After thousands of outstation departures from Chennai, we know exactly where group trips go wrong — and it is almost never the vehicle. Run through this checklist a week before you leave and your trip will run like our best ones do.
Two weeks out
- Lock dates and route; book the van (festival weekends sell out)
- Get the written quote: per-km rate, minimum km, bata, expected tolls/permits
- Book accommodation with parking for a 6-metre van
- Share the full passenger list if any institution/permit needs it
Three days out
- Reconfirm pickup time and points — multiple pickups add real time
- Share temple/darshan ticket timings so the chauffeur plans around them
- Check weather for hill routes; carry woollens for Kodai/Ooty year-round
- Assign one group coordinator as the chauffeur's single contact
Day of travel
- Carry IDs — required at some temples and inter-state checkposts
- Keep medicines, chargers and snacks in cabin bags, not the boot
- Note the odometer reading together at the start (we do this by default)
- Save the chauffeur's and our ops numbers before leaving the city
On the road
Plan a halt every 2.5–3 hours — it keeps everyone fresh and the schedule honest. Let the chauffeur sequence hill climbs for daylight. And build one "nothing" evening into any trip longer than three days; the best memories happen there.