Packing a few bags and travelling half way across the world from Bengaluru to Paris on the road with two pre-teen kids isn’t the general idea of good parenting, but according to Anand (38) and Punita (36) Baid, they’d do it again in a heartbeat.

What they did

111 days. 22,780kms. 50+ cities. One Fiat Linea.

Anand, Punita, Yash (12) and Dhriti (8) drove through the Himalayas in Tibet, visited the world’s largest burning crater, swam in the largest land-locked water body (the Caspian Sea), and toured eleven countries on a shoestring budget earlier this year. Not exactly what you would call a conventional Indian family holiday, but hey, whatever floats their boat, err..car.

“After journeying from Bengaluru to Rajasthan for a family road trip earlier, the idea of a trans-continental world tour was something I had to pursue,” says Anand to us over the phone. The Baid’s raised capital from over 14 companies and several well wishers, christened themselves Little Indian Family of Explorers or L.I.F.E, packed supplies, medicines, khakras (of course), serviced their trusted Fiat Linea and set out on the journey of a lifetime, from Bangalore to Paris. “The route was mapped out keeping everyone’s interests in mind. Punita wanted to see Paris, and Yash is a huge FC Barcelona fan, so we made a detour to Spain.”

Broadly modelled on the ancient Silk Route, team L.I.F.E’s roadmap started from India and went on to Nepal, China, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Iran, Turkey, Greece, Italy, Spain and finally ended at France.

How they did it

After weighing all the pros and cons before presenting the plan to his wife Punita, Anand knew that more than the complicated visa procedures for Iran and Uzbekistan, the bigger hurdle was convincing the children’s school to give them extra leave. “You know that saying, when you want something, the universe conspires in helping you achieve it? It might seem cheesy, but this trip was something we were destined to do,” says Anand as he mentions that the school was blown away by the ambitious idea and granted their kids permission to take off for the trip. Anand, having recently quit his job to pursue his own personal goals knew that the time was right for the epic journey.

2,500 emails were exchanged, 12 different embassies were coordinated with for visas, and finally, they were off.

1 /11 Sand dunes on the way to Korla, a city in central Xinjiang, China. Being greeted by snow in Kyrgyzstan. A resort on Issyk-Kul Lake in Kyrgyzstan. In Samarkand, Uzbekistan, one of the important cities along the Silk Route. Near the Door to Hell in Turkmenistan, a flame pit that’s been burning for more than four decades and is now a popular tourist attraction. The Naqsh-e Jahan Square, or Imam Square, in Esfahan, Iran. In Cappadocia. “You know that saying, when you want something, the universe conspires in helping you achieve it? It might seem cheesy, but this trip was something we were destined to do.” The travertine steps of Pamukkale in Turkey. The gorgeous town of Oia on the island of Santorini, Greece. In Greece. “Sometimes, you have to journey far from home to find out who you really are.” A grand welcome back home.

Who they met

Everywhere we went, we were met with curious but cooperative people who wanted to know more about our journey and help us in any way they could. “What really touched us the most were the random acts of kindness from strangers. “The one that really took our breath away a woman in Uzbekistan who paid for our entire meal without us even knowing. All because she loved India and the Taj Mahal.”

What they learnt

It’s tough for a vegetarian family of four to travel the world and find diet-friendly food. “Whenever we got the feeling that meals were going to be a challenge, Punita would whip up something with some basic ingredients on the portable stove. That was quite the adventure and a lesson in survival,” Anand laughs. Apart from gastronomic issues though, the journey was fraught with its fair share of challenges. “Being trapped in Nepal during the earthquake was an extremely scary situation. We were at the bottom of a valley and rocks kept falling from above for five days straight. Some how, we managed to get out alive.”

Crazy experiences aside, Team L.I.F.E’s biggest learning was that of self-realization. “Some times you have to journey far from home to find out who you really are. Because we were witnessing so many things at once, there wasn’t any time to assimilate what was happening to us. It’s only after we came back did we understand that we had all grown as individuals. The greatest thing about travel is that while your physical boundaries have stretched, it’s the horizons inside of you that expand, to encompass the world you witnessed.”

Now that’s a lesson for L.I.F.E.

Inspired? Anand & Punita break it down for you with tips on how to do the journey with kids:

-First-off, most people don’t know that you can travel by-road through most of Europe from India and the same is true if you want to head east-wards as well

-Come up with a detailed itinerary before you approach your kids schools for extra leave. Schools need to see tangible value in the journey to be convinced

-Keep your children involved during the entire process- Yash and Dhriti had responsibilities like scouting for hotels, washing the car and refuelling that brought out a sense of responsibility and ownership

-It’s easy to do the trip when your children are younger, so plan accordingly

-As parents, the first instinct is to protect but allow your children the freedom to explore and understand how to deal with people from different cultures. The kids made so many friends!

-Branding on the car helps when you’re crossing borders. Our Linea had BLR-PARIS stickers and L.I.F.E livery that made us seem legit to officials at borders.

-If possible, get a camper van to attach to the car during the journey. It will allow you more freedom and let you save on hotels

-Allow your kids to document the journey with tablets and cell phones, but also make sure they interact with the new worlds around them

-Brush up on sign language before you leave!

-Don’t overthink it, just do it

Read about another epic road trip, two working professionals who put their lives on hold, to drive from London to Nashik, here