p your life o


n the banks of the sacred River


Ganges, in the Indian region of Uttar Pradesh, a sitar player plucks a haunting tune. Sitting on a boat watching the sunrise, I see hundreds of pilgrims walk down to the water from one of 85 bathing spots (ghats). Further down is one of the most famous of all – Manikarnika Ghat, a public crematorium where families bring their loved ones at the end of their life. As I watch the flames lick, I can’t help but think of my own mum,


travelweekly.co.uk 30 JULY 2026


DESTINATIONS INDIA | SOLO TRAVEL


Why wait for retirement for that big, bucket-list adventure? Phoebe Smith joins the many midlife travellers seeking ‘micro-retirement’ trips and fulfils a long-held family wish along the way


who died at the age of 50 and never made it to India, a country she always longed to visit. As a child, Mum’s fear of flying stopped her going anywhere by plane – but we travelled together from the comfort of our living room, through the pages of her vast array of coffee-table books. She would always show me a photograph of the Taj Mahal and tell me that one day, we would know how the walls felt beneath our fingertips. For years I put off a visit,


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