I love road trips for the freedom that it provides to explore at my pace. I don’t need to plan as much but like any other travel, road trips can be very enriching in terms of knowledge and experience gained. Road trips in India are clearly gaining popularity, not just the weekend or extended weekend trips, but also longer journeys across the country.
Driving can often be impulsive but that perhaps works for day trips only. For extended journeys, and especially when you are not going solo, a bit of planning is essential. But whether it is a day trip or an extended trip, what I have really learnt and understood is that saner driving habits and a relaxed mind are essential to enjoy the drive.
Popular driving circuits in India
There are a lot of good driving circuits in India. A sample:
The Himalayan grandeur covering Srinagar-Leh-Manali
The desert, temples and forts of Rajasthan covering Jaipur-Ajmer-Jodhpur-Jaisalmer-Mt Abu-Udaipur
Temples of TamilNadu covering Chennai-Mahabalipuram-Thanjavur-Trichy-Madurai-Rameshwaram-Kanyakumari
The scenic North-East covering Guwahati-Tawang-Kaziranga-Shillong-Dawki
Pick-up and drop in different cities is difficult in India
The difficulty in India is that self drive cars are not available easily outside bigger cities. It is not possible to pick up a car in one city and drop off in another city, though I have noted Zoom Car does provide very limited options. But I cannot pick-up an SUV in Chandigarh, drive to Manali and then onto Leh and drop-off the SUV in Leh or in Srinagar. Or pick-up a car in Jaipur and drop-off at Udaipur. When travelling in India outside your home, car will normally have to be rented with driver.
For the above reason, few adventurous types often transport their own vehicles-typically sturdy motor bikes-by road or rail to another location before starting their road trip. But there are no such hassles when driving your own car.
If you are looking to rent a car while holidaying overseas, read my separate post here.
What to consider before embarking on a road trip?
Here are a few pointers.
Choosing a destination and booking accommodation in advance
Keep driving hours to a comfortable level
I have set some criteria for identifying a destination but the key ones are driving time(ideal is 5-7 hours) and availability of good accommodation. Choose a single destination or multiple destinations near each other, depending on how many days you have.
I consider a 3-7 days road trip as ideal with actual average driving time not exceeding ~20-25% of the total time. The idea is not to spend most of the time in the car.
Book accommodation in advance
I always book accommodation in advance, after making sure adequate parking is available. Better hotels and resorts often deny rooms to walk in guests, even if available. On one occasion, I was denied a room but as advised, went out, used my iPad to book online and walked in again 10 minutes later. If you are particular about hotels, costs and travelling with family, better book ahead of time.
My favourite route from Bengaluru
It is good to have a bucket list of destinations you want to cover by road. From Bengaluru, there are plenty of nice places to drive to. My favourite routes are those that pass through Bandipur/Nagarahole forest. In terms of destinations, it would be Bandipur/Nagarahole, Ooty/Coonoor, Coorg or Northern Kerala.
If you are not sure where to drive to, there is plenty of help available online.
Focus on the journey, not just destination
This has been my biggest learning. From focusing on the speedometer, and on the vehicles in front in order to overtake, I have moved to being a proponent of enjoying the journey as much as the destination. This means lower driving speeds(which is safer too) and more frequent stops. I also believe it is good to take a break every 100 minutes or so. I have stopped by the roadside tamarind/gooseberry trees to pluck and eat, or to watch farmers at work in the fields, or at a coffee shop strategically located at the base of rocky hill or when the surrounding natural views are too good, or to buy fruits being sold on the roadside by villagers. The list can go on and on.
More importantly, slower journeys also mean a more relaxed mind.
Identify the preferred route in advance
Once a destination is shortlisted, it is good to identify available routes and choose the preferred route. In most cases, there will not be too many options.
While choosing the preferred route, I normally consider the following:
– The condition of the road. I do a generic search but it is hard to get any up to date information. My default preference is National highways, State highways and Local roads in that order.
– What can you see on the way? Ideally, these are the places that do not qualify for a day trip. For example, while returning to Bengaluru from Pondicherry, I visited the Golden Temple at Vellore. It needs about 1 hour only and hence not suitable for a day trip from Bengaluru.
Other factors like restaurants on the way are important but increasingly, not something to be overly concerned about. But as much as possible, I try to exit Bengaluru by the nearest highway, rather than driving through the city to exit at the other end.
Avoid journeys longer than 8 hours
There are two reasons for this:
Average speeds on Indian highways is still low
The unfortunate part of driving is that even if the roads are excellent with multiple lanes, the fact is there are too many interruptions one faces on Indian roads-speed breakers(often unseen), too many curves, slow moving traffic including bullock carts and tractors overfilled with farm produce, stray cattle and what not.
Lack of quality accommodation in transit
The quality of accommodation in smaller towns is just not up to the mark, unless it happens to be a major commercial or tourist spot. But check online and you will see beautiful pictures of every available hotel. I planned a drive to Shivamogga once and decided to halt at Arsikere on the way. My online search revealed a very ‘decent hotel’ in Arsikere. I reached Arsikere around 5.30pm, but one look at the hotel, I knew I could not stay there. Luckily, my pre-booked hotel in Shivamogga agreed to spare a room for that night and I decided to drive on, reaching Shivamogga around 9pm.
For longer journeys, one of co-traveller should be able to drive
If for some reason, you wish to drive to destinations that takes 10-12 hours, ensure you stay longer at the chosen destination, say 3 full days at the minimum. And one of the co-travellers should be able to drive and relieve you when needed. This is what I did when I drove to Kumarakom, with my spouse backing me up.
Pack light and certain essentials
Packing light is surely needed. I drive an SUV and depending on the number of persons travelling, I would rather fold one or more of the rear seats and create space to sit or recline comfortably. I always carry few cushions and avoid having most of the space taken away by luggage.
But if packing light is difficult (too many women in the group?) and you are driving a car without the boot(e.g., a hatchback or MUV or SUV), consider buying a luggage carrier that can be easily fixed and dismantled.
Some of the other items I consider essential are as follows:
A) High protein snacks, fresh fruits, water
When travelling away from the highways, I have often come across several local brands of snacks and bottled water whose quality, in my eyes, was suspect. Not so clean water bottles of well known brands likely filled with tap water and sealed, packets of snacks sold without mandatory information and beverages in dull tetra packs.
I prefer to pack few high protein snacks, dark chocolates, fresh fruits and water bottles. But I don’t overdo it. I don’t convert the car into a pantry car.
B) Manual and Documents
Whether it is changing a flat tyre or figuring out how to make a switch between 2W and 4W drive or what to do if engine is overheating, a car manual is most useful when driving longer distances. Ensure you have the 24/7 emergency numbers in case anything goes wrong with the car.
Documents would include registration card, pollution under control certificate and car insurance, besides driving licence. Carry driving licence of one other person who can also drive. Originals are preferable just in case mobile data connection does not work when you are looking to show the electronically filed documents.
Should you carry a copy of medical insurance policy? Perhaps yes.
C) Other items
The items always available in my car include an emergency light, first aid kit, towing rope and a tyre inflator. Most cars come with ‘first aid kit’ but make sure expired stuff is replaced. Useful to add generic medicines for fever, vomiting and loose motions.
What could possibly be very useful is the spare car key which one of the co-travellers should carry.
Before heading out, check the car
Generally, if you are getting your vehicle serviced regularly, well and good but if not, few basic checks before the journey may be in order. Best to start on a full tank and on the way, top up well before the needle falls to ‘E’. On couple of occasions, I have spent several anxious moments due to non availability of petrol bunks. Actually, on one occasion, I did not like the run down condition of the petrol bunk-made me suspect the fuel may be adulterated!
On the go entertainment
I enjoy listening to my favourite songs while driving. But make allowance for others who are travelling with you. For kids, it is probably necessary to carry their favourite games, or something new and interesting to keep them occupied.
Car GPS
Very useful but they are not real time. They are mostly updated when the car is being serviced. You will still need Google Maps which I find very useful and accurate most of the time.
Avoid overcrowding the car
It is very important to ensure everyone is able to sit comfortably. Better to take an additional or a bigger vehicle than cram too many people in one car. While there is familiarity in driving own car, it may sometimes be better to hire a bigger or more suitable car.
Couple of driving tips
Avoid elementary mistakes like overtaking at curves or overtaking when the road ahead is not clearly visible or overtaking a vehicle that is travelling at above average speed(say 75 kms/hr).
I make sure I am well rested before getting behind the wheel. I also take frequent breaks to stretch.