This senior couple's stories from the road will awaken the travel keeda in you
Did someone say life becomes boring after 60? The Tomars would like to respectfully disagree.
Ranbir Kapoor’s wanderlusting Bunny in Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani once scoffed at the idea of a predictable life—“22 tak padhai, 25 pe naukri, 26 pe chokri, 30 pe bachche, 60 pe retirement … aur phir maut ka intezaar. Dhat aisi ghisi-piti life thodi jeeni hai mujhe (Study till 22, get a job by 25, marry by 26, have kids by 30, retire by 60… and then wait for death. I don’t want to live a boring life like this).” Us neither, but unlike Bunny, most of us have don’t have the luxury of time or enough moolah to take off on travels as frequently as we would like to. We’re very much ordinary corporate prawns, sitting hunched in our non-ergonomic chairs, terrorised by emails and deadlines.
Lucky for us, Bunny wasn’t entirely right and we have proof. For Noida-based retired couple Ajay and Sunita Tomar, turning 60 wasn’t a countdown to the finish line—it was the beginning of their grandest adventure yet. After Ajay (63) retired from his government job in January 2022, he and Sunita (58) decided to finally do what they hadn’t been able to while juggling full-time jobs and family responsibilities—travel. They had spent decades ensuring everything was in place, raising kids, managing a home, and ticking off all the responsible-adult boxes. But now? It was time for some ghoomna firnaa.
Then just as they were about to hit the road, life threw them a curveball—Sunita developed a spinal issue and had to be on bed rest for a month. But that did not put a damper on their plans; in fact it gave them more inspiration to make their dream a reality. While recovering, Sunita turned into a full-time digital traveller, binging on reels and vlogs of people converting their cars into campervans. That’s when the lightbulb moment hit: why book hotels when they could modify their own car into a mini ghar and take it everywhere with them?
Once Sunita was back on her feet, the couple got to work on their Ford Ecosport. They transformed the backseat into a sleeping area with beds, fixed storage boxes under the backseat to carry clothes and other essentials, and converted the trunk into a makeshift kitchen with two stoves (an LPG as well as a butane backup for those off-road trips). They carry minimum furniture—a foldable table, two chairs, a charpai (cot), a 20-litre container of drinking water and another 20-litre container of water for other uses. “Hum apne hisaab se poora chalta-firta ghar hi leke jaate hain (We carry a fully functional home with us),” laughs Ajay.
The Tomars’ maiden voyage was a week-long trip across Rajasthan in February 2022 covering Bikaner, Jodhpur, Jaisalmer, and Jaipur. But just like every new adventure, it came with a side of trial, error and uncertainty. “We used to feel awkward cooking out of our car,” Ajay admits. “Thodi sharam aati thi—log dekhenge toh kya kahenge? Ki bhaiya, hotel bhi afford nahi kar sakte? (We were embarrassed and used to think, what will people say? That we can’t even afford a hotel?)”
Sleeping in the car was another challenge. “In the beginning, we were constantly paranoid about where to park for the night,” says Sunita. “We didn’t know which spots were safe, and we kept second-guessing our choices. It was a learning curve.” To ease into life on the road, they decided to join a travel group of fellow campervan travellers that Sunita found online. With that group, they went on their second trip to Uttarakhand. As they engaged with the campervan community, swapping notes and taking more group trips, their confidence grew. And the more they travelled, the more they realised they weren’t the only ones fascinated by this lifestyle. Encouraged by fellow travellers and people they met on the road, they started documenting their journeys on YouTube—and just like that, their channel Ghoomna Firnaa was born in April 2023.
Fast forward to February 2025, and the Tomars have just returned from their 16th car trip, a 45-day road tour across South India. “We started from Noida, drove to Gwalior, then via Nagpur reached Hyderabad. From there we went to Bengaluru, Ooty, Mysuru, Munnar, Alleppey, Thekkady and then to Kanyakumari and Rameswaram,” Ajay rattles off, barely pausing for breath. “From Rameswaram, we drove to Mumbai, then went to Pune for a camper’s meet, then travelled to Bhandardara, Dhule, Ratlam, and finally back to Delhi via Kota.”
A 45-day road trip may sound daunting but the Tomars know that mindset and planning is everything. “Hum yeh nahi sochte hain ki 45 din chalayenge, kaise hoga—hum sochte hai, niklo ghar se, koshish karte hain aur chhote chhote target banake chalte hain (We don’t think that it’s a 45-day trip, how will we do it, how will we drive? We think, let’s just get out of the house, let’s try and make small, achievable targets and go),” says Ajay who’s the designated driver for all their trips. The couple usually start out at 10-11 am and make sure they reach their rest stop for the day by 4 pm to avoid driving at night. At times when they can’t find a good camping spot, or are too tired because of back-to-back camping, the retired travelling couple book a budget hotel to get a good night’s rest.
All of the couple’s travel vlogs are shot by them, with Ajay handling the editing and uploads. And to think, they knew nothing about video editing before this. “We learned everything from scratch,” he says proudly. “We uploaded a reel about making aloo puri near Kota when we were coming back from our trip to Goa, and it went viral. That’s when we realised people enjoy watching us do our thing.” Their YouTube channel currently has 87.5k subscribers and their Instagram account has 136k followers. Apart from finding their unique, no-frills form of travel inspirational, their audience seek them out for their travel hacks and budget recommendations. The Tomars have even met several fans during their trips and now get invited to visit places.
Regardless of their growing popularity, the Tomars say their biggest motivation to keep going is still their passion and the pure joy of travel. “Travelling mein hum poora bhool jaate hain ki hum kaun hai, kya hain. Isiliye humne socha ki hum apne mann ki karenge. Jo hum nahi kar paaye, jahan nahi jaa paaye, chhoti-chhoti jagah jaayenge, nature ke beech mein (When we travel, we forget who we are. That’s why we decided to follow our hearts—to do everything we couldn’t do before, go to lesser known, offbeat locations in the middle of nature)”, says Sunita. “We meet new people, explore new places, and live in the moment. That’s why we do it—because it makes us feel alive,” she adds.
And budget travel is a bonus. “Earlier, a trip that would cost us ₹1 lakh now costs just ₹30-35k,” Ajay shares. “We cook our own food, avoid unnecessary expenses, and plan our stays wisely. It’s a win-win.”
The Tomars’ travel bucket list is ever-growing. Their next big goal? Exploring the North-East. “We try to pick new locations every time,” says Sunita. And with all this travelling, they’re also thinking about upgrading to a bigger vehicle for a little extra comfort.
Their choice of ride may change, but what stays permanent is their wanderlust; it is seemingly insatiable. “Ghar aane ke thode din baad hi lagne lagta hai chalna chahiye kahin. Jaise hi humare pehli trip ke videos khatam hone lagte hain, hume pata chal jaata hai vapis nikalne ka time aa gaya hai (Just a few days after returning home, we start feeling like getting out again. When the videos of our previous trips are close to getting done, we know it’s time to leave again), ” Sunita laughs
Lessons from the road
As they travel, the Tomars have picked up a few essential hacks that can help any aspiring road tripper get going:
Start with what you have: For those dreaming of van life, Sunita and Ajay have simple advice: Just start. “There’s no need to buy a fancy traveller van if you’re interested in doing road trips like us. You can modify your existing car to accommodate all your basic needs.”
Prioritise safety and hygiene: When you’re on a road trip, find camping spots where your basic needs like water and sanitation facilities will be met. “When we find a spot that’s safe to park and has bathrooms and water, we stop there and camp,” says Sunita. “If we don’t find these things, we check into a budget hotel.”
Find and lean into your community: The best travel recommendations on must-visit, lesser-known spots or safe camping areas come from those who’ve been there, done that, i.e. fellow travellers. “We always ask around to find the safest and best camping spots,” says Sunita.
Travel as light as possible: When you’re travelling in a car for days on end, space is limited so you don’t want to pack it tight with unnecessary items. The Tomars say you should prioritise what to carry. “Don’t overpack. And use things available at home that can double up as your travel equipment, such as bucket and mug, and smaller utensils like kadhai and cutlery,” advises Ajay.
Adapt to your surroundings: Where and how you camp should take into account what’s around you. “If your camping spot is near a forest or wooded area, it’s better to sleep in the car instead of in a tent outside,” explains Ajay. “Otherwise for safety, choose camping spots close to populated areas or near homes.”
With their bags packed and maps marked, the Tomars are proof that life begins when you decide to chase your dreams—no matter your age. So if you ever find yourself stuck in a rut, wondering if adventure has an expiry date, take a page from this retired travelling couple’s book. Life doesn’t stop at 60. Sometimes, that’s when the real masti begins.
