Am I mad taking a ten year old?

MissV

I'm considering taking my ten year old daughter to a retreat an hour outside of Bangalore. Nearly booked it all and then had a panic - what if she gets some terrible mosquito-borne illness, will we be safe just mother and daughter, am I being irresponsible? I read about Japanese enciphalitis, malaria is always a worry (heard terrible things about preventative medicine - or should we take it) and dengue fever.Do you recommend taking anti malaria medicine or not? Some people prefer to use feet and nets, right? Is this part of India - about an hour outside of Bangalore - known to be terribly bad for mosquitos? Also what vaccinations will we need?

Maybe I should just go on my own ... I just don't want to put my daughter at any unnecessary risk but as it is a voluntourism type program I really felt she would get a lot about seeing how fortunate she/we are and was hoping an experience like this might set her on the path of thinking about giving back.

Thanks!

mariska2002

Absolutely not!
I've traveled to India with my now 9 year old 3 times now,she loves it.
Just be sensible,get all your vaccinations up to date,and everything will be fine.

There is some good threads on here giving tips on traveling with kids,read them.

Happy travels.

mariska2002

I'll add that we have traveled mainly in the south,but have visited Delhi and Varanasi.
We have been vaccinated against Hepatitis A and B,Typhoid, and we take Malarone for malaria protection.

TheStig

If you are going to be an hour outside Bangalore, I see less cause for your concerns. While there is no surefire guarantee that your daughter may not catch something in India, Bangalore is not a high risk area for waterborne or mosquito borne diseases. And if something were to happen, I am sure you can get medical attention in Bangalore which is one of the developed cities in India.

What exactly is a retreat? On surface it sounds like a resort (in which case malaria or waterborne diseases would be least of my concern) but you also say voluntourism so I am puzzled.

MissV

Thanks guys ... it is a yoga retreat, reasonably exclusive compared to how we would normally travel in places we've been before, such as Thailand or Sri Lanka ... (and yes I see the hypocrisy staying somewhere like this to then do some voluntourism and feel odd about returning to nice accommodation but as first time visitors to India, and on my own with daughter, I feel we should spend extra to be based somewhere we would feel safe .. my goal is to ease our way into India with the intent of doing a more down to earth trip in the future; right now I just want to open my daughter's eyes with giving but I don't want to shock her!). So sounds like malaria tablets are wise. I will find out about vaccinations from the doctor - I'm not sure about Japanese encephalitis, if that is something we need to vaccinate against too. Thanks again ... I keep getting cold feel but think this could be a trip that changes the way my girl sees the world and worth doing!

edwardseco

You can't protect against all things. At this age my son became seriously ill in India and had to be hospitalized, his return delayed. However, I don't see an exceptional hazard in your travel plans. Watch out for culture shock in kids at this age..

Nick-H

I wonder if a ten-year-old wouldn't be happier in the centre of a big city, rather than an hour outside it. Boredom could be the biggest danger --- but you only know both your daughter and something about the place you plan to visit.

Please see the threads on health issues, malaria, and mosquitoes. Mosquito bites are not fun, even when they do not involve any disease. The vast majority of bites involve only itching and discomfort.

edwardseco

I am not sure. A big city can be overwhelming. I took my shona baba to a village and he loved that where as he was cowering within his tape player environment in the city..

Nick-H

ok... best I leave this conversation to the parents

machadinha

Just to add, one of this site's finest write-ups on traveling in India with children must still be member DHans's Traveling in India with Kids - a India travel guide for parents, as well as their Journals.

If anything, they make it seem more than a little doable. We've met; cutest of kids, and parents, too

__________________
Reading tips, all picked up at IndiaMike : INDAX's A Comprehensive Guide To India / Dinoj Surendran's Desi Humor / ITHVC on Culture Shock & Travel Health / JetLag Travel Guides For the Undiscerning Traveller / India Travel Links

Missing from Rishikesh since Feb. 3, 2012: Have you seen Jonathan Spollen?

Missing from Joshimath since Dec. 13, 2011: Have you seen Gérard Di Cicco?

TheStig

MissV, you cannot be cautious about or protect your daughter against all the diseases of concern on your list.

There are probably tens of thousands of Indian parents who no longer reside there take their kids who are alien to India there and not everyone is coming back with Malaria and Japanese Encephalitis and Chinese typhoid etc. You are going to be staying in a resort near a major metro so I see very less cause for concern and your daughter getting sick there is about the same as anywhere else in the world.

Just use common sense like most travelers do ( Water is the No. 1 nemesis of travelers in India and drinking dodgy water is something you have to avoid...along with several other things. Ice, cut fruits and veggies etc) and you and your daughter will be fine.

OceanTragic

If I was you I'd use deet, not feet, unless of course you take my wife, her feet'll kill those pesky mossies.

Seriously, I've taken my daughters when they were 8, 10, 11 and 13
and they had a great time. We did do quite a lot of touring around though and not at a 'retreat'. I think mine would get bored to death staying in one place but we're all different.

__________________
Just returned from doing some monsoon meandering.

Have you seen Jonathan Spollen, last seen in Rishikesh in February 2012?

machadinha

I'd also and as my usual comment will go, regarding any health questions and certainly pertaining to my children, discuss it with my relevant health practitioners at home, preferably specialized in travel or tropical health medicine, and not with some goofy strangers on the web; such as yours truly, indeed.

The latter can of course be helpful for additional views (but then indeed how do you know who is answering you, and why, and in what capacity); but should never be a substitute for it. Pretty obvious, huh

btw On the other hand, MissV, to get the last-minute jitters is just perfectly normal, I get it and with no children. Others have certainly gone before you, and will be sure to follow.

Just get yourself informed and through the proper channels and as best as you can, no. Ten years old? I'd say the kid won't be made of sugar (as we say in my country). To travel the world was one of the best gifts our parents gave to us kids, I'd say, and indeed all throughout my youth.

That is however never to edge anyone on: You'll just have to weigh the pros and cons yourself. Again, try and do so going by the best professional advice available to you. And then beyond that, by your instincts, I guess. (E.g., my parents weren't afraid of any of that and rather loved it, or I'm sure they'd never have done it. Sure, they got their share of dire warnings by well-meaning folks. But! How can you!!! Etc. I mean my first trip was to Spain -- by car from the Netherlands, it's not a short ride -- at six months old, at the time that really was like going to India. But, the water! and the olive oil! and so on.

That is again never to say any cautions are therefore entirely off the mark, of course. I mean at the time of course tap water in Spain really wasn't to be trusted just like that, and in fact still isn't, or like in India it will be treated.)

Rachelle

Hi MissV,

The first time I took my kids, my son was 8 months and my daughter 7 years old. We have been returning almost every 1-1/2 years since. Follow the advice below and get professional information. You ultimately need to be comfortable. There are risks in everything in life. Personally, I have found that consulting with good friends and family are not always the best avenues for objective pointers. IM'rs already referenced some great threads for your to read up on (those were so helpful to me during my first trips). We used to travel with a lot of "back-up food" - at the time my daughter didn't eat Indian food - now she loves it! I am North American so Peanut butter, tunafish and boxed mac-cheese were our safeties etc. My son has allergies (Epi-pen boy) and is also very sensitive to any type of bug bite so we take extra precautions and have a nifty tent-like mosquito net - he loves it.

My kids prefer a small town to the big city. Now that they are older, they have a little more independence. The boredom factor is something to consider depending on your daughter's personality. We travel with portable DVD player and it has been very helpful. A booklight is a must especially when getting adjusted to time change!

Good luck in making your decision. India is a beautiful place to be!

Best, Rachelle

Nick-H

I appreciate that you are trying to be reassuring, but, apart from the fact that some travellers who belong to the Indian Diaspora are among the most careful ones that you will find, there are also those who think they are, for instance, immune to malaria, but turn out not to be.

Anyway, racial origin is not a factor in deciding on risk, immunisation, prophylaxis, etc. (ok... there are certain specific exceptions to that.)