Well Begun Is Half Done.
Although spontaneity is one of the biggest advantages of a road trip, there are a few things that you should do as part of your preparation.
Below is how I prepare – or at least strive to prepare – before any of my road trips. Please note, most of these points mentioned in this list do not require a lot of planning.
Contents
Make Sure Your Vehicle is Roadworthy
This is the most important part of planning a road trip. You definitely don’t want to get stranded on a deserted road due to your vehicle’s mechanical failure.
Here’s my vehicle checklist before starting out:
Service Your Vehicle
Get your vehicle serviced before any long road trip.
If like me, you are technically challenged with respect to vehicles, then it is important to get this done before any long road trip (>10 hours).
If it is a shorter trip, then servicing is not necessary as long as your vehicle does not have any issues.
In that case, get the air pressure checked from the nearest petrol pump and make sure your spare tyre is in good condition.
Prepare for the Terrain
Make sure that your vehicle can handle the terrain. If you are planning to go for a trip to the Himalayas or north-east India, an SUV with high ground clearance is preferable.
If you do not have an SUV, it is advisable to check with your service centre about the worthiness of your vehicle for that terrain.
Mind Those Vehicle Documents
Make sure the driving license, vehicle insurance and Pollution Under Control (PUC) are valid. Keep the vehicle registration certificate and insurance together in a safe, convenient place so that it can be easily accessed.
Roadside Assistance a Boon
Keep the vehicle roadside assistance number handy. Most automobile companies provide 24/7 roadside assistance. I have a Hyundai sedan and have used their assistance once (link to the accident under the next point).
You can buy their assistance package prior to your trip in which case you will only need to pay for the spare parts or you can call them without the cover and pay a service fee (~INR 1000).
Knowing that the assistance is not far off, definitely gives me a secured feeling.
Learn to Change a Tyre
Make sure that the vehicle has a spare tyre along with the tyre changing kit. Knowing how to change tyres is a plus.
This has always been on my list; however, I still haven’t got to it. Hopefully soon!
On my recent road trip from Mumbai to Diu, I had a minor accident which has increased my resolve to learn this. Read more about this incident here.
Invest in an Air Pump
If you are planning a road trip to north or north east India, invest in an air pump. I have a pump from Tusa brand which costed me around INR 3000 (at the current exchange rates this is about $40 for those from overseas).
It is a compact pump and is useful in case you have a flat in a remote location. It has a long wire which needs to be linked to the vehicle charging point and can inflate a tire from flat to 32 PSI in 3-4 minutes.
Despite making sure my car is roadworthy, I have had a few mechanical failures on the highway and coincidentally it has always been with my Mom!
Read about an experience here: Women’s Roadtrip (Delhi to Jodhpur): Car Failure on the Highway
Buy And Load/Reload FASTag
All toll plazas on the national highways are now equipped with FASTag (Electronic Toll Collection) readers.
FASTag employs Radio-Frequency Identification (RFID) technology and is a simple to use, re-loadable tag that is affixed onto the windscreen of your vehicle.
The tag is linked to a prepaid wallet account from where the applicable toll amount is deducted. If you have balance in your FASTag account, you can pass the toll plaza without stopping for cash transaction.
Effective 15 February 2021, FASTag is mandatory for every car and if you do not have the tag or are out of balance, then you need to pay double the toll amount.
It’s a perfect solution for a hassle-free trip on national highways. After each transaction, you will receive a text message on your phone mentioning the amount deducted and the current balance in your prepaid account.
You can pass through the toll as long as you have a positive balance in your FASTag wallet. Even if the amount of toll is more than your balance, you can still cross that particular toll after which your wallet balance will go in negative. Once you have a negative balance, your FASTag account will be blacklisted until you recharge your account. You can easily recharge your account online. I use Paytm for my recharge.
Currently, a lot of banks provide FASTag which can be purchased online. I have bought my tag from ICICI by filling a simple application form. There will be a one-time fee of INR 200 for this tag.
Pack All Essentials
Although one of the advantages of a road trip is you don’t need to limit your luggage, it is still advisable to pack it in an organised manner. Preferably load the luggage in your car the previous night.
Most of the overnight stops will be at small hotels or homestays with no lift facility, muddy or cobblestone pathways making it difficult to drag your trolley suitcase.
Since you will mostly need to carry the bag and that too only from the car to your room, its best to keep your stuff in lightweight duffel bags.
It will also be easier to load and unload these in your car.
Some of the items that you should pack are:
- A First-Aid Kit
- Sunglasses & Sunscreen
- Umbrellas and Jackets
- Snacks and Water
- Sanitizers and Mosquito Repellant
- Eye-Mask, Ear Plugs
- Tissues & Toilet Paper
- A Top Sheet per Person
Try not to overload your vehicle as that will put unnecessary stress on your vehicle and result in premature wear.
Read my detailed article on Packing tips here.
Ensure Your Vehicle Mobile Charger is Working
Since I use a lot of online maps and music on my phone, road trips are draining for my phone battery life. If you don’t have a car charger yet, consider buying one with multiple USB ports (at least two) so that two phones can be charged at the same time.
(you don’t want to be sparring with your road-trip partner about who will use it at any given time!)
Additionally, I always carry a fully charged battery backup.
Being on the road without a phone connection is one of my worst road trip nightmares.
Download Offline Map And Buy a Dashboard Mount
As a kid, I would love it when we would lose our way and ask for directions to get back on to the correct route. That luxury of time (in taking all those u-turns) is something we cannot afford now and that’s where GPS has made our life easy.
Nowadays I download offline map of the area where I plan to travel.
Although network connectivity is usually decent on national highways, there are some stretches on state highways and village roads where there is absolutely no network. It will also be difficult to find passersby on these stretches to help you out.
I have learnt this the hard way.
During my trip to the Konkan region, there were frequent stretches between Ratnagiri and Tarkarli where there was no network connectivity.
I had not downloaded offline maps and we seemed to be in the middle of nowhere with not a single soul on the road in sight to help us with the directions. It was a stressful one hour of drive.
Avoid such situations.
(You can read what happened on that trip here)
Also, make sure that your dashboard mount is securely fastened. Fidgeting with your phone to figure out directions can be very distracting. If you currently do not have a dashboard mount, consider the Portronics vent holder which is the one I am currently using, Buy it here – It is value for money
Have a Tentative Plan
This might be slightly contrary to what I typically advocate on this blog (in that I am a huge believer in spontaneity and flexibility), but you should have a loose plan in place.
Some research on possible stops and diversions needs to be done prior to your trip in order to maximise your road trip experience.
I thoroughly research the first leg of my trip with possible diversions and stops because I don’t want to stop my vehicle en route and waste precious time on this.
Feed the tentative plan in your GPS and then keep a look out for any diversions. And use your highway restaurant stops to further tweak your plan.
That is my favourite bit.
Also, make sure to leave your city as close to dawn to avoid traffic. I typically begin my trips between 5-6 am so that I can be outside city limits by 7 am.
Sort Your Music
What is a road trip without some soothing music!
I prefer listening to radio wherever I get the network. Unfortunately, that’s not always the case on the highways.
That is why you should always be prepared with offline music. A road trip with good music and scenic view is that perfect sweet combination.
Everyone has their own preference for music.
For me it’s usually slower Bollywood songs. Some of my favourite road trip songs are:
- Aao chale – Jab We Met
- Dil chahta hai – Dil Chahta Hai
- Dil Dhadakne Do – Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara
- Safarnama – Tamaasha
- Tanha Dil – Shaan
- Lamberghini – the Doorbeen
Create your preferred roadtrip playlist – whatever works for you.
Probably create two playlists, one for slower songs that you can sing along to and one for peppy numbers (in case you are feeling a bit drowsy).
I usually stream songs on Spotify or Gaana and for offline music, I use Amazon music.
Carry Your Spare/Duplicate Vehicle Key
Keep your duplicate vehicle key in your purse or better still, keep it in your co-passenger’s purse.
My previous car (a Hyundai Santro) did not have a battery-operated key as is usually the case with Santros. Add that to the fact I am a little absent-minded, and you have a potent combination.
A combination which meant I forgot my key inside my car on at least five separate occasions.
That car was with me for six years and by the end, I had become an expert in opening the car door using a metallic foot-scale.
I still remember the time when there was an issue with my central lock and the mechanic had to dismantle the driver side door – he found at least a few of those scales which had slipped in and made the inside of my door their permanent residence.
My current car has a smart key so there are fewer chances of forgetting it inside. Though there are other issues with a smart key.
A few months ago, my smart key was not being detected by my car. Turns out the battery in my key had died.
Although, you can still start your car with a workaround (using the physical key inside the smart key casing to open the door and pressing it against the push start button to start the car), it is highly inconvenient. Having a spare key is handy in such situations.
Keep Sufficient Cash
Always keep sufficient cash on you as most restaurants/petrol pumps/tolls in India do not accept cards and finding ATMs on the highway is not an easy task.
I prefer using mobile wallets for payments wherever possible. Especially now, as mobile wallets eliminate physical transaction of cash/cards.
Preferably divide your cash and keep half or most of it in your overnight bag.
Clean And Sanitise Your Vehicle
I hate to travel in a messy vehicle.
As a part of my preparation, I usually get rid of any toll receipts, wrappers, bottles from the vehicle and reload the tissues and wet wipes.
There are quite a few tissue holder options for cars. The one I like the best is the one that clips on the car visor – Buy it here.
As I do end up eating and drinking in the car, I always keep a bag to collect the trash in and usually dispose it off at the end of the day.
Sanitisation is the new cleaning.
Keep a sanitiser in the vehicle and sanitise the steering wheel and any other high touch surfaces.
Also, keep at least one microfiber cloth for cleaning – buy it here
Get A Good Night’s Sleep Before The Trip
I have to admit, this is something I need to tell myself too. Quite bad at this.
I am too excited before a trip to be able to sleep (please tell me this happens to you too so that I don’t feel alone on this quest!)
Having tried a few remedies like turmeric milk, counting sheep, hot shower, applying lavender oil, a futile attempt at meditation to name a few, nothing has worked.
My cortisol levels refuses to reduce. The adrenaline continues to pump. Probably it’s this adrenaline that also helps me shun the sleep during a drive but this is something I so wish I could change because I do know that it is the right thing to do.
I cannot emphasize this point enough but do not drive if you are sleepy.
Final Words
Not too much, right?
That is all you need to do and you are good to go. Do check my safety tips and recommended packing list too,