Hyderabad: With the easing of travel restrictions across the country, Hyderabadis have started to rediscover the joys of road trips and explore weekend getaways, despite the pandemic.
Bikers in Hyderabad, who are always on the lookout to explore something new, describe biking as the best way to make new friends from different cities. Being part of committed biking groups, which are dedicated to the cause of touring, is the best way to experience long distancing travel in the country, they point out.
Darshan Shah, a city-based Chartered Accountant (CA), loves riding his motorcycle and exploring new places. The CA, who was inspired by his riding friends, says that being part of group rides not only involves traveling together but also means helping each other in times of need.
“Thanks to biking, we meet new people and make a lot of memories during and after a trip. I’ve made some excellent friends and we have come together as a group. You feel inspired when you listen to their journey. It’s not just while traveling but they are with us even when we’re in trouble. Whenever I had bike breakdown issues, so many have responded immediately,” says Darshan who is part of the Road Thrill Community, which has chapters across the country.
His advice for travelers during the pandemic is to follow State regulations and advisories on the current situation and avoid crowded places. Darshan had made short trips to places like Gokarna, Bidar, Zaheerabad, Rajanna Sircilla, and Srisailam since June.
An MNC employee from Hyderabad, Mohsin Khan says, “I have traveled to different places with my biker group and weekends are something we all look forward to as we get some proper time for traveling. The best part of our group is that we started as a team of five and later we grew to nine members. We make sure we meet every week to hang out somewhere or the other”.
Yugandharanne, who is employed in an MNC in Hyderabad, says that traveling has become a part of his life. “I travel with friends and colleagues, and we have covered entire South India so far. We have plans to travel from Hyderabad to Delhi and later cover Ladakh and Manali. We ensure all our riders follow certain rules like avoiding the use of plastics wherever we go and not rising without a helmet and other safety gear. These are some rules we follow diligently while traveling,” he says.
