How These Start-ups Will Help You Plan Your Best Road Trips Travellers-turned-entrepreneurs, who have been through these journeys and recognise the issues, are now helping others

Come long weekend and everyone gets busy planning their trips to nearby locales, for a quick getaway from the hustle and bustle of the city life. Be it a nearby hill station or a beach that's just a few hours away, Indians across the country long for long weekends to catch up with nature.

But while on a road trip, everyone is familiar with the worries of reaching the destination on time or being troubled because of a flat tyre.Travellers-turned-entrepreneurs, who have been through these journeys and recognise these issues, are now helping others make their trips a little bit smoother.

Entrepreneur India takes a look at the different ways in which start-ups are ensuring that your next road trip is one without troubles

Plan Your Halt

One of the most important aspects of a road trip is to plan it well. From the stops for petrol to the food joints that come on the way, it's always better to plan your halts throughout the journey. Understanding the pain of the travellers, start-ups like ScoutMyTrip let its users plan the trip by providing them details about the various things available throughout their route. So, bid goodbye to stopping every five minutes, to ask for the directions for the next restaurant or hotel.

Road side assistance

While on your journey, one of the biggest fears is if the car breaks down in an unknown territory. Finding a mechanic shop becomes a difficult task and even if you do, taking your car to the shop is a menace. Here come the roadside assistance start-ups. India has woken up to a number of start-ups that provide roadside assistance. These start-ups like StrandD (which has recently acquired AXA Assistance) don't just offer vehicle repair but also travel services to take the user to the next destination. If it's an all girls trip, start-ups like 24response also offer on-demand safety.

Budget Travel

Unlike other vacations, road trips are usually ones that are planned well within a budget. It's a convenient trip for college friends as well as the end-of-the-month broke colleagues. Keeping the same in mind, many travel start-ups help you plan your travel within a specified amount. For example, Trip Factory has introduced the concept of BOGO cards which help travellers plan their finances better and also offers several packages that are well within your reach!

Things to do

While road trips are all about the journey, it doesn't mean it's over once you reach the destination. Going to a new place, the first thing one does is "Google" the most famous tourist spots of the area. Now, bringing it all on a platter for travellers, platforms like Thrillophilia and Tripoto offer various articles and blogs on what should one do at a specific destination. Thrillophilia also looks at offering packaged adventures that one can avail for.

A community piece!

For most travel lovers, it's all about learning new experiences and then sharing it with others. Even while planning their journey, they often try to ask about the destination within their closed group of known travellers. Recognising this love for travel and its stories in all, start-ups like Tripoto offer you the opportunity to blog about your trip and upload photos as well. It becomes a community driven piece where travellers refer to each others articles for advice. Even ScoutMyTrip is looking at implementing a community piece where travel experts can share tips for all.