The bags are packed

Deepak Inamdar and his riding friends King Richard and M R Chikkiah had been planning a road trip from Bengaluru to Singapore since a long time. But it was only this year that they received all the necessary permits and now they are all set to conquer the road. As the long weekend is approaching, many travel enthusiasts like Deepak are gearing up for a quick getaway.

Choosing a place that is cosy and calm, where one can relax with their friends away from the hustle bustle of the city, is the priority of most travellers. Harsha Shivling, a mass communication student, is driving to Coorg with his friends. He says that this had been planned a long time back, but due to time constraints, it just remained on his wishlist.

“This holiday, we made sure to tick this trip off the list. My friends and I are planning to visit the Dubare Elephant Camp, go river rafting and then proceed towards Raja Seate in Madikeri,” says Harsha. And why did they chose Coorg out of all the other places? He says, “Presently, the weather in Coorg is quite good and with such beautiful scenery around, it will be the perfect getaway for the weekend, away from the city noise.”

Driving to a destination is something that many youngsters are preferring over travelling in a bus or train. Road journeys help a group bond better as they tend to spend a lot more time together and Preetham

Gowda along with his four colleagues is doing just that. They plan to visit Goa over the weekend and take some time off their work schedule to relax together.

“We will be renting a car for our Goa trip and plan to go sightseeing there. The reason we zeroed down on Goa was that all of us felt it is the perfect place to chill and have a good time,” he says. Preetham and his colleagues usually try to take off from work during the weekends and indulge in different activities or visit a nearby place.

However, since this is a longer weekend, they thought of doing something different. “I am hoping that this trip will be a great stress buster for everyone,” he adds with a smile.
 A few youngsters are also crossing borders as part of their travel plans. Balram and his wife Rasmi Balan have their bags packed for an international holiday to Thailand.

The couple plans to visit three places in Thailand namely Krabi, Phuket and Bangkok and Balram details, “We have booked a beach resort, where there are water sports as well, so in Krabi, we will engage in water sports.

In Phuket, we will enjoy the nightlife and indulge in some shopping in Bangkok. I am a big travel buff and try to squeeze in at least one or two international vacations every year. With this long weekend, my quota for the year is over.”

The trip to Singapore was something that Deepak and his friends were always keen on. Taking on the roads and crossing borders to understand a different culture, traditions, food and lifestyle was a dream that the trio wanted to fulfill.

The time is finally here and they will start their adventureous road trip on August 15. “We will travel through Vizag, Kolkata, touch Siliguri and then enter Guwahati.

We plan to cover the entire North East and enter Moreh from Burma. Here we will hire a guide and a security personnel to guide us through our journey,” explains Deepak.
Seems like the journey is far more important than the destination.