The trip to Egypt that my brother and I took with our parents for the first time as adults quickly went off the rails.
After spending Christmas in the Sinai Peninsula, we drove back to Cairo in our rental car. At the hotel, a well-dressed man, whom my father mistook for a hotel bellboy, offered to help move our car. “Thank you,” the father said with a smile and handed over the key. The only thing left by the imposter was a 10-foot skid mark.
That car theft set off a series of puzzling encounters. First, we had to convince the car rental company that we were not trying to scam a Toyota out of the company. We then had to fight the police – who arrived at the hotel at 3am with dusty books filled with thousands of mugshots – who insisted on providing baksheesh (i.e. small sums) before issuing a crime report bribe).
We then had to arrange some basic necessities such as buying underwear as our luggage was stolen along with the car. At least we can get comfortable Egyptian cotton.
We originally wanted to go home, but we expedited our trip to Kenya, the second destination. I will never forget the surprised reaction of the Kenya Airways staff when the four of us took out a small bag of clothes as our only checked luggage.
In a photo taken in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, in 1999, Todd Miller said it was his family’s first trip to Asia.
Source: Todd Miller
That first African adventure became the template for twenty years of traveling around the world with my parents.
We go to a new place at least once a year–usually twice. Significant others, friends, and later my son, attended some of these vacations, which ultimately spanned over 40 countries.
The only rule we follow is to do something new every time. In doing so, we quickly noticed a pattern: We millers are prone to accidents.
stairway to heaven
Our second African adventure was even more disastrous.
In Zimbabwe we decided to raft the mighty Zambezi below Victoria Falls. The area is considered one of the largest and roughest whitewater rafting areas Destinations are spread all over the world, with multiple Class V rapids Names like “Mother” and “Oblivion.”
Our knuckles turned white and we gritted our teeth as our raft navigated a treacherous section called “Stairway to Heaven,” descending 30 feet in 50 feet.
Then our raft capsized. The only thing worse than riding down the Stairs to Heaven on a raft is crossing them without a raft. My stepmother and I were washed downstream. I was too focused on avoiding the boulders scattered across the churning river to notice the crocodiles inhabiting the water.
The moment the Miller family’s raft capsizes in the Zambezi River.
Source: Todd Miller
Then it became super real. I was sucked into the powerful whirlpool, gasping for air and struggling to float in the whirlpool. I don’t think death is inevitable, but I immediately acknowledge it as a possibility.
I don’t know how, but somehow the vortex spit me out. Then I swam out to calm waters and found the raft and my family.
That happened 25 years ago. Forever seared into my mind is the memory of my father on the capsized raft, his angelic white buttocks gleaming high in the water, his buttocks stripped bare.
best investment
That destructive rafting trip was an accident, but none of these family adventures happen accidentally.
Every excursion requires careful planning and organization. I had a demanding corporate career at a major Hollywood studio that required frequent travel. So sometimes I go on family trips in addition to work trips. Other times, I squeeze a gap in an otherwise crowded calendar.
The Millers rode horses in Guatemala. “My parents lived on a horse farm in Kentucky, and we often incorporated horseback riding into our trips,” Miller told CNBC Travel.
Source: Todd Miller
Typically, I plan a year in advance to make sure I set aside time with my family first. We are committed to traveling together. Quality time spent with my parents is by far the best investment I have ever made.
These shared experiences have greatly enriched our lives and strengthened our relationship. After that road trip through Central America, you became a different family, a closer family. The joy, laughter and tears of the journey are at the core of our family fabric.
We still laugh at Cairo. We may have lost everything, but we gained something far more valuable.
The misadventures of the Mayans
Travel can upend family dynamics and hierarchies. At home, it’s easy for people to fall into familiar patterns, many of which are formed during childhood. But what about on the road? This is a whole new universe. Role reversal between parent and child is common.
Often, I would bring up travel ideas—and my parents were open to just about any adventure. The conversation usually goes like this:
Me: Have you been to a camel show?
Parents: None in Kentucky.
Me: If you only go to one place, I heard Pushkar is that place.
Parent: When will we go?
Then we’ll move into planning mode. We love offbeat and remote destinations, often combining multiple countries and authentic experiences into one trip.
Before going to bed that night, I covered every surface of my body with clothes from head to toe.
Todd Miller
media director
But sometimes things get too real.
In Tikal, Guatemala, we booked a jungle cabin near ancient Mayan ruins. We were stunned when we opened the door and saw a sparse room with two metal frame beds, a dirty concrete floor and a light bulb hanging from the ceiling.
The sheets were dyed a dark beige and the pillows were decorated with sweat rings. It was run down – a shock compounded by the luxury hotel we ended up in Hotel Brancano Located in the Belize rainforest and the former retreat of film director Francis Ford Coppola.
Before going to bed that night, I covered every surface of my body with clothes from head to toe—and noticed another one of Miller’s unfortunate events unfolding.
road trip to nowhere
We still laugh about a road trip in Cuba where our attempt to drive across the entire island—from Havana to Santiago de Cuba, near Guantanamo—resulted in hours of driving in circles.
The Miller family piles into the local “Coco Taxi” in Havana, Cuba.
Source: Todd Miller
This was the time before GPS. There were no signposts and everyone pointed us in a different direction. We went around and around looking for what was then a two-lane “national highway.” The humor in it all feeds our resilience to keep going.
Then there’s the Mother Camel Fair, a celebration held every November in the small town of Pushkar in the Indian state of Rajasthan. Every year, temporary but impressive tents are set up to accommodate visitors.
Todd Miller’s parents and their driver in India. “We toured Rajasthan in a vintage Ambassador car, including the Pushkar Camel Expo,” he said, referring to the Indian-made car that manufacturer Hindustan Motors started producing in 1957.
Source: Todd Miller
We stayed in the luxurious Royal Tent, which had an ensuite bathroom and a butler, and we had sumptuous meals in the palatial tent restaurant. Pushkar was an unusual trip for us because everything went smoothly this time.
limited window
When I was in my 20s and my parents were in their 50s, we started these family orgies. As the decades passed, the adventures became less daring, occurred less often, and occurred closer to home.
Then the adventure stopped.
Thank goodness we work together to explore the world. The reality is: the window of opportunity is limited, and it often closes sooner than we think.
Phang Nga Bay, Thailand, was the Millers’ “last major international trip with the entire family, which included my parents, my immediate family and my brother’s immediate family.”
Source: Todd Miller
This holiday season, if your family rhythm is settling into its default setting and you’re curious about the world, here’s an idea:
Mix it up.
Make life interesting.
Get out and about with your loved ones.
Go beyond your comfort zone.
This doesn’t happen by accident, it takes some effort. But if you do, you may be forever grateful.
