Dream Grand Touring - Hyderabad to Bangkok + Pattaya - Road Trip

[SSSS]

It may sound extreme but is now very much possible due to the Trilateral Highway in Myanmar connecting India and Thailand. This grand tour is in my mind from the day I read about it in a newspaper. The article was about a couple who traveled from Kolkata to Bangkok via Myanmar, a small online search yelled similar trips done by others as well. Some from Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore and even Chennai, but I failed to find Hyderabad to Bangkok trip.

 

I believe this is a must do trip, which could be a trip of a life time. Please present your idea/views!

 

[sbhamidi]

Wow.... That's a long one should enjoy


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[Gowtham]

Time is a crucial factor for a very long road trip.

Total drive time according to Google maps is 91 hours.

Assuming, we average around 8 hours of drive time per day.
91/8 =  ~12 days 

We should have at least have 30 days in hand to plan such a trip. 
 

It is indeed a dream trip.

Currently , My breaking point is till Sikkim. 

[Vinith]

Yes but will not be possible with every one might be 2 or 3 cars will do

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[Saran]

Definitely a must go drive

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[vinz]

Inter-country drive has always been a dream. Would love to be a part of this drive..

[SSSS]

18 hours ago, Vinith said:

Yes but will not be possible with every one might be 2 or 3 cars will do
 

 

Definitely a group would be more  beneficial in terms of Technical as well as Mental support for each other. Yes, at least 3 cars is a must, but what cars? I mean an Alto which is limited to 110kms/hr  cannot match an SUV or any sedan on a plain highway. A group of cars with somewhat equal efficiency is also important so the required speed can be maintained. Travelers taking turns to drive is also important, so at least two drivers in every car. SEEMS MORE PLAUSIBLE NOW.

 

[uday]

Interesting share @SSSS

Posts like this will spark great ideas.
All of us may not have money/time to go such a adventurous drive. 

But It will be great reading through the ideas/stories of such epic drives. 

 

3 minutes ago, SSSS said:

I mean an Alto which is limited to 110kms/hr 

I wont agree with your statement.

I have read about a guy who took his Baja Chetak/LML to Leh Ladhak. It is all about passion.

In my books, Alto is capable car. Alto k10 in hands of a good driver, can easily keep up with so called SUV's.

Last year, we have done a road trip from Hyderabad to Coorg in 5 cars
Scross, i20, Scorpio, Alto k10 and Swift. Alto did not face any issue keeping up with us. 

[SSSS]

18 hours ago, Ranger said:

Time is a crucial factor for a very long road trip.

Total drive time according to Google maps is 91 hours.

Assuming, we average around 8 hours of drive time per day.
91/8 =  ~12 days 

We should have at least have 30 days in hand to plan such a trip. 
 

It is indeed a dream trip.

Currently , My breaking point is till Sikkim. 

 

Time is the crucial factor here. Taking a month off is also not very reasonable for many. But for the sake of road exploration and a dream trip, one can and should make arrangements. 

 

I believe 8 hrs per day is little less, say we start at 6am and call the day at 8pm. That makes 14 hours including the breaks. So if we drive 12 hrs a day to and fro, the on road time would be around: 91/12 = ~ 8 days * 2 = 16 days + 5 days (Stay in Thailand)  = 21 days

 

21 days trip is possible. I've been on road for 2 continuous weeks while on Golden Quadrilateral (will add a travelogue soon), so adding one more week is doable. 

 

~ Sam

 

[SSSS]

11 minutes ago, uday said:

In my books, Alto is capable car. Alto k10 in hands of a good driver, can easily keep up with so called SUV's.

 

Yes an Alto K10 would definitely be able to keep up with the other cars. What I meant was the Alto Lxi with less powerful engine and smaller tyres. I am a proud owner of an Alto Lxi 2010, and when I say proud, I really am. It took me to so many places, even to Leh as well as to Bhutan. I am not questioning the car's capability, but the scenario would be totally different when on a straight highway other vehicle would do 125+ for a continuous hour, the small car wouldn't be able to keep up with that. Believe me, I've experience the same, it gets cumbersome for the car and for the driver as well.

[uday]

29 minutes ago, SSSS said:

scenario would be totally different when on a straight highway other vehicle would do 125+ for a continuous hour

 

Agree with you.
On a shorter journey, It may not impact much. 

But on a 4-lane elevated roads, it is tough for a regular Alto to keep up.

[sagar]

Lovely post @SSSS. Good to see a lot of road trip enthusiasts pondering up on a common topic and it really does make me glad. Doing a cross country drive i.e, Hyderabad to Bhutan and Hyderabad to Bangkok has been my dream road trip for quite a long time. which looked only possible when I take a break from work in my case. And I will do it one day which might loop-in during any moment of my life

 

3 hours ago, SSSS said:

 

I believe 8 hrs per day is little less, say we start at 6am and call the day at 8pm. That makes 14 hours including the breaks. So if we drive 12 hrs a day to and fro, the on road time would be around: 91/12 = ~ 8 days * 2 = 16 days + 5 days (Stay in Thailand)  = 21 days

21 days trip is possible. I've been on road for 2 continuous weeks while on Golden Quadrilateral (will add a travelogue soon), so adding one more week is doable. 

 

 

Also, as I practically see it, driving down for 14 hours a day for days together is definitely hectic and tiresome as we might have to count on some sound sleep as in the rest we take per day. and I guess, @Ranger was specifically mentioning the drive time of 8 hours excluding breaks.

 

And as it is considered to be done in a group, every time we break for lunch, breakfast, Dinner  or Tea breaks, Minimum time to count in there practically will be atleast 30 to 45 mins. 

 

I think, 10 hours of drive time and 3 hours of breaks during the drive on the whole per day would be practical and comfortable also, absolutely hectic.

 

Also, we won't be driving down all the way till Bangkok just to check-in for a day and drive back. A solid 4 day holiday out there is much worthy. I would count in atleast 22 to 24 days do this trip

[Gowtham]

6 hours ago, SSSS said:

I believe 8 hrs per day is little less, say we start at 6am and call the day at 8pm. That makes 14 hours including the breaks. So if we drive 12 hrs a day to and fro, the on road time would be around: 91/12 = ~ 8 days * 2 = 16 days + 5 days (Stay in Thailand)  = 21 days

 

Personally, I have done few 1000 kilometers + drives in a single day.
 

But If I have time,
I will limit myself to not more than 500 kilometers per day. 
I always like to explore.

During a road trip, my preferences

• Explore the places en-route
• Take the roads less traveled
• Explore different food options
• Take more breaks
• Take pictures

Getting lost in a deserted place(Pune drive) like this is always fun, road less traveled.

 

Rann of kutch, getting stuck.

 

Expression on their faces is priceless.

 

What am I trying to say? If you plan more than 8 hours of drive time per day, you miss exploring the places en-route.

[sagar]

Road trips are more about exploring the unexplored while tracing an oriented path by oneself rather than being centered towards a single destination or a target  is what you mean there.. 

[sbhamidi]

i wish to do a Bhutan trip if possible in Dec'17 or in 2018... this is my dream trip for now.... Thailand is slightly too far n may be by 2020 for me..

[ProBiker]

Hi all!

 

Planning a Road trip to Bangkok this December.

3-4 SUVs with 12-14 members.

We intend to Return by Flight Shipping the Vehicles to India.

 

We are looking for all the Info possible which would make the trip easy.

Any inputs about the same would be greatly helpful for us.