Year of Road Trips

THE YEAR GONE BY BROUGHT ONE CLEAR TRAVEL TREND TO THE FOREFRONT – THAT OF ROAD TRIPS. WE EXPLORE SOME OF THE POPOLAR HOTSPOTS THAT CITY GOERS ARE TRAVELLING TO, WITH MOST OF THE FLIGHTS FLYING OVERSEAS STILL NOT FULLY FUNCTIONAL.

- Simran Gupta.

Driving around in the sanctity of one’s own car became the new way to escape during the months under lockdown. Even though arrangements had been made such that every product and essential would be delivered to the doorstep, the need to get a feel of the outside world had not left a lot of us. With many of us itching to step out, yet being uncertain about the safety of any particular place, long drives were the perfect way to unwind. The added benefit of the empty streets made the drive all the more enjoyable, and with maintenance workers on break and the shops closed as well, the mirage of fallen autumn leaves on the roads and the dystopian silence made life outside seem mystical, almost unreal. The more one was outside, the more they felt the need to stay outside and get a breath of that fresh air and feel the refreshing cool wind blowing on their face.

The moment the lockdown was lifted and places started opening their doors slowly and steadily, most of the resorts and hotels at driving distance from cities like Chennai, Bengaluru, Kochi and Hyderabad started selling out. Soon there was an influx of travellers embarking on road trips, bringing life to most of the nearby resort getaways. There has been no clarity on when most of the International destinations would open up to avid leisure travellers, local travel gained momentum and how. For some, the world of road travel around their own country was an unexplored avenue, and this was an impeccable if completely not peccable opportunity to explore that.