Now THAT'S the ultimate road trip: Adventurous family-of-four drove across 11 countries from India to France over 111 days (surviving an earthquake, passing the Himalayas and the world's largest burning crater along the way)

• The Baid family from India set off from Bangalore in their trusty Fiat Linea Tjet in the pursuit of new experiences
• The 14,154-mile journey saw them visiting the world’s largest burning crater and climbing sand-dunes in China
• Challenges of the road trip included sleeping in the car during an earthquake and finding vegetarian food

By Becky Pemberton For Mailonline

Published: 09:09 EST, 17 November 2015 | Updated: 09:26 EST, 17 November 2015

The thought of a family road trip could fill some parents with dread. But adventurous couple Anand and Punita Baid, who drove 111 days from India to France with their two pre-teens, said they would do it again in a heartbeat.

Starting in Bengaluru in April, Anand, Punita, Yash, 12, and Dhriti, 8, packed up their Fiat Linea Tjet and started out on the trip of a lifetime. 

Stopping off at 50 cities the intrepid family saw the world’s largest burning crater, climbed sand-dunes and drove past the Himalayan mountain range in Tibet - all on a shoestring budget. 

Adventurous couple Anand and Punita Baid, who drove 111 days from India to France with their two pre-teen children, said they would do it again in a heartbeat

Starting in Bengaluru in April, Anand, Punita, Yash, 12, and Dhriti, 8, packed up their Fiat Linea Tjet and started out on a trip of a lifetime, seeing sights like the stunning hot air balloons in Cappadocia, Turkey

Stopping off at 50 cities the intrepid family saw the world’s largest burning crater, climbed sand-dunes and drove past the Himalayan mountain range in Tibet - all on a shoestring budget

The idea for the driving adventure came when Punita had stored up two months of holiday from work and husband Anand had quit his job to pursue personal goals.

'At first I thought Anand was joking when he mentioned Bangalore to Paris by road,' Punita told MailOnline Travel. 

'Little did I know he would return back in couple months with a bunch of papers in hand with everything charted out explaining how it could be done. 

'As much as I love going on long family drives, this for me was unheard of and with kids on-board – you never know what kind of unexpected challenges can occur.'

Once Punita had come round, there was just the matter of persuading the children's school to permit them the extra time off. 

'As soon as the principal heard the overall plan and places we would be visiting, she agreed by saying the kids would see places that they often read about in textbooks,’ Anand told MailOnline Travel.

'Her consent solidified our approach towards the expedition.'

After persuading the children's school to let them extend their holiday break, the family embarked on a once-in-a-lifetime trip, stopping off at places such as the gigantic sand dunes of Dunhuang, China. The children are pictured here with their guide, Yingchu

As soon as the children's principal heard the overall plan and places the family would be visiting, she agreed by saying the kids would experience the locations they read about in textbooks. Yash and Dhriti are pictured here in Golmud City, China

The driving adventure took a route from India to Nepal, China, Kyrgyzstan (pictured), Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Iran, Turkey, Greece, Italy, Spain and finally finished in France, taking in a wealth of culture and sights

Giving themselves the nickname of L.I.F.E (Little Indian Family of Explorers) they travelled along the famous Silk Route which has been of historical importance for trade and culture. Yash enjoyed sunbathing in Greece (pictured)

The driving adventure started in India and followed a route to Nepal, China, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Iran, Turkey, Greece, Italy, Spain, and finally finished in France, taking in a wealth of culture and sights.

The family said one of the best parts about travelling by road was the flexibility to stop at a certain place for as long as they liked.

'There were so many highlights,' Anand said. 'From witnessing the rich culture and rich traditions of Uzbekistan, swimming in the world's largest land-locked water body, to seeing the Caspian Sea in Iran and the unique volcanic landscapes of Turkey.'

Giving themselves the nickname of L.I.F.E (Little Indian Family of Explorers) they travelled along the famous Silk Route which has been of historical importance for trade and culture. 

Eight-year-old Dhriti said: 'Being the youngest member in the team, my brother would take utmost care of me. 

'We would fight all the time and then be best friends. Sitting in the backseat we would invent our own games to keep ourselves occupied. It was lot of fun. 

'We enjoyed the snow in Kyrgyzstan a lot. Also in Italy we got to sit inside a simulator of an actual Boeing cockpit. It was a great feeling to take-off and land an aeroplane. It felt like the real thing.'

Although Yash and Dhriti fought regularly in the car, they would always make up and be best friends again within no time. One of their highlights was at Bo Si Teng Lake, Korla, China (pictured)

The children said that while they were sitting in the back of the car they would invent their own games to keep themselves occupied

The family said one of the best parts about travelling by road was the flexibility to stop at a certain place for as long as they liked

Punita said she initially thought Anand was joking when he mentioned driving from Bangalore to Paris by road - but she soon came round to the idea

The children were offered many goodies as a token of remembrance and once people came to know the family were travelling by car, they would offer food

One of the challenges the family faced was planning the trip on a budget, but there were other unforeseen incidents that occurred along the way too.  

Their toughest experience was getting stuck on the Nepal/China border during an earthquake and having to sleep in the car for five nights due to damaged roads.  

'Finding vegetarian food was also a big challenge,' Punita said. 'In some places, people would not even understand what a vegetarian really is.

'When you are on the move and left with no choice, you soon learn to adapt and cook in just about any place possible. 

'We are also now experts at charades. We can literally survive just with sign language.'

But while the expedition had its difficulties there were plenty of incredible moments that the family now treasure.

But while the expedition had its challenges, there were plenty of incredible moments that the family now treasure, such as horse riding in Kyrgyzstan (left) and exploring precarious bridges in China (right)

One of the best parts of the trip was getting to explore spectacular scenery such as these mesmerising pools in Turkey

Their favourite landscape was that of Kyrgyzstan, where they saw wild horses galloping on the plains

Over the 14,154-mile journey the explorers met a variety of individuals who were extremely hospitable. 

'Our children were offered many goodies as a token of remembrance and once people came to know that we are travelling by car, they would offer us food and in quite a few instances the restaurants refused to accept money from us,' Anand said.

'The ultimate highlight was reaching Paris and visiting the Palace of Versailles and the Eiffel Tower where the epic adventure came to an end.' 

Definitely earning an easy journey home, the family opted to fly back to India with their trusty Fiat Linea Tjet being shipped back for them.

The spectacular road trip was documented on the family's blog, OverlandStories, and their Facebook page, where they have attracted 26,000 followers. 

Next they hope to head east, with more adventures in the pipeline.  

One of the challenges the family faced was planning the trip on a budget, but there were other unforeseen incidents that occurred along the way such as surviving an earthquake in the car

The spectacular road trip was documented on the family's blog, OverlandStories, and their Facebook page, where they have attracted 26,000 followers

Definitely earning an easy journey home, the family opted to fly back home to India where they received a warm welcome

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