Comedian, author and podcast host Suzi Ruffell is the latest guest to join Jenni Falconer on the travel podcast Routes, reflecting on the role that train journeys have played throughout her life and career. From childhood holidays to her current nationwide tours, Ruffell says her connection with travel has shaped everything from her writing to her stand-up.

Speaking with Falconer, she recalls the early trips that sparked her fascination with being on the move, eventually leading to her bestselling book written entirely about trains. Now a regular on the comedy circuit, she explains how travel has become impossible to separate from her work, describing the constant journeys as both a challenge and a source of inspiration.

Ruffell shares a series of humorous behind-the-scenes stories, including the mayhem of reaching the Edinburgh Festival each summer. “It’s clown town on the train,” she laughs, remembering travel chaos with fellow comedians Nish Kumar and Ed Gamble. Her backstage routine, she jokes, is less rockstar excess and more practicality, consisting of “tea and a banana”.

Despite the hectic schedule of touring, she speaks candidly about balancing parenthood while on the road, often bringing her five-year-old daughter along when she can. Those trips have produced heartwarming moments—although her daughter is usually more fascinated by cupboard space and lighting rigs than the performances themselves. Ruffell says her daughter’s belief that she is “brave, clever and unstoppable” helped inspire her new tour, The Juggle, which launches on 7 February.

The conversation also explores Ruffell’s affection for the journeys themselves, from nostalgic memories of double-decker trains to long-haul flights to Australia and trips to the Women’s EUROs in Switzerland. No matter the destination, she says travel remains one of the most rewarding parts of her life on stage and off.

Image: LNER