[F150]

I did Pune - Delhi and back all alone in MARCH 2012. You have to stay focused on the road and enjoy the drive. Carry ample water, lemonade etc.
Carry your complete collection of music. You fill find many cars traveling on the route, so tag them if you get bored. Untag when you are up again.
I didn't drive during the night.

Onward:
Pune: 320 AM
Chittorgarh: 6:45 PM
overnight stay at RTDC Chittorgarh
Leave Chittorgarh at 6 AM
Jaipur:11 AM
Delhi: 530 PM.

Return:
Delhi: 6 AM
Jaipur: 11 AM
HimmatNagar: 6:30 PM
Overnight stay at a hotel, I dont remember the name
Leave Himmat Nagar at 5 AM
Thane: 230 PM
Pune: 6 PM.

Car: Swift Diesel 2010.

[//M]

Originally Posted by AlokSriva

EDIT: With the ongoing disturbance in Gujarat, you need to be a bit careful with the route you choose. Ahmedabad is one city which you need to pass through. Since Surat is completely by-passed, you should be good there.

Surat city is completely by-passed as mentioned. Also to bypass the curfew/disturbance in Ahmedabad, take the Vadodara - Halol - Godhra - Udaipur route. I drove upto Udaipur couple of months back from Pune, and apart from the irritating traffic snarls at the Bharuch bridge (both in NH-8 and through the city), driving in the entire Mumbai - Delhi stretch is a blissful affair.

I have done plenty of longish solo motorcycle rides across India, but everytime I have had an elastic schedule so the moment I used to get bored, I used to take a quick stop, take a few pictures, talk to some locals over a chai cuppa and savour in the views.

Carry Rite Bite energy bars and Red Bull cans and with good music playing in the car, sing to yourself. That is the best way to keep boredom at bay !

[phamilyman]

Originally Posted by //M

Carry Rite Bite energy bars and Red Bull cans andwith good music playing in the car, sing to yourself. That is the best way to keep boredom at bay !

As a serial abuser of Red Bull and Diet coke and now chilled quad-shot espresso (I even have an ulcer to show for my dedication!), I can tell you that Red Bull or any such caffeine based stimulant should only be taken for the last 50-60km only. If you are far behind your schedule, just stop. Don't take it mid-day. If you're feeling sleepy early evening - stop and nap (with window slightly open) at a toll plaza or police station or major restaurant parking.

As indicated, snack a bit if you must, but delay your evening meal till when you're about to stop for the night. Driving after dinner when you've been driving since morning, again puts you at risk.

When you're really tired in the evenings Caffeine gives you about 2 hours of wakefulness (with a lag time of 15-30 mins). Take another shot and you get 4 hours (another 2). But fatigue will still creep in and you will be error prone. So just use caffeine for the absolute last mile only.

PS: Earlier Pepsi didn't contain caffeine, now even pepsi, mountain dew etc have it. So frankly most aerated drinks fit the bill.

[.anshuman]

I have driven on the Mumbai-Delhi 3 times in last 1 year. Delhi-Goa-Delhi in a Sonata Embera CRDI, 4 Drivers but almost non-stop. Mumbai-Delhi in a Mini Cooper S, 2 drivers, split in 2 days with night halt at Ahmedabad.

It's a easy stretch, just take enough breaks and you should be fine. We had to be super cautious with Cooper S as this car has low pro run flats(prone to damage) and no spare tire, low ground clearance and stiff suspension. I prefer the Delhi-Jaipur-Kishangarh-Chittorgarh-Udaipur-Ahmedabad-Mumbai route.

We also did Mehsana-Abu Road-Pali-Beaver-Kishangarh-Jaipur route one side in Sonata Embera but i did not like this route.

[sdp1975]

Originally Posted by #ish

I am planning to leave on Saturday morning

Keep in mind the ongoing agitation in Gujarat if you're travelling tomorrow.

[#ish]

You're more at risk from driver fatigue and boredom than anything else.

Thanks a ton! I am worried about exactly this stuff. Fatigue and boredom.

Your biggest enemy would be a combination of boredom, fatigue and sleep. Keep them at bay and you will have a great time!

Thanks a ton. I am worried about boredom. I always carry my entire music collection with me but sitting in a car alone for such a long journey is uncharted territory, hence the apprehension.

Originally Posted by AlokSriva

A couple of months ago, I did a canon-ball run of Gurgaon-Vapi-Gurgaon solo on bike which involved non-stop riding throughout the night.

From that experience, I can confidently say you don't have to worry about anything as roads are safe. If you want to avoid heavy traffic, you can take Mehsana-Abu Road-Pali-Beaver-Kishangarh-Jaipur route. Roads are great despite being 4-laned.

Your biggest enemy would be a combination of boredom, fatigue and sleep. Keep them at bay and you will have a great time!

All the best, drive safe.

EDIT: With the ongoing disturbance in Gujarat, you need to be a bit careful with the route you choose. Ahmedabad is one city which you need to pass through. Since Surat is completely by-passed, you should be good there.

Originally Posted by F150

I did Pune - Delhi and back all alone in MARCH 2012. You have to stay focused on the road and enjoy the drive. Carry ample water, lemonade etc.
Carry your complete collection of music. You fill find many cars traveling on the route, so tag them if you get bored. Untag when you are up again.
I didn't drive during the night.

Onward:
Pune: 320 AM
Chittorgarh: 6:45 PM
overnight stay at RTDC Chittorgarh
Leave Chittorgarh at 6 AM
Jaipur:11 AM
Delhi: 530 PM.

Return:
Delhi: 6 AM
Jaipur: 11 AM
HimmatNagar: 6:30 PM
Overnight stay at a hotel, I dont remember the name
Leave Himmat Nagar at 5 AM
Thane: 230 PM
Pune: 6 PM.

Car: Swift Diesel 2010.

This is really helpful. I think I am going to follow this to the T.

Originally Posted by phamilyman

As a serial abuser of Red Bull and Diet coke and now chilled quad-shot espresso (I even have an ulcer to show for my dedication!), I can tell you that Red Bull or any such caffeine based stimulant should only be taken for the last 50-60km only. If you are far behind your schedule, just stop. Don't take it mid-day. If you're feeling sleepy early evening - stop and nap (with window slightly open) at a toll plaza or police station or major restaurant parking.

As indicated, snack a bit if you must, but delay your evening meal till when you're about to stop for the night. Driving after dinner when you've been driving since morning, again puts you at risk.

When you're really tired in the evenings Caffeine gives you about 2 hours of wakefulness (with a lag time of 15-30 mins). Take another shot and you get 4 hours (another 2). But fatigue will still creep in and you will be error prone. So just use caffeine for the absolute last mile only.

PS: Earlier Pepsi didn't contain caffeine, now even pepsi, mountain dew etc have it. So frankly most aerated drinks fit the bill.

Thanks Phamilyman! These are really helpful tips. My concern that being a single driver puts a lot of strain mentally..

Thanks a lot for your suggestion. I guess the only way to beat my single driver anxiety is to take a lot of breaks and not stretch it.

[hybridpetrol]

My personal opinion:
Since you are planning to drive from one part of the country to the other, through several states, I think this as one of the greatest opportunities to explore additional places.
Though you do not have the luxury to switch sides, you do have the luxury to take it slow, and have some stops on the way, or go a bit out of way to visit off beat places and get relaxed. You can even consider checking in to hotels on the way, in some towns or cities.
You can take about 5 days time to each trip, travelling different roads and different directions, and spend a few days at home as well. I am sure this will be a heck of an experience of your life. If you do so, please don't forget to put a detailed travelogue!!
And, Please listen to me - There is absolutely no fun at all in racing like a bullet to cover your entire travel in 2 days and spend the remaining at your home. If all you want is a quick travel, please take a flight for peace of mind and safety.

[AlokSriva]

You reminded me of the journey I undertook last year. Solo, thousands of miles, most of which were simply in middle of nowhere..

Only difference being, driving in India requires you to be alert and focused 110% while on highways, I was able to take it relatively easy because of predictable traffic, in general lane discipline, and cruise control

[bluevolt]

Originally Posted by #ish

I am planning to leave on Saturday morning so your help is muchly appreciated and please be quick!

Thanks!

I hope you must have had a great drive!

Originally Posted by bluevolt

Some more pics from the drive - one more final set of pics to follow soon

As promised, one final set to conclude the travelogue




















PS - A drive from Mumbai to Ahmedabad on the cards post Diwali

[shayonpal]

Originally Posted by AlokSriva

If you want to avoid heavy traffic, you can take Mehsana-Abu Road-Pali-Beaver-Kishangarh-Jaipur route. Roads are great despite being 4-laned.

I am planning to travel from Ahmedabad to Pushkar some time next weekend. Do you think the above route will be a better alternative to Ahmedabad - Gandhinagar - Himmatnagar - Udaipur - Bhilwara - Ajmer - Pushkar?

Originally Posted by .anshuman

I prefer the Delhi-Jaipur-Kishangarh-Chittorgarh-Udaipur-Ahmedabad-Mumbai route.

We also did Mehsana-Abu Road-Pali-Beaver-Kishangarh-Jaipur route one side in Sonata Embera but i did not like this route.

Could you help me understand a bit about how are the two routes different, and why do you prefer one over the other?

[AlokSriva]

Originally Posted by shayonpal

I am planning to travel from Ahmedabad to Pushkar some time next weekend. Do you think the above route will be a better alternative to Ahmedabad - Gandhinagar - Himmatnagar - Udaipur - Bhilwara - Ajmer - Pushkar?

Yes, minimal traffic and no bottlenecks on the former route make it an obvious choice.

[atul.sxna]

Dude, amazing pics and a wonderfully written travelogue...neither too short nor too long.

I am planning to do a Delhi-Mumbai last week of Nov.; however I might not have the luxury of spreading the journey over 4 days. I'm looking to round it off within 2 days with a night stop. I do not want to drive in the night.

I would request you and others as well, to suggest a good route plan.

[khoj]

Given the early onset of smog/fog it would be best that you divide this trip over 2.5 days with the initial Delhi Jaipur leg tackled in the early evening as the OP did.

This will allow for a flying start from Jaipur (now hotels are available on the bypass itself) all the way to Udaipur for a night halt. Infact one can easily reach the lake city by late afternoon and spend some time at the attractions.

On the final day you can enjoy the Udaipur > Himmatnagar stretch with all its curves etc and reach Baroda by lunch time and onwards to Bombay well in time for dinner.


There is another route that I personally stick to since 2012 because of ever increasing traffic on the above route and mainly because of the unpredictable mess on the Narmada bridge.

This route takes me from
Delhi > Bhilwara/Chittaurgarh
Night Halt
Chittaurgarh > Nasik
Night Halt
Nasik > Bombay (allows one to enjoy the Kasara ghat drive early in the morning with little or no traffic)

I also use the same route for going to Poona with a little change

Chittaurgarh > Shirdi
Night Halt
Shirdi > Poona onwards to Mahabaleshwar/Kolhapur/Bangalore/Goa etc.

However, the latter route especially between Chittorgarh and Dhule is very desolate, bypasses most cities & towns by a minimum of 10 kilometres and is bereft of much by way of facilities. You will pass a pump after 50 or 60 kilometres and have to cover twice that distance for any half decent trucker's tea stall. Not recommended at all for those travelling with women and children. This route is only for those who can handle breakdowns or any other disruptions with a cool head and know their rides inside out and (most important for lone drivers) for those who do not have a tendency to dose off on long, straight, smooth, wide & empty stretches of tarmac.

Originally Posted by atul.sxna

I would request you and others as well, to suggest a good route plan.

[atul.sxna]

Thanks much for your valuable advice mate.

I also was planning on the same route, however I was thinking of polishing off Delhi>Udaipur in one day (might be a bit of a stretch).

My wife may accompany me on the trip so I'm going to skip the other route for now.

Will keep you guys posted on the final journey plan.

[windiesel]

Originally Posted by khoj

However, the latter route especially between Chittorgarh and Dhule is very desolate, bypasses most cities & towns by a minimum of 10 kilometres and is bereft of much by way of facilities. You will pass a pump after 50 or 60 kilometres and have to cover twice that distance for any half decent trucker's tea stall. Not recommended at all for those travelling with women and children. This route is only for those who can handle breakdowns or any other disruptions with a cool head and know their rides inside out and (most important for lone drivers) for those who do not have a tendency to dose off on long, straight, smooth, wide & empty stretches of tarmac.

I keep going to Nasik via this very route. Must have done about a dozen trips in my Manza QJD....now going again in mid december in my Dzire Zxi. A bit apprehensive about the traffic snarls at the toll plazas. Anyone tried venturing on the highways post demonetisation?