Moving up from a 12 or 16 seater to a 20 seater doesn’t feel like a big jump when you’re sitting at home with the booking form. A few more seats, that’s all. But I’ve noticed that the bigger the van, the more little things start to matter, like where it can actually stop and how long it takes to get twenty people back inside after lunch, and people usually learn this on the trip itself, a bit late.
So this is more or less the list of things I’d think about if the booking were for my own family.
First, are there really twenty of you?
It’s worth counting properly. A lot of groups say twenty and are actually sixteen, so they end up paying for four seats that stay empty all week, and then there’s the opposite case where eighteen becomes twenty-two because a couple of cousins heard about the trip at the last minute.
If you’re closer to sixteen, I’d look at the 16 seater tempo traveller and compare the price and the space before deciding anything. At seventeen or eighteen, with nobody else likely to join, a tempo traveller 17 seater could work better than you’d expect. And when the group really is twenty, well, this is the van made for that.
Seats sit closer together than you’d think
With twenty seats in one body the rows are tighter than in a smaller van, which nobody notices on a short ride to Amer. It’s the five hour highway day where a tall person sitting in the back row starts shifting around and sighing.
Honestly I think this gets missed more than anything else. It’s worth asking how the seats are laid out and whether they recline at all, and if you have older relatives or somebody with a bad knee, I’d keep them near the front and let the youngest ones take the back, though it usually only gets sorted after somebody complains.
Where a big van can’t go
Here’s something people hardly ever mention. Jaipur’s old lanes and a big van don’t mix well. The bazaars in the Pink City are narrow and packed, so a 20 seater tempo traveller can’t just pull up outside a haveli or a small hotel, and some forts and temples have their parking a long way from the gate, with rules on large vehicles that can change from one year to the next.
It helps to tell the operator your hotel names early and find out where the van will really park. Sometimes that means a short walk, and sometimes a smaller vehicle shuttles people the last bit. I’d much rather hear that the night before than find out standing in a lane with twenty people and a driver who has no idea where to go.
What about all the bags?
Twenty people brings a lot of bags with it. A standard tempo traveller can usually take a roof carrier, so the suitcases go up top and the cabin stays free for people, but I wouldn’t count on that without asking. Check that a carrier will be fitted on the exact van coming for your dates, and mention roughly how many large bags there are.
If you’re wondering about a smoother ride, the Urbania tempo traveller range is worth reading about, and the 16 seater Urbania is the biggest of them. It won’t carry twenty though, and the bags mostly ride inside, so for a group this large the standard body tends to be more practical.
Weddings, family trips and office outings
Most of the bookings I hear about for this size are one of three types: wedding guests going between a hotel and a venue, families with three generations travelling together, or an office group out for a day or a weekend. Each has its own kind of headache.
At weddings it’s timing, since twenty people never leave at the same minute, so it’s worth asking the driver how long he’s willing to wait. With families it’s mostly the elders and whether they’re comfortable. And for an office outing I’d say the return time is what causes arguments, so get it written down before anyone leaves.
Is luxury worth the extra money?
If the trip is a short run around the city, a basic van is perfectly fine. Once you’re covering a few hundred km in one day, a luxury tempo traveller with better seats and stronger AC makes those hours a lot easier, especially for older passengers, and I think the extra cost is justified on a long trip.
Wide chairs are a separate matter. A Maharaja seat tempo traveller has fewer, bigger seats, so it only suits a smaller group and can’t take twenty.
When two vans beat one
I’ll say this plainly, because it’s true: one 20 seater is sometimes not the best plan. If your group splits into two with different plans for the day, a tempo traveller 12 seater together with a 10 seater tempo traveller can be far more flexible, and if what you want is comfort for ten or twelve people, the 12 seater Urbania might suit better. Two vans cost more in total, but each goes where it needs to without everybody waiting on everybody else.
Questions to send before you pay
I’d put everything in one WhatsApp message so the answers stay together. Mainly you want one total price and what’s inside it, meaning the driver, fuel, tolls, parking and any night halt, along with how many km a day are covered and what each extra km costs. It also helps to ask for the registration year and a recent photo of the van that’s actually coming, and what happens if your plan shifts by a few hours or a few people.
Busy weeks cost more, and weddings, Diwali and the Pushkar fair are the usual ones, with dates that change every year, so it’s best to look them up before planning. For those weeks I’d book around two weeks ahead, while in a normal week a few days is generally enough.
Before you pick up the phone
Have four things ready: how many people are going, how many large bags, your dates, and where you’re staying. With those, the operator can answer nearly everything in one go. And if you’d like to see every size and trim in one place first, the tempo traveller on rent page lists them all.
To check if a 20 seater tempo traveller is free on your dates, call or WhatsApp the Rajasthan Travel Operator team on +91 9251041418.
