It’s been many years since I have been driving. And a few years doing long distances. But over the last 6 years, the road driving bug has caught on me like an epidemic. And with an Innova doing the honours, I couldn’t ask for more. During this period, I have  thoughtfully, graciously and lovingly tagged my wife into this roadies passion and she has gracefully accepted to be my equal partner in this royal madness called road tripping. Her endurance and tolerance for safe driving with speed beats any Formulae 1 drives and truck drivers. She can take to wheels, full throttle, with a third eye in the rear and continue driving super long distance, solo, inspite of hubby dear seated next !!!Driving through long distances is not easy. You need grit, determination, patience, forbearance, fortitude, besides skill ! You need to offer rest to your Ego and Foolhardiness. Usage of Commonsense effectively would be a preferred attribute than carrying your Attitude on your sleeves. High IQs are better utilized during JEE for IITs; so, you may like to rest it during your road tripping.The driving has taken us through several places in Maharashtra and its remote by-lanes, Gujarat, Silvassa, Daman, Karnataka and few others. Forests with luxuriant trees and equal deforestation, mankind’s ruthless war with nature, monsoon casting its romantic spell on your drive ways, the frothing water falls caressing your car, drenching it with pristine hug notwithstanding your wife seated beside you, roads spiked with spine breaking bumps and craters and yours truly National Highways providing the luxury of cruising at wisdom’s speed to keep your sanity intact!Aunty Google with her Guardian angel – Ms. GPS – has often been the Guiding spirit providing directions through maps which roll at each turn! Her Salubrious voice pronouncing  tongue twisting Indian names of roads, most often associated with dead politicians of local (dis)repute, is a lesson to be learnt. But Lo and Behold! GPS angel does go wrong like most Indian beings when she takes you through a treacherous route, unknown to mankind, which is her way of balancing the past life Karmas. And this is the time to use your IQ, don’t wait for the JEE now!Long distance Road Drives have taught me life lessons: When I see an approaching vehicle, recklessly overtaking a vehicle in front and the distance between me and him is highly risky for us to pass through, I slow down my speed significantly to allow for his passage. That’s where you listen to you inner voice and ‘Let go off’. I do this not because it’s my life! It’s his life I care for! I allow him to pass. Ditto when I traverse through a precariously nudging hairpin bend, I ‘let go off’ to allow place for an opposite incoming vehicle by taking a slower pace and if required pressing my car to a visible protrusion, as if destined for me. I have always noticed all these years when I drive keeping the universe of road drivers in mind, I always get a safe place during precarious drives to push my car to a destined cliff with ample space to skirt back to the main pathway back again, once the other vehicles have passed. Perhaps this is Universes’ invite for safe navigation in meeting my passion. Likewise, when my nerves, on an Express highway, raucously provoke me to ram the accelerator even harder, my intuition appeals to my heart and persuades me to exercise caution; Heart overrules the Head !The spirit of adventure has also fueled my other passion: ‘Random Restauranting’. For easy interpretation this simply means Eating. Millennials call it ‘Foodie’. And you cannot isolate Road tripping from Food and random eating. Not having local food during Road Tripping is like going to  Ratnagiri and not having Mangoes.My recent Association with the Road Trippers Club – The Road Tripping Co. – has been welcoming. Somewhere in Mid 2018 I chanced upon this group in the newspapers and my journey got curated with Convoy drives immediately thereafter. Post that I have done some road tripping under their auspices to different, long drive locations. The simple rules to be followed while driving, safe driving practices, technology assisted drives, ensuring documentation and tankups..all go to make this a momentous group.  You just need to have a 4-wheeler or a 2-wheeler.   And this comes with a bonus - the friends I make, the evenings with fun filled barbeques on overnight stays and the pot-luck, self-carried spirits for all to share.  Age is no bar; enthusiasm is bar bar! As the Road Tripping Co. heralds in their signature line - Camaraderie on 4 wheels! Safety Message: DO NOT DRINK AND DRIVE