Monisha Rajesh

London

Author of Moonlight Express (pre-order link below) Around India in 80 Trains Around the World in 80 Trains Epic Train Journeys Agent David Godwin @DGAlitagents

Articles

Moonlight Express Prize Draw

1 week ago | waterstones.com | Monisha Rajesh

The wonder of the night train: headlamps ablaze, passengers boarding after sunset and leaving before sunrise, slipping in and out of compartments unseen. For Monisha Rajesh, the singular thrill of sleeper trains inspired a new journey around the world – one filled with moonlit landscapes, cosy compartments and quirky companions.
Go on a luxury rail journey through Peruvian mountains

Feb 24, 2025 | yahoo.com | Monisha Rajesh

This article was produced by National Geographic Traveller (UK). Holding aloft pairs of dry coca leaves, the dancers pause, drums beating faster, before they burst into song. Over shouts of “Heh! Heh! Heh!”, they play melodies on a quena (an Andean flute) while passengers gather around, squinting through the smoke from offerings burning on the platform at Poroy Station.
On board the maiden sleeper from Brussels to Venice: we got there in the end

Feb 11, 2025 | theguardian.com | Monisha Rajesh

At 6.45pm on Wednesday, the Good Night Train trundled out of platform 3 at Brussel-Zuid station. It departed 40 minutes late due to trespassers on the tracks, but the train soon picked up pace, the golden lights of the Belgian capital sweeping through the carriages where groups were stashing skis, families were settling young children and solo travellers stood at the open windows swapping names and stories amid the clamour and confusion on board.
Winding through the clouds on the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway

Dec 2, 2024 | cntraveller.com | Monisha Rajesh

Kneeling up in their seats, a troop of school girls clapped as a popular Bollywood song played out from a phone. Plaited into loops, their matching hair swung to the rhythm of the train as it curled around a wide arc, the back end snaking out of a bamboo forest. I was on board the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway, and the climb up West Bengal’s jungled slopes was alive with music, cheering, and hoots at every turn.
Slow Train to the Great North

Nov 30, 2024 | escapeartist.com | Monisha Rajesh

Seventeen hours into my journey from Stockholm, I shuffled up to the window as the sun began to burn through the clouds. Skeletal and buried to the waist in drifts, the trees were now white and laced together, branches touching, like a child’s paper chain. The train crept along the forest’s edge, revealing delicate loops…You must be a member to access this content. Already a member? Log in here
Belmond Is Launching the First-ever Luxury Sleeper Train in England and Wales

Nov 11, 2024 | travelandleisure.com | Monisha Rajesh

Fans of the slow travel movement can embark upon a choice of railway routes around England and Wales next summer, as Belmond adds a brand new luxury sleeper service to its portfolio. To mark the 200th anniversary of the world’s first passenger rail journey, the Britannic Explorer, a Belmond Train, offers passengers a choice of three itineraries, each of which departs from London on three-night journeys to Cornwall, the Lake District, and Wales.
An inspirational rail journey aboard India's Kerala Express

Nov 11, 2024 | roadbook.com | Monisha Rajesh

Running from New Delhi in the north to the southern state of Kerala, an epic 46-hour journey on the Kerala Express brings writer Monisha Rajesh closer to inland India’s culture, tradition and communityOver the roar of engines, vendors’ cries and slamming of doors, I strained to decipher the Hindi announcement, searching a fellow passenger’s face for clues. He frowned, then pouted and flicked his wrist which translated loosely as “who knows?”.
Tapas not tantrums: we put food at the centre of our Barcelona family holiday

Oct 20, 2024 | theguardian.com | Monisha Rajesh

Street lights strobed through the window, sending shadows sweeping across our faces as our train followed the River Seine through Choisy-le-Roi. Ten minutes earlier, we had pulled out of Paris’s Gare d’Austerlitz. Departing at 9.40pm, the Intercité de Nuit was due on the Spanish border just after 10am, where we would connect to a Barcelona train.
I’ve Traveled Around the World by Train — and This Luxury Rail Journey in Peru Might Be My Favorite

Oct 20, 2024 | travelandleisure.com | Monisha Rajesh

Over the wail of the train’s brakes, a guitarist burst into song, his voice clear and mellow. The beat of a drum brought a group of Ecuadorian passengers to their feet, hips curving, shoulders spinning, belted ponchos flaring. Deftly twisting between two women in fedora hats, a waiter handed me a pisco sour. I turned to lean over the railing of the observation car, feeling the sun warm my cheeks as it strobed through passing eucalyptus trees. Behind us, the tracks shrank in the distance.
Winding Through the Clouds on the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway

Sep 29, 2024 | cntraveller.in | Monisha Rajesh

Kneeling up on their seats, a troop of school girls clapped as a popular Bollywood song played out from a phone. Plaited into loops, their matching hair swung to the rhythm of the train as it curled around a wide arc, the back end snaking out of a bamboo forest. I was on board the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway and the climb up West Bengal’s jungled slopes was alive with music, cheering, and hoots at every turn.