100 countries around the world and nearly 40 countries with my family, I often find myself returning to May 2012. Not because Egypt was the most luxurious destination, I have visited or the most beautiful country I have seen but because it was where everything truly began.

Back then, there was no The Lost Mumbaikar. There were no solo road trips, no motorcycle adventures across Europe, no dream of visiting 100 countries and certainly no travel blog. I was simply a curious Indian professional who had recently moved to Dubai after spending several years in Qatar and had just completed my first international holiday to Germany, Belgium and France.

That first trip left me with a dangerous feeling. It made me realize that the world was far bigger, far more diverse and much more fascinating than I had ever imagined. Once that realization enters your mind, it becomes difficult to ignore. Countries stop becoming dots on a map and start becoming experiences you want to live.

Travel begins long before the flight takes off. It begins the moment curiosity becomes stronger than comfort.

That curiosity eventually brought us to Egypt.

Seven days in Cairo. Four days in Luxor. Four days in Sharm El Sheikh.

At the time, it felt like a simple family holiday. Looking back now, I realize it was much more than that. Without knowing it, we were taking the first steps towards a lifestyle that would eventually take us across continents and create some of the most treasured memories of our lives.

Jordan was barely one year old and Julius was four. Looking at those photographs today feels surreal. Those two little boys who could barely understand what a country was would eventually stand beneath the Northern Lights, cross the Arctic Circle and travel across dozens of countries with us.

Children may forget destinations, but travel quietly becomes part of who they are. It teaches curiosity, confidence and perspective long before life asks for it.

Looking back now, Egypt was never really about the pyramids, the Nile or the Red Sea. It was about beginnings. It was the trip where our family discovered the joy of exploring the world together and where a curious traveller unknowingly took the first step towards becoming The Lost Mumbaikar.

At that time, I had no idea that one family holiday would lead to motorcycle journeys across Europe, road trips through Iceland and stories from nearly 100 countries. All I knew was that I wanted to see a little more of the world.

Sometimes that is all it takes.

One decision. One flight. One destination.

A small step into the unknown can become the biggest turning point of your life.

The journeys that change us rarely announce themselves in advance. They arrive as ordinary holidays and only reveal their importance years later.

For me, that journey began in Egypt.

A Warning At Dubai Airport

I still remember standing at Dubai Airport before departure.

The Arab Spring was still dominating international news and Egypt was not exactly being marketed as a family holiday destination.

The immigration officer looked at our passports, looked at the children standing beside us and then looked at me.

“Are you crazy? You are taking your family to Egypt now?”

His concern was genuine. My excitement was genuine too.

Perhaps travellers see uncertainty differently. While others see risk, they sometimes see curiosity.

Julius had absolutely no idea why the officer was worried. Their biggest concern was probably whether the airplane would have a window seat.

Looking back, I often think about that moment.

Had I listened to him, Egypt would have remained another destination on a map.

Instead, it became one of the most important journeys of my life.

Many of life’s best decisions look slightly foolish at the beginning.

Cairo: Where Our Family Travel Story Really Began

The moment we landed in Cairo, I realised this was going to be unlike any place I had visited before.

Even before reaching immigration, I could feel the energy.

The airport was loud.People spoke passionately. Families gathered everywhere.

Voices came from every direction.

For the first time in my life, I even saw people smoking near immigration areas. Coming from the Gulf, it felt completely different.

Yet beneath all that chaos was something I immediately liked.

Egypt felt alive. Very alive.

And then came a phrase I would hear repeatedly throughout the trip.

“Amitabh Bachchan!”

The moment people discovered I was from India, those two words appeared.

Taxi drivers. Restaurant owners. Hotel staff. Shopkeepers.

By the end of the trip, I must have heard Amitabh Bachchan’s name more than a hundred times. Long before Instagram, Facebook and YouTube connected cultures, cinema had already done the job.

We stayed at a Marriott overlooking the Nile River, and for the first couple of days we simply relaxed and absorbed the atmosphere of Cairo.

At the airport, a local driver had approached me with an offer to handle all our transportation for the entire week. Part of me wondered whether he was a clever salesman or a genuinely helpful local. Looking back, I think he was both.

I agreed.

And it turned out to be one of the best travel decisions I made during the trip.

Every morning at 9 a.m., he would be waiting outside the hotel. Every evening around 8 p.m., he would drop us back after a full day of exploring Cairo.

Soon he became much more than a driver.

He introduced us to local Egyptian food, explained customs, shared stories about the city and showed us parts of Cairo that never appear in guidebooks.

Years later, I cannot remember how much I paid him. I remember the conversations. That tells me everything. Travel has taught me many lessons, but one remains constant.

The best travel investments are rarely measured in money. They are measured in memories.

Cairo Beyond The Pyramids

Many travellers visit Cairo only for the pyramids.

That would be a mistake.

During our seven days, we explored different sides of this fascinating city.

One of the most interesting places we visited was a traditional papyrus workshop. Thousands of years ago, Egyptians discovered that the papyrus plant growing along the Nile could be transformed into one of the world’s earliest forms of paper. Long before books, printers and computers existed, knowledge travelled through these handmade sheets.

Julius was fascinated.

He watched every step carefully and asked endless questions.

Jordan had different priorities. While everyone admired the craftsmanship, he seemed determined to test how durable the finished papyrus really was.

A few handmade sheets suffered during his research. Every family has a future historian. Every family also has someone who accidentally destroys history.

We had both.

We also visited Cairo Zoo, where the boys were excited by baby crocodiles, lions and animals they had only seen in books.

One evening we climbed Cairo Tower, then the tallest structure in Egypt. Sitting high above the city with a coffee in hand while watching the Nile cut through the endless skyline remains one of my favourite memories from Cairo.

We also visited historic mosques whose minarets have watched over Cairo for centuries.

But perhaps the most peaceful place we visited was St. George’s Church in Old Cairo. Inside the church, the noise of Cairo disappeared. The atmosphere was calm, reflective and deeply spiritual.

Standing there reminded us that Egypt is not only the land of pyramids and Pharaohs. It is also home to one of the oldest Christian communities in the world. Places like the pyramids tell the story of Egypt’s rulers.

Places like St. George’s Church tell the story of Egypt’s soul.

The Nile: Egypt’s Greatest Attraction

If someone asks me today for the one experience they should never miss in Egypt, my answer is immediate.

Take a Felucca ride on the Nile. The Nile is not simply a river. It is the reason Egypt exists.

For thousands of years civilizations flourished along its banks. Pharaohs ruled beside it. Traders travelled through it. Entire generations depended on it.

As our traditional sailboat drifted quietly across the water, something magical happened.

Cairo disappeared. The traffic disappeared. The noise disappeared.

For a brief moment, it felt as though time itself had slowed down.

The same river that carried ancient Egyptians thousands of years ago was now carrying our little family.

The breeze was gentle. The sunset was beautiful. And life felt wonderfully simple.

Travel often teaches us that happiness is not found in doing more. Sometimes it is found in slowing down enough to appreciate what is already around us.

The Pyramids: Seeing Them Differently

No trip to Egypt would be complete without visiting the Pyramids of Giza and the Great Sphinx, but one experience stood out far more than simply standing in front of them.

A three-hour horse ride around the pyramids.

Most visitors see the pyramids from the standard tourist viewpoints, surrounded by crowds, souvenir sellers and tour buses. Our guide had different plans. He took us away from the usual routes and deeper into quieter parts of the desert where the noise disappeared and the pyramids suddenly felt much larger, older and infinitely more mysterious.

Standing there in the silence of the desert, it was impossible not to feel humbled by history. The Great Pyramid was built more than 4,500 years ago and remained the tallest man-made structure on Earth for nearly 3,800 years. What fascinated me most was learning that it was already around 2,500 years old when Cleopatra was alive. When Cleopatra ruled Egypt, the pyramids were already ancient wonders.

The Great Sphinx added another layer of mystery. Many people believe Napoleon’s soldiers destroyed its nose, but drawings made before Napoleon arrived show it was already missing. To this day, nobody knows exactly what happened.

Egypt has a way of reminding you how little we actually know about the past.

Yet what stayed with me most was not the history. It was the people.

The Arab Spring had significantly affected tourism, and many of the horse owners, guides and small vendors depended entirely on visitors for their livelihood. Behind every horse ride was a family trying to survive. Behind every souvenir sale was someone hoping tourism would return. As our guide spoke about life before and after the political unrest, newspaper headlines suddenly became human stories.

Travel does that.

It reminds us that destinations are not built by monuments alone. They are built by the people who wake up every morning, open their shops, care for their animals and continue moving forward despite life’s challenges.

Looking back today, I still remember the pyramids. But I remember those conversations too.

And perhaps that is one of the greatest lessons travel has taught me. We travel to see famous places, but years later it is often the people we remember most.

The pyramids showed me the greatness of human achievement. The people showed me the strength of the human spirit.

Luxor: Walking Through The History Books I Grew Up Reading

After seven unforgettable days in Cairo, we moved to Luxor.

This was my place.

Long before arriving in Egypt, I had spent years reading about Cleopatra, Ramses II, Tutankhamun, Hatshepsut and the Pharaohs.

Suddenly those history books were standing in front of me.

Karnak Temple was simply breathtaking.

To call Karnak a temple is actually unfair. It is an enormous religious complex built and expanded by generations of Pharaohs over nearly 2,000 years. The giant columns seemed impossible to comprehend.

We also explored Luxor Temple, the Valley of the Kings, the Temple of Hatshepsut and the Colossi of Memnon.

What fascinated me most was discovering that Hatshepsut had ruled Egypt nearly 1,500 years before Cleopatra. While Cleopatra became world famous, Hatshepsut was one of the most successful female rulers in Egyptian history.

Standing before her temple, built dramatically against towering limestone cliffs, was one of the highlights of Luxor.

The historian inside me was having the time of his life.

The boys, however, had a very different opinion about ancient history. After several days of temples, tombs and Pharaohs, Julius and Jordan had reached their limit. Walking under the Egyptian sun while their father enthusiastically discussed Ramses, Cleopatra and ancient civilizations was probably not their idea of a perfect holiday.

Eventually, I realised the boys needed a break from history. So one evening I arranged a circus show.

The moment tigers and lions entered the arena, Egypt suddenly became exciting again for them. Seeing these magnificent animals in real life and hearing the roar of a lion up close completely fascinated the boys. For the next day, the circus received far more attention for them.

The following day was far more relaxed and became one of my favourite memories from Luxor. Wanting to experience authentic Egyptian food rather than another restaurant meal, I asked our guide to take us somewhere local. He brought us to a family home on the outskirts of town where we were invited to select a hen from their small farm and discuss how we wanted it prepared. A few hours later, we were enjoying one of the most authentic and delicious meals of the entire trip.

While the food was being prepared, Julius and Jordan disappeared into the fields, happily playing with the family’s chickens, roosters and farm animals. Watching them run around freely while we sat with a local Egyptian family sharing food, stories and laughter reminded me what travel is really about.

The temples showed us Egypt’s history. That afternoon showed us its heart.

Sharm El Sheikh: Egypt’s Beautiful Surprise

Our final stop was Sharm El Sheikh.

After the deserts of Giza, the temples of Luxor and the chaos of Cairo, arriving in Sharm El Sheikh felt like entering a completely different country. We stayed at the beautiful Conrad Beach Resort overlooking the Red Sea.

Even today, one of my strongest memories is standing on the balcony early in the morning and looking out across the water. The deep blue sea stretched endlessly towards the horizon.

For the first time during the trip, there was nowhere we needed to rush.

No monument waiting. No temple to explore. No schedule to follow.

Just family time.

One of the highlights was a full-day cruise on the Red Sea. The water was unbelievably clear. Colourful coral reefs appeared beneath us like underwater gardens.

The snorkeling was spectacular and the scenery felt almost unreal.

Looking across the Gulf of Aqaba towards Jordan was a special feeling. For centuries these waters connected traders, travellers and civilizations across the region.

Meanwhile, Julius and Jordan were focused on far more important things than coral reefs or Red Sea views. Their days were spent building sandcastles, playing with beach toys and running between the beach and the water. Jordan, still in his nappy, seemed perfectly happy spending the entire day on the sand.

Sunitha, meanwhile, was busy exploring the nearby coral reefs with a life buoy, fascinated by the colourful marine life just a few metres from the shore.

Looking back, those simple moments remain among my favourite memories from Sharm El Sheikh. Sometimes the best family travel memories are not the famous attractions but the ordinary moments spent together.

The best family holidays are not always the busiest ones. Sometimes they are the moments when everyone finally slows down together.

The Trip Was Never Really About Egypt

Looking back today, Egypt was never really about the Pyramids of Giza, the temples of Luxor or the beaches of Sharm El Sheikh. It was about beginnings. It was our first real family adventure, a journey taken with two young boys and absolutely no idea where travel would eventually lead us.

Fourteen years later, that single trip has grown into almost forty plus countries travelled together as a family. The boys who once played in the sands of Egypt would go on to stand beneath the Northern Lights, cross the Arctic Circle and explore the world alongside us.

That is why Egypt remains special.

Not because it was perfect. Not because it was luxurious. But because it was where our story began.

Travel has taught me that life rarely changes through one dramatic moment. More often, it changes through small decisions that seem ordinary at the time. One flight, one destination and one decision to say yes can create memories, friendships and experiences that shape the years ahead.

You never know which journey will become important. Some trips give you photographs. Some trips give you stories. A rare few become part of who you are.

For us, Egypt was that journey.

Sometimes the first step into the unknown becomes the road that changes your life forever.

Your Turn:

• Egypt became the beginning of our family’s travel story. What destination started yours?
• Was there one ordinary holiday that later turned out to be one of the most important journeys of your life?

Looking back today, which travel memory still makes you smile the most?