Have you ever wanted to zoom off on a road trip to a different country in a high-end vehicle? Well, if you were hesitant to do so, then these three women from India will definitely leave you awestruck. Three women – Meenakshi Arvind from Coimbatore, Priya Rajpal from Mumbai and Mookambika Rathinam from Pollachi wanted to make this a reality. This made big news in Tamil Nadu and the whole of India back in 2017.
The Aim of XPD 2470 – Promoting A Cause!
The drive termed XPD 2470 was aimed at completing a 70-day drive including 24 countries and was meant to mark the 70th Independence Day. It also promoted the cause of ‘Rotary India Literacy Mission’ aiming to achieve quality education and total literacy. They started from Coimbatore and traveled across Myanmar, China, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Russia, Belarus, Poland, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, Macedonia, Serbia, Croatia, Austria, Czech Republic, Switzerland, Germany, France, Belgium, The Netherlands and London. And, flew back to India from London.
The first leg debuted in Coimbatore on March 26, 2017. The second one was flagged off in Puducherry by Lieutenant Governor Kiran Bedi and the third one from Imphal, Manipur by Najma Heptulla, the then Governor. Besides promoting the cause of literacy, XPD 2470 will honor Usha Uthup, Mary Kom, Neerja Malik and Rajshree Pathy and symbolize women empowerment as well.
Women Hitting The Headlines For Right Reasons!
Involved Expenses
These three women hit the headlines in December 2016, which is a few months before they embarked on the drive. But their publicity did not work out for them in achieving their dream of driving 24,000 km across two continents. After having promoted on social media and other platforms for six months, they got a vehicle for the trip, which has to be returned after the mission is complete, support from Aakruthi and Rotary Texcity and a few local sponsorships amounting to a sum of Rs. 20 lakh.
The XPDians had to forego the Guinness attempt as it required them to spend an additional cost of Rs. 10 lakh. Notably, with the Guinness attempt, they had to spend over Rs. 60 lakh. However, they are bullish to give it a try sometime in the future.
Besides the travel costs and spending for their accommodation, fuel, vehicle maintenance and toll charges, they had to pay for the International Driver Permit, air tickets to fly back to India, 11 visas and miscellaneous costs such as packed food and travel agents. Once their mission is over, they had to ship the car back to India from London, which cost the Rs. 5.5 lakh.
Challenges they had to face
Besides the financial challenges, they had to face many others. Some roads are not just not possible to be travelled with a local guide. There is a 180 km stretch in Kyrgyzstan that had a lot of rubble, which took a minimum of seven hours to cross. Also, vehicles in Uzbekistan use propane and diesel is available only in black. Some tolls do not permit the transfer of medicines while every item is scanned in China.
Moreover, these three XPDians had to undergo training on vehicle mechanics for a couple of days before their drive
. They had to carry instant food and other necessities. While it is common for international road trips to have a crew traveling in a separate vehicle, this was not available in their case as it was only the three of them and the car.
Susee Hyundai Supports Women Travelers?
To embark on such cross country trips, women need support and training from the car dealers as well. Susee Hyundai is a car dealer that helps women avail the necessary support. It also promotes them with its new and user-friendly car models. Susee Hyundai helps them by customizing the vehicles as per the requirement. Interested women who want to go on a road trip for a cause, be it within India or out of the country can approach them and get the customizations done.
This way, they will get their hands on a customized Hyundai car from the dealer that they can use to travel and promote their cause. Check out more about women travel trends. Also, they will be able to get the benefits of a user-friendly drive and technical support as and when needed.
