[Roark]

So, we are at that time of the year, when trip planning is at its zenith. Locations within the country, time at hand for travel, mode of transport et all.
And as clockwork precision, the mode of transport is a massive point of contention between missus and me. Not to even mention the length of the travel and locations - that brings up the 2nd and 3rd tier of heart-burn. The 1st is always reserved for the mode of transport - own vehicle or public transport

We have gone on trips via public transport to far flung places such as Ladakh as well but somehow I feel the convenience of having your own car and leisure of timing the departure/arrival at a location is just too much of positive in favour of own transport where as the clear negative is the time taken to reach a destination.
Just take Lahaul/Spiti we were planning this summer. A flight and a rented car will take us to Manali in a day’s time, where as driving down from Mumbai would take anywhere between 2-3 days time. I am not even getting another joker in the mix - the cost (though I feel it might turn out a bit cheaper driving down, but then it is up for debate)
Just a day before we had a mini showdown - drive or take public transport.
So I thought about another option of transporting the car to the nearest rail head. So if Lahaul/Spiti trip is concerned, transport the car to New Delhi by train or we take North East, transport it to New Jalpaiguri or Siliguri by train.
Accordingly, book your flights, save time of reaching the desired location and also have own car for the trip. Agreed, this option would turn out to be an expensive affair but then anything to have the leisure and convenience of driving your vehicle at far flung destinations.
Let me add a note here - I have tried self-drive cars. If one is lucky you would get a well maintained car or else, boy, is it a hazard!! I had done a self-drive from Chennai to Pondi. Gosh the car was total wreck - The headlights were non-existent, gear-shift was like shifting in an old ‘khekda’ truck and not to mention the ride. Add to it we were driving late evening on the ECR - unknown road, unknown location and unknown rickety car. Whew!, too many unknowns. From that day onwards, I swore not to ever go for a self-drive.
As I mentioned earlier, I had gone to locations using a rented car but then I find the experience quite restrictive. There are certain locations to which the driver won’t take the car or look to charge more or there is a certain time we are allowed to stay etc. I remember for the Ladakh trip (way back in 2008-2009 I guess) we were at Pangong Tso, and I saw a road which went ahead (presumably towards Chushul). Though I had not researched much about the location, I was interested to go on that road, to which the driver flatly refused - ‘Can’t go there - that road leads up towards Chinese territory’ or something to that effect he said.
On an earlier visit to Sikkim (sometime in 2005-2006) we were at the mercy of the North Sikkim driver (North Sikkim drivers are pretty notorious of being a cartel) when we were on a trip to Lachung/Yumthang. Again his writ ran absolutely large on us - where all locations to go, how much time to spend there etc.

So, to encapsulate,
How does this transportation to a nearest rail head work? Is it feasible - money wise, time wise and of course safety wise. It shouldn’t be that one receives the car with dents and nicks all over the body. Has anybody tried it before?
The reason I also ask is that the ‘to’ journey is always fun - anticipation, excitement and looking forward to see new locations et al. But the ‘fro’ journey tends to be monotonous. It tends to be bit of drag and feels like endless, objective driven driving - need to get home at the earliest at an appointed date/time type.
Also, much easier for me to inspire the ladies (daughter added to the ‘others’ club) at home for a road trip.

[mygodbole]

Originally Posted by Roark

How does this transportation to a nearest rail head work?

But the ‘fro’ journey tends to be monotonous. It tends to be bit of drag and feels like endless, objective driven driving - need to get home at the earliest at an appointed date/time type.

Short answer: Transportation to nearest railhead in insanely expensive since you NEED to hire an entire carriage (you can stick in upto three SUVs on one) for the duration.

I checked the Patna > Pune charges a few months back and was shocked when told that it would cost me Rs.2.5 lakh + insurance + handling. Time frame given was between 14 days and six weeks. (I took a flight to Patna and drove back over three days).

Another option can be to use a car transport by truck. This is still not cheap and road transport is exposed to the variables of weather/politics/road conditions and again the time frame is remains flexible.

On the 'fro' part, one of my personal rules is never to set a deadline for any journey. Too stressful. I have devised a distraction: I chalk out 5-6 'attractions' on the way home. If I sense boredom/restlessness, I 'cancel' one attraction at a time. If no boredom, we actually visit the attraction, even if it for a hour or so.

Drive safe.

[am1m]

If it was a bike, it makes perfect sense to transport to nearest railhead and then continue on your journey. But for a car, I'd much rather provision the extra days and drive there. Make a journey of it, find some interesting places on the way and explore those as well.

Maybe give car/bike rentals at the destination another go? Find a better service provider with better cars, avoid peak tourist seasons when you will have a better choice of vehicles. I think that is the most convenient, take a train or flight and rent a vehicle there.

[Roark]

Originally Posted by mygodbole

Short answer: Transportation to nearest railhead in insanely expensive since you NEED to hire an entire carriage (you can stick in upto three SUVs on one) for the duration.

Another option can be to use a car transport by truck. This is still not cheap and road transport is exposed to the variables of weather/politics/road conditions and again the time frame is remains flexible.

On the 'fro' part, one of my personal rules is never to set a deadline for any journey. Too stressful. I have devised a distraction: I chalk out 5-6 'attractions' on the way home. If I sense boredom/restlessness, I 'cancel' one attraction at a time. If no boredom, we actually visit the attraction, even if it for a hour or so.

Drive safe.

That is strange! I thought with the railways looking to earn via other means, the cost might be competitive as compared to truck transport. I remember having transported my car via Agarwals from Pune to Bangalore and it was around 15K or so (back in 2010, that is). Taking in to account inflation an amount of 25-30K is what I expected and accordingly a similar amount for a train transport as well.
So, the best option is to drive down or renting a self-drive.

On the return journey bit, I completely agree with you. It does make sense to plan out a few on-the-way attractions. But strangely it is daughter's schedule which in on a clock - where as missus and me are completely vellah. And missus then chooses to co-opt daughter's schedule and then the entire family is on a clock. Just recently did a trip to Dwarka-Somnath-Gir. And found the return journey for a stop-over to Baroda quite taxing. And as the entire family was on a clock - didn't visit the Statue of Unity.
'Idhar hi toh hai, kabhi aur din visit kar lenge' missus-speak.
Just get a feeling, SoU won't be visited by us for the next 8-10 years now!!

Originally Posted by am1m

If it was a bike, it makes perfect sense to transport to nearest railhead and then continue on your journey. But for a car, I'd much rather provision the extra days and drive there. Make a journey of it, find some interesting places on the way and explore those as well.

Maybe give car/bike rentals at the destination another go? Find a better service provider with better cars, avoid peak tourist seasons when you will have a better choice of vehicles. I think that is the most convenient, take a train or flight and rent a vehicle there.

Somehow, I am a bit sceptical of using a self-drive in the mountains. Just don't know whether you are being handed a lemon. The Chennai-Pondi experience has given me a real nightmare. Anybody who has driven on ECR, will vouch for this - 2 lane road, little or no street light and zipping on-coming traffic with their uppers on. There were couple of places where I had to bring my car to an absolute stand-still since I just lost the road. I just dread this kind of a car on the undulating roads in the mountains. And once you pick the car and are on the way - it is difficult to do anything much about it.
The safety, security and more importantly basic understanding of your own car any day beats a rental self-drive.
Though I completely agree - it is super convenient and saves so much of time. It is as if the prep time to reach a tourist destination is completely crunched.
And inspite of a bad experience on ECR, this is what missus is pestering me to go ahead with.
Interesting times ahead!!

[robby0707]

Honestly, from your post, i think you already know the answer. That is yo take your car and drive. The problem is that missus is not convinced. I do not think that missus will be convinced by our replies here too. One way of convincing her is to make her understand the perils of hiring an unknown car and driving through unknown roads one by one.
One option if possible is for the missus and daughter to catch a flight and you can start early and reach delhi by the time they arrive. You get to drive your own car and they get to save time.

[Roark]

Originally Posted by robby0707

Honestly, from your post, i think you already know the answer. That is yo take your car and drive. The problem is that missus is not convinced. I do not think that missus will be convinced by our replies here too. One way of convincing her is to make her understand the perils of hiring an unknown car and driving through unknown roads one by one.
One option if possible is for the missus and daughter to catch a flight and you can start early and reach delhi by the time they arrive. You get to drive your own car and they get to save time.

Is the opposite gender ever convinced, especially if they come in the variety of being a missus!! Topic for another day and perhaps another forum.
This when she herself drives!! Anyways.
I had posted here specifically to straddle middle ground - perhaps find a cost effective way to transport own vehicle at nearest rail head. I did research this online but the information is too sketchy, but then mygodbole's post put paid to that plan now and am back to square one.
The option for missus & daughter flying seems quite creative, though the customary missus murmurs of 'double cost' will come in the picture.
As I reiterated, interesting times ahead

[IAmGroot]

I was contemplating something similar. Has anyone tried hiring a driver who can take your car to a long distance? Someone who can start a day or two early and reach just in time you reach by flight or train. Is there any such professional service? The catch here is letting someone drive your car for few days.

Konkan railway has this RO-RO service for trucks. Would have been great to have similar service for Car's, where you can load your car on flat-bed wagon and just relax on attached 3-Tier AC coach. Best of both worlds!

[reverse_gear]

You may have referred to this new thread (Spiti Valley Winter Drive in a Jimny AT - Snow Drive). I think it’s best to rent a vehicle from Chandigarh through a reliable agency like this gentleman did. If you are planning to travel in March or even April, you are likely to encounter snow in Spiti and Lahaul. Best to have a vehicle that can handle adverse road and weather conditions.

[Roark]

Originally Posted by reverse_gear

You may have referred to this new thread (Spiti Valley Winter Drive in a Jimny AT - Snow Drive). I think it’s best to rent a vehicle from Chandigarh through a reliable agency like this gentleman did. If you are planning to travel in March or even April, you are likely to encounter snow in Spiti and Lahaul. Best to have a vehicle that can handle adverse road and weather conditions.

That is on our 'to-do' list.
But the need for transporting car arose simply because we are wanting to explore North-East by road.
And it is a herculean task driving down to Siliguri from Mumbai.

[getgoing]

Whether taking your own car for a long journey is better than using public transport depends on various factors, including your personal preferences, the distance you plan to travel, the cost involved, and the convenience you seek.

I feel it is better to take your own car if you are planning a long-distance vacation rather than transporting it to the nearest location via train or truck. If it’s a two wheeler then it makes sense to transport it to the neatest connecting point.

Taking your own car provides convenience and gives you more flexibility and control over your journey. You can stop whenever you want, take detours, and travel at your own pace. Public transport, on the other hand, follows a fixed schedule and route. Another advantage is that you can bring along as much luggage as your car can hold without having to worry about baggage restrictions or extra fees.

[i74js]

Just a small submission, I used a flatbed for transporting my car and guess what; the toll RFID charged my car too at all locations (as this is automated), while this was a loss, it was a tracker for me as to when the truck crossed a particular location.

I lost about INR 900

Not sure, how to protect your vehicle from such charges when you are not using the road infrastructure? Is there a RFID blackout tap which can be pasted from outside, as the FastTag is pasted on windshield.

[raptor_diwan]

I know a couple who opted for this unique approach for their honeymoon, and perhaps it might be helpful for you. What they did was hire a trusted driver for 15 days, a well-known chauffeur who worked as an on-call driver. They provided him with a car 4 days before and instructed him to drive to Chandigarh. Meanwhile, they celebrated their wedding, and within two days, they flew to Chandigarh. Upon arrival, they picked up their car and self-drove around the Ladakh circuit, meanwhile while the driver travelled in public transport to Jammu and stayed there until their return. This couplés completed the journey, they handed the car back to the driver for its return journey to Chennai while they flew back from jammu to Chennai.

The only responsibilities you need to handle are fuel, accommodation for driver, tolls, and a reasonable payment for the driver. In my opinion, it is a worthwhile investment.

While I'm unsure about the specific cost from your location, it's worth comparing the expenses to shipping and making an decision.

One consideration is that not everyone feels comfortable handover their car to a stranger for a cross-country drive. However, this is just one creative idea if you're eager to experience the thrill of driving in Ladakh without making the entire journey yourself.

[xsrahul]

Quite an interesting conundrum you have thrown out there.

The missus is always a difficult one to please from my married life and on-road experience. She wants to have fun yet wants to conserve energy for the main trip rather than the rally up yet also be seen as frugal and therefore may not agree to fly down.

That’s where old trusty excel comes to the rescue and this plan may need one best friend too.

The plan is to map out the kms to and fro from the main location and using vehicle average show her the cost saved vs airline and road transporting the car. Then be the gracious husband to book her flights with the kid to the nearest airport at that location (budget flights to be considered in the budget sheet although while booking you can cheekily select a better airline to ensure you don’t have to hear a full rant)

Now the team Bhp friend comes in handy to drive with you non stop to that airport and from there he flies back on BUGDET airline (no cheeky business here - what are friends for anyways if they cannot help a man save his married life)

On excel this will show impressive savings on both time and money and the solution for the missus is same as transporting the car.

Btw the pitch to the friend is come with me so that we can relive our Dil Chahta Hai memories which we have anyways not been able to do since our missusses have had our remote control.

Dost kush - biwi kush and most importantly you save money, time and get to drive.

What an idea sirji

[Sandy Damodaran]

Not sure, if this option has been quoted, what i typically do is ride to the final destination, and rent a self drive there (GJ/Rajasthan).

Else, I drive and my family meets me near the destination(Chandigarh for spiti/Leh, Guwahati for NE etc)

I did send my car once by a transport service, never again. For terrains like Leh and Spiti, i prefer my own vehicle. So have to drive down

[Roark]

Originally Posted by xsrahul

Quite an interesting conundrum you have thrown out there.

The missus is always a difficult one to please from my married life and on-road experience. She wants to have fun yet wants to conserve energy for the main trip rather than the rally up yet also be seen as frugal and therefore may not agree to fly down.

Boy, that is a good insight you have brought through. I never knew that could be the case with the ladies.
'Conserve energy to expend it at the 'main trip' destination'
Focus on the final outcome rather than the process, I presume