I Took My First Solo Trip At 50
(Photo: Courtesy author. Illustrations: Sacha Stephan.)
I spent my childhood travelling. That was by necessity: My father was in the army, so we moved every two years across India. As an adult, my husband and I continued that nomadic lifestyle. We lived in India, then Dubai, then Calgary before finally settling down in Toronto 11 years ago.
Without the constant moving, life became more routine. I worked at a corporate marketing job, and my husband and I had two kids. I was enjoying myself, but I also felt like I was doing things by the book—a book that had been written for someone else.
When I was in my 40s, the kids were older and we were more financially stable, and I started to wonder if it might be time to take a few risks. I quit my corporate job and started a blog called Maple and Marigold about balancing two cultures, Canadian and Indian, and the incredible food from both.
In 2018, my father died after a short but brutal illness. That year, the UN IPCC Special Report on Global Warming of 1.5C was also released, noting the rapid warming of the planet and the dire consequences of climate change. I was moved to take action, and teaching people how to live sustainably became my goal.
Eventually, I pitched and sold a cookbook, based on the blog , about cooking and eating with the planet in mind, inspired by my upbringing in India. Good Food, Healthy Planet was published in April 2024, just shy of my 50th birthday. In celebration, I started thinking about a trip to India—an opportunity to further explore some of my favourite foods and spices, and to learn original preparation techniques.
Despite being well-travelled, I’d never planned a trip where my interests drove the itinerary. In November that year, I took the leap and booked an eight-day visit to the southern Indian state of Kerala to see where the foods I love came from.
Related Stories
At first, I worried I was making a mistake. I felt selfish putting my needs first; I couldn’t remember ever having done so. I pushed past the discomfort and fear and reminded myself that the timing was ideal: My kids were teenagers and I could afford the free time. I owed it to myself to take the trip.
In February 2025, I flew from Toronto to Kerala. I booked a low-waste resort, ate at local community restaurants and toured spice farms and orchards. The highlight of my trip was a 17-kilometre hike through trails filled with ancient trees, fungi and native plants. Near the end of the hike, I saw a family of wild elephants.
My first solo trip at 50 taught me the importance of satisfying my curiosities, and the joy of choosing myself. I enjoyed it so much that I know it’s something I’ll do again. I can’t believe I waited this long. —As told to Erica Lenti
Read more stories about women hitting milestones in their 50s: “I had a baby at 50”; “I bought a house at 50”; “I wore a bikini for the first time at 50”; “I had an orgasm for the first time at 50.”
The very best of Chatelaine straight to your inbox.
Puneeta Chhitwal-Varma is a writer, speaker and TV guest expert who teaches people that good food and climate action are deeply interconnected, and that small, individual steps can create powerful collective change. She is the author of the cookbook Good Food, Healthy Planet.
