Kerala woman’s 70-day solo road trip: 14277 km, 22 states, 3 UTs, and world’s highest road

Josephine Jose, a 46-year-old former college teacher from Thrissur, embarked on a remarkable 70-day solo road trip across India. Her journey, which took her to Umling La – at 19,024 feet, the highest motorable road in the world – covered 14,277 kilometres and passed through 19 states and three union territories.

Josephine, who holds a research degree in psychology, had worked as the national head of customer service for a share marketing company in Mumbai for 19 years. After returning home to care for her ailing mother, she was inspired to explore India by road. Her passion for long journeys was ignited by a previous trip to Ladakh, where she had travelled both by bike and car.

Starting her journey on October 2, Josephine’s trip took her across India’s diverse landscapes. On the way to Amritsar, she drove 750 kilometers in a single day. The service of Josephine’s new car was taken care of at various travel destinations.

However, not everything was smooth sailing. In Odisha, she had a close call when a group of bikers attempted to attack her. However, she managed to escape using pepper spray and a wooden stick. Throughout the journey, Josephine maintained a disciplined schedule, beginning her drives at 5:00 am and wrapping up by 5:00 pm each day.