A former expatriate, he worked in Kolkata for two years before heading to the Gulf in 1977. After 33 years abroad, he returned home in 2010 and has since been indulging his lifelong love for travel.
Sreenivasan
Who says age comes with limits? Sreenivasan, a 79-year-old from Irinave in Kannur, certainly doesn’t think so. Far from slowing down, he’s still hitting the road solo — and his most recent adventure took him all the way to Howrah, clocking a whopping 4,357 kilometres over nine days, all by himself.
Living on the sixth floor of a flat in Thalap, Kannur, Sreenivasan is not one to lock himself in with the passing years. Age may change the numbers, but not his passion for travel. Whenever the mood strikes, he hops into his car and sets off — this time, turning the wheel eastwards to Howrah.
Despite the long journey, there’s not a trace of fatigue in his voice. Sreenivasan doesn’t let age define his pace. “When the desire to travel wins, age doesn’t matter,” he says with conviction.
A former expatriate, he worked in Kolkata for two years before heading to the Gulf in 1977. After 33 years abroad, he returned home in 2010 and has since been indulging his lifelong love for travel. Over the years, he has made countless trips, each one fuelling the next. His eyesight isn’t perfect, and he has a few health issues — but giving up solo travel is out of the question.
His journeys aren’t planned with maps or strict timetables. He simply follows his instinct — just as he did this time, choosing the route via Kottupuzha and Mysuru before heading straight to West Bengal. He drives from 8 am to 6 pm, avoiding night travel entirely. Pit stops are only for petrol and tolls.
For the Kannur–Howrah trip, he used 305 litres of petrol and paid ₹6,500 in tolls. He sticks to national highways and avoids detours. On some three-lane highways, rows of trucks can be a challenge, but Sreenivasan notes, “They’ll clear the way if you honk — it’s part of the driving culture.”
A vegetarian, he stops only at places that cater to his diet. His travels have taken him to Mangaluru, Mysuru, Srirangapatna, Hyderabad, Bhubaneswar and of course, Kolkata — which he has visited thrice already. Shorter getaways to places like Thrissur and Palakkad are also part of his routine.
Sreenivasan believes that for elderly travellers, good roads make all the difference. He lives with his wife Reetha and has two daughters — Sreeja and Sijitha.
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Toasted ham baguettes in hand, we cheered as the new-generation Nightjet drew into Vienna Hauptbahnhof. It was a little before 7pm, and as the carriages hummed past I felt a rush of joy, like celebrity trainspotter Francis Bourgeois, but without the GoPro on my forehead. For more than three years I’ve been documenting the renaissance of sleeper trains, and I’d wondered if I might one day tire of them. But the thrill seems only to intensify each time I embark on another nocturnal adventure, this time with my two daughters – aged eight and five – who were already arguing over the top berth. The first four carriages were designated for travellers to the Italian port city of La Spezia, the other seven carrying on to Roma Tiburtina, where we would alight at 10am. Once in Rome we had 24 hours to eat classic carbonara, dark chocolate gelato, and bike around the Villa Borghese before taking a train to Florence.
Austrian Federal Railways (ÖBB) has played the lead role in resuscitating Europe’s night trains. Towards the end of 2016, ÖBB launched its Nightjet network on 14 routes, using old rolling stock it bought from Deutsche Bahn. Then, to the delight of train nerds like me, it launched a brand-new fleet at the end of 2023, and now operates 20 routes across Europe. We were now on board this high-spec service, which smelled of freshly unpacked furniture, the carpets soft underfoot, the lighting adjustable to disco hues of neon blue and punk pink.
We were booked into a couchette carriage, which mostly comprisesd mini cabins designed for solo travellers preferring privacy. Placing shoes and small bags in lockers, passengers can open a metal door with a keycard and crawl into their single berth, drawing the door closed around them, and not have to look at another human until morning. Last year I had trialled the mini cabins from Vienna to Hamburg alongside a tall friend who had likened the experience to sleeping inside a bread bin, though I hadn’t found it as claustrophobic as I’d feared, just a bit hard, chilly, and with a pillow as flat as a postage stamp. So I was curious to see how the carriage’s four-person private compartments, for families and groups, would differ.
New generation Nightjet train in Austria. Photograph: Christian Blumenstein
Normally happy to share with strangers, I’d booked a whole compartment for the three of us: more to protect other hapless travellers from my children, who were now swinging off the berths like members of Cirque du Soleil, their sweaty socks strewn under the seats. With raised sides, the upper berths were safe for the girls to sleep in without rolling out, and I set about tucking in their sheets while they settled down to finish their baguettes. There is no dining car on the Nightjet, so we’d bought food from the station, which was now moving backwards as the train sailed out of the Austrian capital in silence, smoothly curving south-west.
Two days earlier we’d arrived in Vienna by train from London, via Paris, and had checked into the Superbude Wien Prater, a curious hotel that appeared part art-installation, part hostel, with gen Zs slouched around worn leather sofas on MacBooks. With four-bed family cabins overlooking the Prater amusement park, it was a great location from which to explore the city, then finish the evening with a terrifying rollercoaster and a spicy Bitzinger wurst. A friend had described Vienna to me as a grand and beautiful “retirement village”, but, on the contrary, its green spaces, playgrounds and museums made it an easy stop for 48 hours with kids.
Hopping off the Nightjet from Paris, we’d gone straight to my favourite restaurant, Edelgreisslerei Opocensky – an unassuming nook serving homely dishes such as stuffed gnocchi, and goulash with dumplings – before whiling away an afternoon at the Children’s Museum at Schönbrunn Palace.
Dressing up like young Habsburgs, the girls had swanned around in wigs and musty gowns, laying tables for banquets and begging not to leave – a far cry from our usual museum experiences. Before boarding this train we’d had one last run around the interactive Technical Museum, where the human-sized hamster wheels, peg games and slides had so worn out the children that my five-year-old was asleep as the train plunged into the Semmering mountain pass.
It was still light as we swept around the Alps, my eight-year-old kneeling at the window and asking where local people shopped, so few and far between were signs of human life. Horses grazed in paddocks, cows nuzzled, and the occasional hamlet emerged from round a bend as though the chalets were shaken like dice and tossed into the slopes. In the blue-grey twilight we watched streams gleam like strips of metal, and spotted a single stag poised at the edge of a wood, before the train made a long stop at the Styrian city of Leoben, at which point we turned in.
Monisha Rajesh and her daughters disembark the night train. Photograph: Monisha Rajesh
Like the mini cabins, the compartment was still too cold, the pillow still too flat, but the berths were wider and the huge window a blessing compared with the single berths’ portholes – this one allowed for wistful gazing.
Shoving a rolled-up jumper under my head, I fell asleep, waking at 7am to rumpled clouds and a golden flare on the horizon. Most night trains terminate soon after passengers have woken up, but this one was perfect, allowing us to enjoy a leisurely breakfast of hot chocolate and jam rolls while watching the Tuscan dawn breaking into song, and Umbrian lakes and cornfields running parallel before we finally drew into Rome – on time.
When travelling alone I relish arriving with the entire day at my disposal, but with children it’s hard work waiting until 3pm to check in to accommodation, so I default to staying at a Hoxton hotel if one is available. Its Flexy Time policy allows guests to choose what time they check in and out for free, and by 11am we had checked in, showered and set off to toss coins in the Trevi fountain, finding thick whorls of eggy carbonara at nearby trattoria Maccheroni, and gelato at Don Nino. To avoid the crowds and heat, we waited until 6pm to hire an electric pedal car from Bici Pincio at the Villa Borghese and drove around the landscaped, leafy grounds, relishing the quietness of the evening ride. Excited about the next adventure in Florence, the girls had only one complaint: that they couldn’t ride there on the night train.
Monisha Rajesh is the author of Moonlight Express: Around the World by Night Train (Bloomsbury, £22), published on 28 August and available on pre-order at guardianbookshop.com
Omio provided travel in a four-person private compartment in a couchette carriage from Vienna to Rome (from £357). Accommodation was provided by Superbude Wien Prater in Vienna (doubles from €89 room-only); and The Hoxton in Rome (doubles from €189 room-only)
Bed & bath: 1 bedroom, 2 baths Top amenities: Mountain views, sustainable and thoughtful design, in-unit laundry, free parking on premises
For a tasteful, stylish, and refined stay out in Wanship, Utah, this property is a western take on a traditional lighthouse. The Towerhouse is a four-story estate at 8,000 feet of elevation, and the only property on this list that has no body of water in sight. That said, guests can expect sprawling views of both the mountains and Park City, Utah. While the space can fit up to four guests, its one queen bed is more suitable for two—perhaps for a remote, romantic getaway. With novel, eclectic touches, it’s architecturally unique, and only a 15-minute drive from the small towns nearby. Note: If booking during the winter, all guests must have four-wheel drive with snow tires as the roads are steep and often covered with snow.
Taking time away from your kids doesn’t make you a bad mum, it makes you human.
Actress and mum-of-two Tammin Sursok shares why solo travel is self-care, not selfish – and how she’s teaching her daughters to dream big by doing the same herself.
Because if a dad jets off to Spain solo, he’s praised for taking a well-earned break. But when a mum does the same? Cue the side-eye and questions about who’s looking after the kids.
It’s a frustrating double standard, and one Tammin is tired of seeing play out.
Splitting her time between Sydney and Nashville, the Home and Away alum is no stranger to airports, time zones and the juggle of parenting on the move. But it was a recent kid-free trip to Spain that sparked a bigger conversation—about guilt, rest, and the pressure mothers feel to be endlessly available.
“Because when I come back rested, I’m a better parent. And my daughters get to see that it’s okay to prioritise yourself sometimes too.”
In this candid interview, Tammin opens up about parenting across continents, ditching outdated expectations, and why taking time away from your kids might just be one of the most loving things you can do.
Tammin Sursok recommends travelling solo, without the mum-guilt. (Image: Instagram)
“It’s not selfish, it’s necessary”
Tammin says her solo trip to Spain was more than just a break, it was a revelation. “If a dad goes to Spain solo, he’s living his best life. If a mum goes, she’s abandoned her children,” she says.
“There’s still so much social conditioning around what makes a ‘good mother’. She’s expected to be tireless, devoted, always available—and anything that looks like rest, solitude or joy outside of that is seen as selfish.”
But Tammin believes that mindset doesn’t just harm mothers—it teaches the wrong message to the next generation.
“I want my girls to know it’s okay to take care of yourself. That you don’t have to disappear to be a good mum.”
Motherhood and the myth of balance
For Tammin, life is a constant juggle between work, parenting and travel.
“Honestly, sometimes I don’t know if I am managing it! It’s a lot of logistics – different time zones, school systems – but we’re making it work. The girls have grown up knowing life happens in two places, and that’s been amazing for them culturally.”
She’s quick to debunk the myth of having it all figured out.
“I always say you can have it all, just not at the same time. Some days you’re nailing career stuff, other days you’re hiding in a pantry eating chocolate chips while the kids scream. That’s just real life.”
Respect and teamwork in parenting
Tammin and her husband have one major parenting non-negotiable: kindness, even in chaos.
“We don’t undermine each other in front of the kids. If one of us says no, the other doesn’t swoop in as the fun one. Even though sometimes I want to be the fun one! Ha.”
What self-care really looks like
Forget fancy spa days, Tammin says her self-care is often simple.
“It’s sitting alone in silence for five minutes. Watching TV without noise. A bath, a book. And yes, sometimes it’s big things, like travel or creative projects that light me up. But mostly, it’s small acts that remind me I’m a person too.”
Sharing real life, with boundaries
With 1.3 million Instagram followers, Tammin knows the value of being open, but she draws a clear line when it comes to family.
“If sharing a messy moment helps someone feel less alone, I’ll do it. But my kids’ emotional privacy comes first. People see maybe 5% of my life online, the rest belongs to us.”
Tammin’s long-haul travel survival guide
Having clocked countless flights between the US and Australia with kids in tow, Tammin shares her go-to tips for travelling with little ones:
Snacks. So many snacks.
A new toy or activity they’ve never seen before.
A change of clothes for everyone, learned that the hard way!
Forget screen time rules – it’s survival mode.
Always choose a night flight if you can.
And remember: the flight will end. Even if it doesn’t feel like it.
Tammin with her daughters, Phoenix, 11 and Lennon, 6; Barbie Play-Doh Ruffles and Bows set, from $29 at Target. (Image: Supplied)
Play-Doh x Barbie
Recently, Tammin hosted a Play-Doh x Barbie high tea in Sydney and says the new Fashion Play Sets align perfectly with how she encourages creativity at home.
“In our house, creativity is non-negotiable. There’s no wrong way to create, whether it’s Play-Doh dresses or glitter explosions on paper. I want my girls to feel free to express themselves.”
Tammin’s daughters, Phoenix, 11 and Lennon, six already have big personalities, and bold fashion to match.
“Phoenix is sporty and practical but loves a statement piece. Lennon’s a tiny rockstar – animal prints, sunglasses indoors, very opinionated about accessories!”
As for Tammin, her own style is comfort-first with the occasional red carpet glam.
“Day-to-day I’m in jeans, a white tee and trainers. But I do love going bold when I dress up, it’s evolving, but I just want to feel good without trying too hard.”
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