The Perfect* Road Trip

“Traveling – It leaves you speechless, and then turns you into a storyteller” – Ibn Battuta

Traveling to me, and perhaps to countless many, is not as much as about a destination as it is about the act of getting away; the process of reaching the destination, the journey undertaken – the great adventure. Traveling is so much about the people one meets and the stories that one hears; these stories, these people form the experience, the whole act of going out, traveling for me.

I believe each and every person has at least one extraordinary story in them; and as such a single lifetime might not suffice in bringing them to light, to have them heard: the stories told on a bigger stage, to a broader audience.

I was away from Indiblogger for quite some time now, perhaps half a year or so; yesterday, while going through my mail, I happened to at this one particular mail; one with a pretty simple subject: ‘The Perfect Road trip’. I was intrigued to say the least, and hence, I clicked on it. Ambi Pur had asked me to describe my idea of a cool road trip, giving me a chance to escape into freshness even if for the time I imagined my trip.

Perfection is boring.

Perfection is non-attainable.

Perfection is relative.

Those determined to achieve it, end up frowning at even the slightest of discrepancies. Since, it is relative, what might be close to perfect for me, might not measure up to someone else’s scale. Hence the following is a description of my idea of a Road Trip.

“The World is a book, and those who do not travel read only a page” – Saint Augustine

Destination & Route:

Destinations don’t matter as long as the journey is worthwhile. I have always wanted to travel all across the country, from the frosty hills in Srinagar to the Goan beaches; from the Great Rann of Kutch, in Gujarat to sipping the famed Assam tea; from the Bodhgaya temple in Bihar to the backwaters of Kerala. The list is endless; I could go on and on and on.

As Miriam Beard quite aptly said:

“Certainly, travel is more than the seeing of sights; it is a change that goes on, deep and permanent, in the ideas of living.”

It’s not just the famed tourist spots that hold attraction though; in fact commercialization at most of these centers has made me just a bit uneasy perhaps. I would rather enjoy the silence of the valleys, the music of the birds, the motion of the clouds and the speech of men I meet than stand in lines to click pictures of Gods!

The Car:

The wide variety of terrain that would invariably be encountered in such a diversely geographic state as India would force one to opt for a SUV. That, obviously, is not to say that I would have chosen anything other than this monster of a vehicle.

Presenting: The new generation Mercedes Benz G Class

It boasts of a 3.0 litre V6 Diesel engine which provides a powerful torque of over 500 Newton metres and ample power reserves in any situation.

Need I say more?? 😀

Yes?

All right, here it goes:

Companion:

I was confused initially, as to whom to take along with me; there were three options:

• With parents

My father believes in a simple philosophy: if you’re here, see every damn thing you can, try out everything that tourists are supposed to try out. Oh! And the fact that you’re travelling with the family means another thing: Dad’s paying!

• With friends

It does not matter where your destination is, it does not matter how you are reaching there, it does not matter whether you have any cash on you – as long as there are friends with you, they take care of it all: the journey becomes prime, something to be looked forward to, something to be cherished for life.

• Alone

Who doesn’t want a little time away from the world, the crowds, the faces, the tensions of life? It’s just you and your thoughts; the world suddenly begins to seem like a great place to live.

 “One travels more usefully when alone, because he reflects more.” – Thomas Jefferson

I hope that makes clear the choice I made.

So, the Car is fuelled in ready, the stuff is packed, and in the back. I switch on the ignition and am ready to go out on what I’d describe as my idea of a perfect road trip. But something seems off, I’m not sure what it is, but there is definitely something missing.

And then, it hits me: what good is a car (even a Mercedes) without Ambi Pur, the perfect companion for long or short trips alike. The one thing you can count on to make sure your journey is pleasant, worthwhile. The one thing to transform your car (no it won’t magically transform a Maruti into a Lamborghini) it would instead transport you to a whole new dimension of freshness, each time you sit in your car.

Installing the Ambi Pur air freshener in my car, I pull up the car windows and get ready for the journey of a lifetime; to meet new people, new challenges, and new stories.

“Certainly, travel is more than the seeing of sights; it is a change that goes on, deep and permanent, in the ideas of living.” – Miriam Beard

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This post is published for “The Perfect Road Trip” by Ambi Pur and Indiblogger.

P.S. I really want that S4 😉 😀