The Heroes Of The Story
Almost every millennial dreams of turning their passion project into a full-blown business of sorts. But it’s definitely easier said than done. Especially when you’ve got to do some heavy groundwork and stay humble as your efforts take time to materialize. But we know of one Indian couple who’s been there and done that. Today, they have their own travel channel where they travel with their two children (both dogs) and vlog about their adventures.
Wheel&Tails is a combined brainchild of Priyanka and Tanveer. Both being adventure junkies, Priyanka loves to scuba dive, explore and surf while Tanveer is an avid biker who seeks new trails along with his pen and camera. The two of them created this platform to let people in on the joys of expeditions that are taken with one’s pets.
The 120 Day All-India Road Trip
Recently, they decided to head on a 4-month road trip across the country with their dogs, Frodo and Cruise. The idea behind this journey was primarily to spend quality travel time with their pets. The couple presently resides in Mumbai and they took their time to efficiently research and plan every leg of their journey.
Since they hadn’t ever taken such a long trip before, they wanted to ready themselves and the dogs for the varying weather conditions. The itinerary was born keeping in mind experiences that both Priyanka and Tanveer wanted Frodo and Cruise to have a chance at. While the latter wanted Frodo to experience snow for the first time, Priyanka wanted Cruise to swim in the clear waters of Rameshwaram. The route was an amalgamation of the coastal regions in the south, the cold hills in the northeast, the mountains in the north and the desert in the west — all composing of the periphery of India.
The Phases, The Pauses & The Memories
Spanning 12,500 kms, the couple ventured into 20 states. Since the both of them were smitten by the beauty that India has to offer (having traveled through the span of it previously), their singular motive was to let Frodo and Cruise in on the same. Coupled with their desire to be on the road for a long period of time, the idea of a 120-day road trip across the country sounded perfect, if not thrilling.
Starting from Mumbai, Tanveer and Priyanka moved down south with their first stop at Mandangad. Here’s where Cruise thoroughly enjoyed the first dip of their trip. Heading further south, they parked themselves in Goa and Someshwara, in Karnataka. It was at the Byndoor Forest where Frodo was seen sharing a private conversation with the monkeys around.
That being said, they soon realized that India wasn’t still ready for pet-friendly travel. They had to score and make calls at every planned destination to make sure Frodo and Cruise would be welcome. A lot of cities and towns across the country were grumpy about pets when it came to accommodation, while a lot of villages and small towns welcomed the dogs with natural ease and warmth. In fact, for some of their stays, the couple was greeted into the homes of their Instagram followers too. The couple vouch for Meghalaya being the most pet-friendly place while Uttar Pradesh was the least.
While a 120-day road trip may sound like a blessing to most of us, it came packed with its own set of challenges and learnings. The couple soon discovered how adaptable the dogs were to the everyday changes in locations and weather. Also, when Tanveer and Priyanka would tense up and argue, it was Frodo and Cruise who equalized the temperature and calm the humans down. For all the concerned pet owners who’re wondering how the dogs fared with such a heavy amount of road travel, they did with aplomb. Reason being, they’ve travelled with the couple since they were puppies and absolutely love travelling by car.
But the couple took the utmost care while travelling with their kids. They would avoid driving for more than 6 hours a day and prefer not to venture out in the afternoon heat. They ensured there were frequent pee breaks for the dogs and even though they knew they had a long distance to cover, their priority was to ensure that Frodo and Cruise were relaxed and comfortable.
One of the crucial parts for the planning of their road trip was the packing. Because the four of them travelled through varied topographical conditions, they packed for every kind of weather. There were life-jackets, dog food, beds and extra leashes for the boys while the couple stored everything essential for heat, rain, snow and storm.
According to Tanveer and Priyanka, these were their two most memorable moments of their journey:
1. When they took a beach stop at Tuticorin and Cruise absolutely enjoyed partying by the ocean with the locals.
2. When Frodo saw snow for the first time in Manali.
What made the trip even more special was the souvenirs the couple collected at every spot they explored. All of these were local items, some of them being the pride of those regions. They then housed these in their car which was in every way, their home for a span of 4 months.
While it wasn’t always rainbows and cakes for Tanveer and Priyanka, this epic adventure brought them and their family even closer. They are a tighter unit, thanks to the series of beautiful, shared experiences they can claim to their name. The couple is now in the process of sharing their vlogs with the rest of the world and boy, we can’t wait!