The Ultimate Checklist for Road Trips Across India!

Contrary to popular belief, a road trip doesn’t mean taking your car out on an impulse and hitting the road instantly. There’s a lot of planning involved and a lot of groundwork to be done before heading out.

In addition to picking out the destinations, there are many other things you must ask yourself like – “what’s the best route to take”, “how are the road conditions”, “will I be able to drive throughout the trip”, “who should I travel with” and many other scenarios. All these factors need to be carefully taken into consideration before you take the wheel.

Here’s a list of things you need to remember, chalked out from my personal Indian road trip experiences:

1. Your Ride

India presents you with all kinds of terrains. You get to experience different and extreme landscapes and road conditions across its vast length and breadth. Don’t underestimate the power of potholes; some of them have the power to engulf a Tata Nano! Choose your ride carefully and don’t take your Honda City just because you think a Maruti 800 is outdated. I’ve taken my nine-year-old Santro (lovingly called Gulabo) for many road trips because I trust it more than an SUV. I know my ride inside out and she knows me!

2. When to Travel

The diversified geography of India ensures that there is always a tourist season in some part of the country or the other. Don’t hesitate to take a flight or train before renting a ride. I have friends who’ve transported their Bullet bikes via train from Chennai to Jammu before embarking on the famous Leh-Ladakh-Rohtang-Manali road trip. It’s wise to explore all possible innovative options.

3. Your Target Destination

The diversified geography of India ensures that there is always a tourist season in some part of the country or the other. Don’t hesitate to take a flight or train before renting a ride. I’ve friends who’ve transported their Bullet bikes via train from Chennai to Jammu before embarking on the famous Leh-Ladakh-Rohtang-Manali road trip route. It’s wise to explore such options.

4. The Duration

A journey from Bengaluru to Delhi doesn’t count as a road trip unless you really venture into the towns and villages en route. A road trip isn’t just a really long drive. Exploration plays a major role too. Spare a few days to make pit stops at places that interest you. India has a lot to offer so spare a couple of hours before a halt to discover something amazing every day.

5. Driving Companions

Who you travel with is a very important point to consider. Your endurance on the road might be very different from your companion’s. Long drives aren’t everyone’s cup of tea and you really wouldn’t want the unnecessary moaning and complaining. There’s also the comfort factor to be taken into account. If you’re driving with four other passengers, then the front seats tend to be more comfortable than the ones at the back. Take turns and rotate seats. Don’t let a fun journey become a painful one for everyone!

6. Essential Equipment

Again, a vital part of a road trip is to be prepared for the unexpected! Here are a basic set of things that you must have:

• Flashlight - Please don’t look at your mobile smart light app as a substitute! Get yourself a high-power flashlight fitted with a new set of batteries.
• First Aid Kit - In addition to the standard one in your car, pick specific medicines that you or your companions may require.
• Road Helpline Numbers/Service Centre Numbers - These handy booklets are available online and at all car service centres. Don’t forget to grab your copy.
• Foot Pump & Puncture Repair Kit - Opt for a sturdy foot pump versus the flimsy electric pumps available in the market. You should also have a puncture repair kit in case of tubeless tyres.
• Icebox - This is a real blessing on any journey. I don’t trust the packaged drinking water that the roadside dhabas sell and in interior parts of the country, it’s hard to find water, let alone packaged bottles. Whenever I make a halt at a hotel, at the time of check in, I inform the staff of my check out time and ask them to keep some ice and a couple of bottles of cold water ready. It works all the time.
• GPS/Navigation System - This is an essential part of your road trip. Most smartphones these days have in-built navigation systems. If you’re planning to use yours, then you must buy a dashboard mount and a car charger for it, as navigating for long hours drains the phone battery pretty quickly.

7. Achieve the Best Drive & Rest Balance

My personal rule is that a road trip shouldn’t have more than 25% of driving time i.e. if your road trip is for 7 days (168 hours) then it should at the most have a driving time of not more than 42 hours. You can distribute your drive time as per your convenience, alternating between long and short spells or a very long one before taking a day off.

8. Pamper Your Ride

Get your car serviced before you hit the road. You must inform the service station about your grand plans so they fine tune your ride accordingly. Get some useful tips from them and like I do, don’t forget to grab a couple of spare fuses from them on your way out. Don’t know what they are? Talk to them! Also, while you’re on the road, hit a service centre at the first sign of trouble from your ride. Take no chances in unknown territory.

9. Check Posts & Tolls

While driving, you’ll come across a lot of tolls and police check posts. You should have cash on you at all times, with plenty of change, to pay toll tax. As for police check posts, it’s no secret that if you’re driving a vehicle registered in a different state, then you might be subjected to a lot of checking. Make sure all your papers are valid and updated including your driving licence, registration, car insurance and pollution under control (PUC) certificate.

10. No to Spare Fuel

A debatable point but I’m against carrying any petrol/diesel in bottles or canisters in the car. If absolutely essential, use a solid canister with a tight seal (best to use a Jerry Can) and not some old and used packaged water bottle. Don’t leave it in the vehicle when you make a halt and do add a fire extinguisher to the equipment list. If you’re venturing into the interiors then gather information, in advance, about the nearest petrol pumps. This is very important; miss one and you might find yourself stranded in the middle of nowhere. Don’t wait for the fuel indicator to hit the empty mark. Tank up whenever the fuel needle is at 10-20 per cent.

11. Night Driving

I personally love driving at night, especially in hilly areas. But it should generally be avoided unless you know the roads very well. I always prefer night driving in Himachal Pradesh as it’s the state I belong to. The roads are familiar and a friend or relative is always a quick phone call away. But I avoid it whenever driving in previously unexplored territory.

12. Plot Your Route

Before a trip, I open maps.google.com and chalk out the route on it because it gives me the generic view of the journey and also a rough driving time for each day. It helps me in keeping the correct sequence of destinations to avoid going off track. Then I go on with my research on the road conditions and the destination information. I like to use a navigation system that’s on my phone and one that I’m already familiar with.

13. Be Wary of the Navigation System

A word of caution against the above point, don’t completely rely on the navigation system to get you somewhere. My personal experience is that the types of roads, the distance, time of arrival and traffic conditions are fairly irregular when away from bigger, more organised cities. Double check routes with locals and don’t think you’re running late just because your travel time doesn’t match the duration shown on the navigation system.

14. Always Pre-Book Your Hotels

I use www.makemytrip.com to book all my hotels well in advance before I start a trip. It should be done to avoid any last minute fiascos. I also take contact numbers of the hotels I’ll be staying at and call them a day or two in advance to let them know that I’m on my way. Another very important point is that I ask for a local destination manager’s phone number from MakeMyTrip, which they happily provide. This also helps in getting destination tips from a local!

15. Keep Your Loved Ones Informed

Your loved ones should at all times be aware of your whereabouts. It’s not that hard with all the communication options available these days. I make sure to send a WhatsApp message informing them of my destination and estimated arrival time before I start driving for the day because phone signals on the road might be erratic. Once you reach, there’s nothing more reassuring than a quick phone call.

16. Don’t Fear the Unknown

I love avoiding the highways and taking the roads less travelled as it presents the beautiful picture of true India. The simple life of small towns and villages are a delight to witness and learn from. When I need a break, I prefer to chat with a small tea vendor rather than dine at a big restaurant. Don’t hesitate to talk to strangers. You never know what you’ll learn.

17. Superhuman Reflexes

The fact is that we Indians don’t always show great regard for rules while driving. I don’t need to tell you about vehicles coming the wrong way, cutting lanes, overtaking on curves, using blinding high beam. Remember, you need to be alert at all times and keep your reflexes extra sharp. Please avoid any confrontations and under all circumstances, ALWAYS obey traffic rules. Enjoy your trip and don’t allow bad drivers to ruin it.

BE SAFE. DON’T DRINK AND DRIVE. USE DIPPER AT NIGHT. HORN OK PLEASE.

(Pictures and Content Inputs by Tariq Khan)