2 Friends Help 100+ Indian Women Drive Across Continents

For 48-year-old Anupreeti Ajit More, a home baker in Kolhapur, driving wasn't something anyone expected her to do. But once she sat behind the wheel for a long-distance trip, she says it felt like reclaiming a part of herself she never knew was missing.

Across India, women have always traveled, managing responsibilities that stretch far beyond any map. Yet when it comes to driving long distances, women have historically participated far less, not because of ability, but because of confidence, access, and support.

Two friends from Mumbai and Pune are changing that story. Sujal Patwardhan and Medha Joseph met during their MBA in 1999, bonded over their love for travel, and turned their passion into something transformative.

In 2015, they drove from Hyderabad to Morocco, covering three continents and over 23,000 kilometers in 57 days. When they returned to India, they noticed a gap: self-drive adventures felt natural in Europe, but for most Indians, crossing borders and navigating unfamiliar roads felt overwhelming.

By October 2015, they launched Embarq Motorworld, a self-drive travel company where participants drive their own cars in guided convoys. Every route is personally checked by Sujal and Medha, from fuel stations to washrooms, so travelers can focus on the experience instead of the logistics.

Their early trips welcomed everyone, but by 2018, they noticed more women were signing up, many traveling solo for the first time. Women started calling specifically asking for trips designed for them, spaces where they could learn and explore without judgment.

The Ripple Effect

Since 2015, Embarq has conducted 115 expeditions across 23 countries, hosting 1,400 travelers. But the real impact goes beyond the numbers.

Women who join these trips often arrive hesitant and leave transformed. They learn to handle permits, navigate foreign terrain, and trust their own capabilities behind the wheel.

The journeys cover everything from domestic routes in Punjab to international expeditions through Kyrgyzstan, Central Asia, Europe, and Southeast Asia. Each trip is carefully planned to build confidence gradually, helping women ease into long-distance driving one kilometer at a time.

For Anupreeti and hundreds of women like her, these trips aren't just about seeing new places. They're about discovering independence, making their own choices, and proving to themselves what they're capable of.

What started as two friends with a shared curiosity has become a movement helping Indian women reclaim the road, one self-drive journey at a time.