Here’s a go-to guide for your Mumbai-Goa roadtrip

It’s often said that a road trip strengthens your bonds with loved ones. The crux of a road trip lies in spontaneity, but that being said, if you manage to get a guidebook, that’s nothing like it. Fret not buddy. For you, Business Insider has curated a go-to guide to help you plan your Mumbai-Goa road trip. Yes the much planned one.

Choosing the right car
The most crucial aspect of a road trip is choosing the right car. If you have to drive for 11-12 hours continuously, you need a car that is sturdy, economic and comfortable. You can think of lending a self driven one from any of the providers. Cars with dual air bags and ABS are recommended. However, if you have a car that isn’t fitted with these but you have experience of driving more than 10K kilometres, get set go.

Route

Mumbai-Goa Highway via NH 17, 66
Distance: 587 km
Time: 12 hours
Mumbai- Panvel- Kolad- Chiplun- Pali- Sawantwadi- Goa

Mumbai Goa via NH4
Distance: 607 km
Time: 10 hours
Mumbai-Pune-Satara-Kolhapur-Belgaum-Goa

Once you have chosen your car, the next vital thing is to plan the route. To reach Goa from Mumbai, there are two ways. One is through NH4 (Via Pune), while the other one is NH 17 (Via Ratnagiri, Ganpatipule).

According to experts, NH4 is safe as the lanes are straight and fit for fast driving. With proper dividers and lane markings, this would be a comfortable ride.

However, this is expensive route as it has quite a few tolls along the way.

On the other hand, NH17 is narrow, crowded and one has to drive through the ghats. While there would too many trucks to limit your speed, the breathtaking view of the ghats would compensate that pain.

You can also relish Malwani food from the road side dhabas. Plus, you have access to Smart Infotainment on board to solve your GPS issues.

Refuelling
One of the core principles of a road trip is to refuel as soon as the car tank is half empty because in the next 2 hours, you might not come across any gas stations.

The 634 km route from Mumbai to Goa would require a few refuelling stops. Depending on the car’s fuel economy, you need to chalk out your refuel plans.

However, if you are in a petrol vehicle, which gives a mileage in the range of 14-17km per litre, you would need to refuel twice. If you take the NH 4 via Pune, you will get gas stations at Savantwadi and Ratnagiri.

For the other route, you would get ample of petrol pumps along Kolad and Chiplun.

Stopovers
The best part of driving down to Goa is you can stop anywhere you want to, especially for the food that the Mumbai –Goa route is most famous for. If you are on the NH4, you would get dhabas at Satara and Kolhapur. Here you would get all basic Indian food, right from fish curry to idli. On NH66, you can stop at Chiplun.

Other things to note
Make sure the wheels are properly inflated before journey to ensure safety and convenience.
Sleep well the previous night.
Carry a first aid kit, essential medicines and a Swiss knife.
Follow traffic rules.

Have fun.