This 52-Year-Old Man Drove To 60 Countries In His Car Covering 74,000 Km In 330 Days
by Suchismita Pal
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Whoever said age is just a number, was absolutely right! Because if you have the passion to fulfil your dreams then no boundaries like age can stop you. This is…
Whoever said age is just a number, was absolutely right! Because if you have the passion to fulfil your dreams then no boundaries like age can stop you. This is the story of Praveen Mehta, a 52-year old textile trader with a wife and a child, who decided to leap by travelling the world, not by taking endless flights but by driving in his own car. Something that he could have only dreamt of! He was lucky enough to return just two days before the lockdown started. Here's his incredible journey.
At 40, Mehta started long-distance cycling trips from Bombay to Goa and Manali to Leh. He embarked on long-distance motorbike trips to Leh, Kanyakumari and more. Speaking about his world drive, Mehta said, "I have been on long-distance cycling or motorbike trips, motorbike road trips, trekking, summiting etc. This trip is an extension of all that, to stretch your limit and push your envelope."
Mehta has been travelling for the last few years and he wanted to push his limits and do something extraordinary. He is fortunate to have a wife and a son who are extremely understanding. After all, we have only one life, and we should so do whatever makes our hearts happy.
"With regard to this world drive or any travel that I do, my family has been more than supportive. Except for filling me on the standard practises for the safety, not once have they dissuaded me or said anything against my travel plans. Not once have they said, why I would spend so much time and money on my whims and fancies."
He first went to Bhutan from Mumbai, then he drove to Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, China. From China, he moved to central-Asian countries like Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan. After these, he covered entire Russia, then Baltic states Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia. These were followed by Nordic states Finland, Sweden and Norway. Then Mehta drove to Denmark, Amsterdam and covered entire Europe. From France, he moved to the UK. From London, he travelled to Houston in the US. From there he moved to Mexico and Central American countries. From Argentina, he finally drove back to India.
Mehta’s main idea behind the drive was also to meet prominent influencers, noble personalities
from all walks of life, who help to bring a change in society. He wanted to learn and share inspiring stories from these change-makers. He said, "The purpose of the drive was to meet people who bring change in society or people who bring progress to our life or people who influence our society by their body of work."
[caption id="attachment_163303" align="alignnone" width="770"] Picture Credits: TOI[/caption]
Also Read: I Travelled SOLO From India To Dive Into The Great Barrier Reef In Australia & Knocked It Off My Bucket List
Well, every journey comes with a set of hardships and Mehta too was stranded in Milan where his things worth about $10,000 ( ₹7,33,775) were stolen. Speaking about his plight, Mehta said, "We did have one incident and not in countries where people warn you about but in West Europe. So my car was broken in, someone broke my windshield and we were car-jagged. 6 bags were stolen. Storage devices, laptops, cash, clothes-everything was gone." This major set back did not stop him from completing his drive. He soon got the windshield imported from India, bought new clothes and necessary things and continued his journey.
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Pushing All Limits And Covering The World In A Four-Wheeler
At 40, Mehta started long-distance cycling trips from Bombay to Goa and Manali to Leh. He embarked on long-distance motorbike trips to Leh, Kanyakumari and more. Speaking about his world drive, Mehta said, "I have been on long-distance cycling or motorbike trips, motorbike road trips, trekking, summiting etc. This trip is an extension of all that, to stretch your limit and push your envelope."
Pushing All Limits And Covering The World In A Four-Wheeler
Mehta has been travelling for the last few years and he wanted to push his limits and do something extraordinary. He is fortunate to have a wife and a son who are extremely understanding. After all, we have only one life, and we should so do whatever makes our hearts happy.
"With regard to this world drive or any travel that I do, my family has been more than supportive. Except for filling me on the standard practises for the safety, not once have they dissuaded me or said anything against my travel plans. Not once have they said, why I would spend so much time and money on my whims and fancies."
A 330-Day Journey That Commenced On April 2019
Mehta had a friend who accompanied him to London in a car, but Mehta was behind the wheels at all times. They left for the trip in April 2019 and he was lucky enough to complete this trip and return to Mumbai just two days before the lockdown in March 2020. Otherwise, Mehta would have been one of the Indians who would have been stranded in a foreign land. He covered about 60 countries and 74,000 kilometres in nearly 330 days.
He first went to Bhutan from Mumbai, then he drove to Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, China. From China, he moved to central-Asian countries like Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan. After these, he covered entire Russia, then Baltic states Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia. These were followed by Nordic states Finland, Sweden and Norway. Then Mehta drove to Denmark, Amsterdam and covered entire Europe. From France, he moved to the UK. From London, he travelled to Houston in the US. From there he moved to Mexico and Central American countries. From Argentina, he finally drove back to India.
Mehta’s main idea behind the drive was also to meet prominent influencers, noble personalities
from all walks of life, who help to bring a change in society. He wanted to learn and share inspiring stories from these change-makers. He said, "The purpose of the drive was to meet people who bring change in society or people who bring progress to our life or people who influence our society by their body of work."
[caption id="attachment_163303" align="alignnone" width="770"]
Picture Credits: TOI[/caption]
Also Read: I Travelled SOLO From India To Dive Into The Great Barrier Reef In Australia & Knocked It Off My Bucket List
Encountering A Theft, Losing Things Worth More Than ₹7 Lakhs