JOIN USLiving life off the leash
On December 7, 2018, two adventure travellers — Tanveer Taj and Priyanka Jena set out on an adventure of a lifetime — an epic four-month-long road trip across India along with their two dogs, Frodo and Cruise. They clocked 12,500 km across 20 states that covered all kinds of terrains from mountains to beaches to rainforests to snow deserts to plains. They recorded all their experiences — stunning sights, friendly locals, challenging trysts — through a vlog, Wheels and Tails.
Self-confessed adrenaline junkies, Tanveer and Priyanka don’t remember exactly when the travel bug bit them. However, they have been travelling all their lives — Priyanka mostly to beaches, and Tanveer to the mountains on his bike. It was, in fact, travel that brought them together. Even their pets are seasoned travellers who have been travelling with them since they were puppies. So naturally, a four-month-long road trip didn’t seem daunting to all four of them. Here, they reveal details about their ‘pawsome’ road trip, the challenges they faced and more:
What made you head out on such a unique adventure?
Tanveer & Priyanka (T&P): Both me and Priyanka are adrenaline junkies: while Priyanka is an explorer, surfer, scuba diver and the founder of an adventure travel company, I am an avid biker, writer and a photographer who has travelled across India on my bike. And just like us, our dogs are seasoned travellers and have been travelling with us since they were puppies. Since we live in such a beautifully diverse country, we planned to do one big trip to experience all the terrains that India had to offer and there was no way we could keep the dogs from missing out on all the fun.
What were the main challenges?
T&P: It took us almost a year to plan the entire trip. The route was purely decided based on our wishlist. While Priyanka wanted Cruise to swim in the clear waters of Rameshwaram, I wanted Frodo to experience snow for the first time. We mapped the route in such a way that it covered all the geographic terrains. The biggest challenge was finding pet-friendly accommodation. Unfortunately, there are limited options for pet parents while travelling in India. We quickly realised that we had to plan well in advance for accommodations. At some places, we even stayed at our Instagram followers’ house because we couldn’t find any pet-friendly accommodation in the area.
How would you describe your experience?
We lived on the road for four months, and our home was our SUV. Experiencing the wild side of the country has definitely made us fall in love with it even more! It has brought us closer and made us a stronger team. We understand each other’s strengths and weaknesses. We are also quite attached to each other due to being a tight pack for the last four months. I think we have seen the best and worst, and we love and accept all of it. The most memorable moment has to be the time we experienced snow with the dogs. It was the first time Frodo and Cruise had seen something like this and the confusion was evident on their faces!
How was the experience for Frodo & Cruise?
They thoroughly enjoyed every moment of the trip. Both of them absolutely love car drives! They were being exposed to so many different environments, people, animals and smells every day, so it was like an all-out vacation for them!
Does our country have pet-friendly spaces and accommodations?
We live in a country where animals are an integral part of our daily lives. So overall, it wasn’t that difficult. We realised that in the villages, people are more friendly and open to pets being around, but in cities and towns, people are more grumpy and not fine with the idea of sharing space with animals.
According to you, which are the top pet-friendly destinations in the country? What would you like to tell families who would like to go on pet vacations?
Meghalaya was the most pet-friendly state we visited as we didn’t have to struggle to find accommodation. We found the people to be really sweet and welcoming. Almost everybody we met was okay with dogs being around, so it was great. At places in Bihar, Jharkhand and UP, we struggled a lot to find decent stay options that were pet-friendly. For people who are planning a pet vacation, our only advice would be to plan your stay option well in advance and to make the car as comfortable for your dog as possible.