No stopovers: Why Rishabh Tongya loves to travel only on direct flights

By Shashi Sunny

Rishabh Tongya, creative director of luxury jewellery brand Diacolor, on flying direct to a destination minus long stopovers.

First memorable trip
“I must have been 11 when I went to New York as an unaccompanied minor to visit my extended family during my school vacations. It was initially a bit scary, but everything was soon wonderful, like a magical adventure. That first trip had me hooked on to the joy of travel. For a young boy, it was pure wide-eyed excitement, something that made me feel grown up.”


Frequent flyer
“I take about 150-180 flights a year, to Europe, Middle East, Far East and Africa, for both business and leisure. I love the thrill of the unknown in a new country, because you never know what’s ahead. Visiting new places and learning new cultures give me a high like no other.”

Out of my comfort zone
“When I was 18, I wanted to travel to Zurich for work and asked my agent to book the cheapest airfare. The obliging agent booked me Jaipur-Delhi-Dubai-Paris-Zurich, with long delays at every port. A 10-12 hour journey ended up being a tiresome 24-hour trip. That trip taught me the importance of travelling direct without multiple stopovers.”

Friend for life
“I met my wife Divya when I was in Delhi on a work trip. I was supposed to fly on further to Bahrain, but everything folded after I met her. I remember how we had a dish from every hotel in Delhi in those first few days of meeting each other.”

Journey cut short
“In 2017, we had planned a family holiday to Maldives. It was a beautiful trip, and all of us had come down from different cities. But on the second day, my father slipped and hurt his wrist, and we had to cut short our trip and fly back to Delhi. It’s since been on the family’s agenda to visit that place once again, but it’s something that has eluded us.”

I keep returning to…
“I can’t choose one particular place. For city life and nightlife, it has to be London; for beaches, Sardinia in Italy; for nature and wildlife, the reserves wedged between Tanzania and Kenya; and the Alps for the mountains.”

Bucket list
“I want to fully discover India now. One tends to overlook our own beautiful country. I haven’t been to Jodhpur, Leh and Ladakh, the foothills of the Nilgiris, etc. India has so much to offer, and nothing can beat the hospitality and service in our country.”