A great Indian road trip is 20% driving and 80% planning. Here is a practical checklist that covers the route, the budget and the boring-but-important bits — so the trip itself is the easy part.
1. Pick the route and the stops
Start and end points are obvious; the stops are what make the trip. Decide where you’ll break for food, fuel and rest, and whether you want a scenic detour. For popular routes you can preview the drive as a quick visual road-trip story with distance, time and cost.
2. Budget the toll and fuel first
This is where most trips go over budget. Get an exact figure before you leave with our toll, fuel & trip cost calculator — it shows the per-plaza toll, the fuel estimate for your car, the total, and even an EV charging estimate and likely stops. Then check live fuel prices along the way.
3. Get the vehicle ready
- Tyres (including the spare) and pressure, engine oil, coolant, brakes, wipers and lights.
- A recharged FASTag with enough balance for the tolls.
- A basic kit: jack, tools, first-aid, torch, phone charger and a power bank.
4. Documents and money
Carry your driving licence, RC, insurance and PUC (digital copies in DigiLocker are accepted). Keep some cash for places that don’t take UPI.
5. Drive safe
Plan realistic daily distances, take a break every couple of hours, avoid night driving on unfamiliar highways, and keep an emergency contact list. Check the weather for hill and monsoon routes.
Estimate your trip now
Ready to cost it out? Try a popular one like Delhi to Manali or Bangalore to Goa, or enter your own route on the trip cost calculator.
Image: Nikhil.kawale via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0)
