“If you start running, you will observe less. If you start working, you observe more. If you sit in one place, you will observe everything.”

Vinod Sadhasivan’s words reveal how he and his wife, Paulmathi Vinod, live: slowly and intentionally. They are not merely travellers but observers and custodians of the natural world. Calling themselves ‘Roaming Owls,’ they remain ever-vigilant in the quiet corners of the wilderness.

A seed of nature in a concrete jungle

45-year-old Vinod’s relationship with nature was not a sudden realisation but a slow-burning passion nurtured from childhood. Originally from Nagercoil, Kanyakumari, Vinod had to grow up in the metropolitan hub of Chennai.

“I used to live in a very dense part of Chennai. There was nothing called nature exposure,” he recalls. “Since childhood, I have had the urge to explore nature. I used to come to Nagarcoil during my holidays and enjoy the nature here,” adds Vinod.

This longing for nature pushed him to seek an escape. “Unlike others, who have had the means to experience nature in its totality, the urge I had towards greenery eventually pushed me in this direction.”

A path towards financial freedom

But dreams, no matter how strong, need a practical plan, and Vinod realised this early. “Since all the high-paying jobs are in the city, I realised that to pursue my goal, I had to make a choice. Life is a one-time activity, and it is impossible to do the extremes. I chose nature,” shares Vinod.

However, he also knew that “to travel, I need a certain financial freedom to do so.” At 18, he began crafting a plan, a blueprint for a life where passion and practicality coexisted. “When I joined college, it was weird for me to think about studying four years of college, getting into a job and working till you turn 60. So I started planning my life,” explains Vinod.

This wasn’t a whimsical notion. Vinod ventured into the stock market and business. “While I was passionate about greenery, I had to equip myself with its polar opposite — money,” he laughs.

He worked in a bank, invested in properties, and diligently built a foundation. “The thought process was to earn a regular income apart from my job, which I was able to fulfil. I have done a lot in the approach,” Vinod shares.

A shared vision- an early retirement

When Paulmathi entered his life, his vision found a kindred spirit. “When Vinod shared his plans for travel and his goal, I got really excited,” she says. “The thought of exploring new places and travelling got me hooked,” Mathi adds.

They married in 2008, and their shared dream of a life beyond the ordinary began to take shape. “Earlier the plan was to get retired by 45. Once I got married, we decided to advance the retirement to 35 since we have two of us to bring in money,” Vinod explains.

Weekend escapes and a growing awareness

Their travel journey began with weekend escapes to the........

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