Okay so hi… I’m Rohan Sharma. Born and brought up in Delhi (yes, that explains the loud voice), but currently surviving college life in Dehradun.

This story is about the time my cousins came from Delhi to “visit me” but actually came to escape Delhi heat and get free pahadi vibes 😌

The Plan (Which I Made, Obviously)

So my cousins – Aman and Riya – messaged me like:

“Bro, we are coming Dehradun next weekend. Plan something epic.”

Now as a self-declared trip planner of the family, I had to do something solid. So I thought — Mussoorie + Dhanolti. Classic combo. Mountains, maggi, unnecessary photos, and overconfidence on hill roads.

Instead of booking taxis and arguing with drivers, I decided to book a self drive car rental in dehradun. I mean, we are young. We have license. We have confidence. What can go wrong? (A lot actually, but still.)

 

Booking the Car

I searched for self drive cars in dehradun and compared options. There are many options but some look shady ngl 😂

After checking reviews and comparing the self drive car rental in dehradun price, I found a good deal. It was affordable and the process was smooth. The guy from the car rental service in dehradun was chill and explained everything properly.

Honestly, booking self drive rental cars in dehradun is much easier than I thought. Just upload documents, pay advance, done.

My cousin Aman said:

“Bhai pakka car mil jayegi na? Koi scam toh nahi?”

I said,

“Bro relax, I live here. I am basically local now.”

(Reality: I still use Google Maps to go 2 km.)

The Big Day – Dehradun to Mussoorie

We picked up the car in the morning. It was clean and smelled like those strong car perfumes that make you question your life choices.

Driving from Dehradun to Mussoorie is beautiful. The curves, the trees, the valley views… and then there was Aman in the back shouting:

“Bhai dheere chala! Main zinda ghar jaana chahta hoon!”

I said,

“Trust me, I drive in Delhi traffic. This is easy.”

But between us… hill driving is different yaar. First 20 minutes my heart was doing cardio.

Still, taking a self drive car rental dehradun for this trip was the best decision. We stopped wherever we wanted. Random maggi point? Stop. Viewpoint? Stop. Riya wanted 47 pictures at one single spot? Unfortunately, stop again.

Mall Road Madness

We reached Mussoorie and obviously Mall Road was crowded. Like whole North India decided to come that day.

Parking took 25 minutes. Aman kept giving “expert advice”:

“Bro udhar laga de.”
“Nahi nahi yaha better hai.”
“Actually tu utar, main laga deta hoon.”

He doesn’t even have a hill driving experience 😭

After roaming, eating momos, and buying overpriced keychains, we headed towards Dhanolti next day.

Dhanolti = Peace + Stupidity

Dhanolti was calmer. Tall trees, cold breeze, less crowd. We did small trek inside Eco Park and tried acting like travel vloggers.

At one point Aman slipped slightly and said,

“I did that intentionally for cinematic effect.”

Sure bro. Very cinematic.

On the way back, we played old Bollywood songs loudly. One uncle in another car looked at us like we are disturbing Himalayan peace. Sorry uncle.

But honestly, having one of the self drive car made the whole vibe different. No time pressure. No driver judging our singing. Total freedom.

The Return + Realization

While coming back to Dehradun, we were tired but happy. Riya said:

“Best trip ever. Delhi trips are boring compared to this.”

That hit different.

I realized something – sometimes you don’t need big plans. Just cousins, mountains, bad singing, and a car you control.

So yeah, that’s how I, Rohan Sharma from Delhi (currently Dehradun survivor), planned a perfect weekend using a self drive car rental in dehradun and turned it into one of our most fun memories.

And next time?
Maybe Rishikesh.
But first… I need to recover from driving on those curves 😅