[dileepcm]

I have done plenty of drives (instead of flights) here in Europe.

Amsterdam Paris is probably the most frequent one - Most of those were for work.
I usually try to take Thalys high speed train that takes 3 hours which is usually my first preference when I am alone or when I have to be in Paris for just a day or so.
I took flight only once out of probably 30 trips I did so far which I hated!

I also did a few Amsterdam-Würzburg (Germany) and Amsterdam Billund (Denmark), all for work.

Personal trips within Europe (Norway, Austria, Italy etc) are always done in car. In other words, flights were considered only when one way distance is more than 1500 kms (Istanbul, Athens, Canary islands etc)

The main reason for driving is of-course I like driving. Then there is added convenience of being on your own and being able carry pretty much what you would like (think of very limited baggage allowances in domestic flights!)

Then, I like to stop and take a break once in a couple of hours for a coffee or tea which is not an option unless you are driving. I used to even carry a small caping stove for a quick brew!
The thing with flights is that it takes a lot of work to book it, check in, time at airport before and after flights, unexpected delays, cancellations etc. After-all, flight journey is so boring.
Train and Cars are much more entertaining.
Having said, Corona has turned this world upside down. Working from home has pretty much become the norm and no more official drives for now.

[Red Liner]

Originally Posted by Debasish M

When I first heard about Shrikrishna Kulkarnis amazing 1.5 year long Padayatra from one end of India to another, it got me thinking! What if I could tweak it a bit? And how do I justify it from a professional career standpoint? There was no way I was going to hoof it!

!

Not to sound pompous, but what if i told you i was part of the same journey end to end?

Krishna and I did become good friends by the end of it. What else do you expect from having spent days and nights together, and a bathroom shared amongst other things for a year and a half

He is also the great Mahatma Gandhi's lineage. He didn't put that out as a calling card however.

Each journey is special in itself. Walking is the slowest form of travel. After this particular journey, i started enjoying slow travel as an actual way of journeying rather than just getting from place to place. It allowed me to meet people, see their lives, experience their hardships, join their laughter, and embrace their past, present and future.

[Sudarshan42]

Came across a couple of poems by Seamus Heaney (1939-2013) today that reminded me of the joys of driving out in the open, something that many of us have missed due to one reason or the other. The first one (The Peninsula) takes an investigative approach to a landscape, taking it in and then reflecting on it. The second one (Postscript) just lets the reader immerse themselves in the surroundings, as if they're being taken for a drive rather than taking one themselves.

The Peninsula

When you have nothing more to say, just drive
For a day all round the peninsula.
The sky is tall as over a runway,
The land without marks, so you will not arrive

But pass through, though always skirting landfall.
At dusk, horizons drink down sea and hill,
The ploughed field swallows the whitewashed gable
And you’re in the dark again. Now recall

The glazed foreshore and silhouetted log,
That rock where breakers shredded into rags,
The leggy birds stilted on their own legs,
Islands riding themselves out into the fog,

And drive back home, still with nothing to say
Except that now you will uncode all landscapes
By this: things founded clean on their own shapes,
Water and ground in their extremity.

Postscript
And some time make the time to drive out west
Into County Clare, along the Flaggy Shore,
In September or October, when the wind
And the light are working off each other
So that the ocean on one side is wild
With foam and glitter, and inland among stones
The surface of a slate-grey lake is lit
By the earthed lightning of a flock of swans,
Their feathers roughed and ruffling, white on white,
Their fully grown headstrong-looking heads
Tucked or cresting or busy underwater.
Useless to think you’ll park and capture it
More thoroughly. You are neither here nor there,
A hurry through which known and strange things pass
As big soft buffetings come at the car sideways
And catch the heart off guard and blow it open.

[Zigor]

Ever considered driving long distances, instead of flying?

Correct forum, wrong question!

Well, with due respect, show me one member on this forum who has not thought about doing a cross-country in their beloved four-wheeler

If you're a Team BHPian, I'm sure one of your favorite topics will be cross-country 4x4ing. Nobody is exempt from it! Everyone dreams and thinks about doing it at some point, so there isn't really anyone who doesn't want to have this kind of life experience.

So here's the right question - How often did you try to plan a long-distance journey, but had to fly because of XYZ reasons?

More than you would think isn't it!

A few of those hateful (but practical) reasons:
1. Don't have the car ready
2. Family is hesitant
3. Budget!
4. Time bandwidth
5. Covid rules
6. Stamina!

To be honest, I would love to do a Gurgaon-Mumbai stretch once the new highway is ready. Seems doable and would be 100 times better than a flight (the stick inside my nose, the hazmat suit, and other regulations are an instant turn-off!) Currently, flying is definitely the worst way of getting anywhere!

Hoping the dream to come true, and soon.

[ike]

I used to travel down to Kerala (Thrissur) from Chennai at least once every quarter. My wife hates travelling by road. So she and our son used to fly down while I drove solo, this was for the love of driving. Flying means 4k cab from Cochin airport to Thrissur as well. Now due to the pandemic we have been in Kerala for close to 18 months with zero travelling.

We now have two kids, hoping to convince my wife that driving would be cheaper than flying for 4 people regardless of the destination. This would have been much easier had the diesel prices not increased the way they have though.

[autotranny]

Originally Posted by armumbai

Going through this fascinating thread I find myself in awe of all those who have spoken of waking up early and driving off at 4/5 am. I can never manage that. As much as I plan I find myself just not being able to start my drives before 8:30/9 am. The few occasions that I’ve driven off at 6:30/7 I have found myself extremely drowsy and needing to stop by the side for a quick shut eye

I'm with you on this. I prefer to start driving at 8-9am. Gives me the feel of preparing for a long day in office and thereafter I'm comfortable doing 12-15 hours at a stretch with minimal breaks. On the other hand, if I start driving at 5 am and all, I definitely feel drowsy by 9 am. My long drives have mostly been Hyderabad-Thrissur, 16-17 hours non stop running when alone, or else we do a stop-over at Bangalore when with family.

Originally Posted by autotranny

I'm with you on this. I prefer to start driving at 8-9am. Gives me the feel of preparing for a long day in office and thereafter I'm comfortable doing 12-15 hours at a stretch with minimal breaks. On the other hand, if I start driving at 5 am and all, I definitely feel drowsy by 9 am. My long drives have mostly been Hyderabad-Thrissur, 16-17 hours non stop running when alone, or else we do a stop-over at Bangalore when with family.

Originally Posted by ike

I used to travel down to Kerala (Thrissur) from Chennai at least once every quarter.

Reading through these 4 pages, Thrissur seems to be a favorite place for many to drive down.

Originally Posted by ike

I used to travel down to Kerala (Thrissur) from Chennai at least once every quarter.

Thrissur seems to be a favourite place on this thread for many to drive down, despite the fact that its well connected by Rail as well as an International Airport within 50 kms.

[armumbai]

Originally Posted by autotranny

Thrissur seems to be a favourite place on this thread for many to drive down, despite the fact that its well connected by Rail as well as an International Airport within 50 kms.

Would you recommend Thrissur as a destination to plan a long drive from Mumbai to? What all can I plan for once there?
Alternatively if I fly into Thrissur, maybe I can hire a Zoomcar or some other service to drive in a radius of say 150-200 from the airport. Would you or any other member have ideas on this

[//M6]

I am extremely lucky in this regards as road travel with my child is supremely fun and easy to manage. We have done numerous small road trips to Ujjain, Hyderabad & Goa from Pune and than we have done some mega road trips like

1. Chandigarh-Agra-Jaipur-Mount Abu-Daman-Ahmedabad-Pune
2. Pune-Hyderabad-Chennai-Pondicherry-Rameshwaram-Hubli-Pune
3. Pune-Coorg-Pune
4. Pune-Ahmedabad-Jodhpur-Jaisalmer-Bharuch-Pune

and finally I am writing this from our ongoing trip

5. Pune-Hyderabad-Visakhapatnam-Puri-X

For me road travel is not only about time and money but the experience and family bonding. I have had fair share of mishaps during some of these mega trips but none of those have ever stopped me from planning the next one. Sharing a few pics of the mishaps I am talking about.


Fell from the divider while crossing the road in a hurry.



This is a long story and will write a travelogue on it some day but will just say that I manage to continue my trip only because it was a Honda (Japanese) vehicle.

[SRM]

Always!! I find train journey's quite boring and unless travelling international don't really feel taking a flight.

Not only are the road trips eventful with driving pleasure, taking breaks in between, tasting the different delicacies as we enter each new region but most importantly for the scenic beauty that our country has to offer. Most of the road trips will take you to an amazing and changing landscape in our country.

I feel within India, our country is best explored by roads. You get to see the real India as you pass through cities, towns, villages; for me it's an experience that is hard to match. Also, it works out better economically, especially now that we are a family of four. You end up saving a lot on the internal transportation where the local guys are waiting to rip you apart. But yes, it needs the luxury of time vis-a-vis a flight commute. Need 2-3 days extra for the roads, but those days I find most satisfying! To quote an example - 3 years back, after the Jet Airways fiasco, return tickets to Udaipur had shot up considerably and was almost 50k return for 3 adults, we took the car and spent less than half of that! But took 2 days more and actually enjoyed the drive.

Trip to Ladakh and Dharamsala are on the immediate wishlist as soon as my two little ones get a little older and we are free to roam around again.

[greyhound82]

Originally Posted by armumbai

Would you recommend Thrissur as a destination to plan a long drive from Mumbai to?What all can I plan for once there?

1. Drive to Valparai (one of most the scenic road routes in Kerala via Athirapally and Vazachal waterfalls)
2. Drive to temples of Thriprayar(scenic) , Guruvayur
3. Drive to Kalamandalam via banks of river Bharatapuzha
4. Try out Parambikulam Forest stay. It was amazing , no idea about the present condition

[GautamJ]

Of late, we have been travelling by car, reasons :-

• Mom isn’t comfortable with travelling by trains.
• The pandemic has caused flights to cancel at the last moment, hence cannot take risks.
• Renting a car is still a hassle.

As we are 3 drivers on board, it’s comparatively easier for us to travel 700-1000 km per day.
Our MH car has been to GA, GJ, RJ, DL, HR, PB, HP and UP. Now, as time permits, we plan to rediscover South by roads.

[ssambyal1980]

Originally Posted by Debasish M

Ever considered driving long distance, instead of flying?

First of all a warm welcome to the forum and thanks for this interesting post which is a thoughtful insight into the mind of every traveller who loves the journey more than the destination itself. And when it comes to travelling long distances then most of the BHPians would agree that they would rather love to drive irrespective of the distance involved for the associated sheer bliss, peace and happiness which entails and only diehard petrol heads can understand and agree with this. Not to forget, the very motto of BHPians i.e ‘Live To Drive’ says it all.

As for me I have always preferred self-driving over other modes of transport over long distances. Nonetheless the second option is always the railways for a laid back leisurely travel while enjoying the beautiful sceneries of the countryside. Flying is always the last resort and that too when the travel is on short notice over 1000 km+ distances. The most annoying issue with the railway travel is the non-availability of tickets at short notice along with the unwanted suspense regarding confirmed reservation while in waiting. As regards flying is concerned, it has become quite unfriendly from budget point of view over the past couple of years along with delays and cancellations to add to the travellers woes. So if one has ample time at disposal and loves driving to the core then self-driving is the best bet.

Self-driving entails many advantages with notable being:
1. Excellent flexibility to break the journey as per convenience and need.
2. Ample opportunities to savour the beautiful panorama of the countryside.
3. Best chance to experience and fully understand the vehicle which ultimately leads the perfect gelling of man and the machine.
4. Personal vehicle at disposal ensures zero worries regarding commutation at odd hours and to offbeat places.
5. Best economy if 2 or more individuals are travelling together.

[SVK Rider]

What an awesome thread.
Well for me I do take all the travel options as in when required.
but for most of my personal trips, i have always proffered driving/riding.
However when it comes to office trips and all it's hard to justify the road-trip due to lack of time.

[bharanidharang]

Road trip is good only if you enjoy the journey and not focusing only at the destination !

1. I for one like to do road travel for upto 1000 kms.
2. Will take it slow, stop when required and avoid night driving.
3. Reaching the destination, I prefer exploring locally and limited number of places instead of being everywhere.

[vredesbyrd]

Always been a dream but doesn't matter anymore. I'll do it. I'll set things right for myself.

Have done three such long trips since I got my license:
1) 2018: Hyderabad - Manipal : 700+ km
2) 2019: Manipal - Bangalore : 500+ km
3) 2020: Bangalore - Lucknow : 1900+ km

These trips have been eye-openers about driving. The more you do it, the more you want it and you want it all again.

2021 has been both a great and a horrible year for me. A new car but I've barely been able to put 500km in 3 months on it. Have been itching to go out but my work does not allow it.

There are at least two trips planned (and a review of my Vento on one of those) within 2021 itself and I hope I am able to.
Quite surprising sometimes as I see people take 15-30 day leaves. Please tell me which firm you gentlemen work for
I need to be at least a director/partner to take such luxurious amounts of time to do a full Kashmir to Kanyakumari or to conquer the North East.