Spending time with your friends and family travelling across the country can be a very enjoyable experience. However, road trips are notorious for long periods in which everyone starts to feel bored and tired of watching the same landscape going past for miles on end. This is especially problematic in places that are simply long, straight roads through unchanging environments like Nevada’s route 50, which was named the “Loneliest Road in America.” The same can be said for the long and featureless motorways throughout Europe, where most of the views are tall hedgerows and other vehicles for hours. To help you during this time, here are some things that you can do to occupy yourself during a long road trip.
Listen To A Podcast
The smartphone is one of the greatest inventions of our time, especially for dealing with boredom when travelling. When venturing out on a road trip, having something to distract you and focus on will help the time pass much faster and reduce your boredom. Listening to music is a common pastime, but it can get overwhelming if you listen for too long. Alternatively, you could listen to a podcast instead. There are many different podcasts out there, all with their own themes and focuses. You’ll easily be able to find a podcast that is based on a topic you enjoy, whether it’s a true crime podcast, a comedy, or one about food. The other great thing about a podcast is that many streaming platforms allow you to download them to listen to when you have no internet connection. It is perfect for long road trips as signal often drops, especially when driving through rural areas.
Watch A Movie
Another option for your journey is to put a movie on. While this isn’t something you should do as a driver, as a passenger, this can be a fantastic way to let time pass you by. Like podcasts, you can download a selection of movies onto a portable device such as a phone or tablet, and watch them later when your connection isn’t too good. A movie or TV show can also be a good measure of time, as you can generally work out how long you have left of your journey based on how many movies or episodes you watch. The downside to watching a movie over listening to the radio or a podcast is that you take your eyes off the road, which isn’t great if you’re predisposed to travel sickness. So be aware of this before you decide to get invested in a film.
Play Online Games
If you don’t have any issues with taking your eyes off the road when travelling as a passenger, there are a number of other things you can try that can keep you occupied. For example, you could play some online video games. There are many different puzzle games out there that you can find via your browser or an app store, and these can very easily kill 30 minutes to an hour of your time. You could also do this while listening to something too. Alongside puzzle games, you can also find some more exciting games, such as those on online casinos. Searching for an online casino bonus before you start, such as the ones you can find on Jackpot Casino, is worthwhile. These bonuses can provide you with things such as free slot spins and deposit bonuses, among other things. You’ll also find new player bonuses if you’re a first-time player.
Play Travel Games
When cruising along the open road, it might be a good idea to involve other passengers. There are many travel games you could play with your friends and family, such as classics like “I Spy” and other guessing games like 21 questions, or you could find an online game to play that would work for multiple players. A common choice here would be to try an online quiz, where you can all work together to see how many questions you can get correct as a team. You could also take it in turns, asking hard questions to other passengers in an attempt to catch others out. Once someone asks a question that nobody can answer, that player gets the point. Of course, you’ll want to avoid unfair questions that only you are guaranteed to know the answer to. Instead, try to stick to general knowledge topics.
Learn A Skill
A long road trip is a perfect time to try your hand at learning a new skill. You’ll have a lot of time on your hands and likely very few distractions. There are plenty of apps you can find online that will help you learn new things, whether it’s a skill to help you in your career or even a new language. Try a language learning app such as Duolingo or Babbel, for example, which test you using multiple different methods such as reading or listening to phrases and filling in the gaps. This can be even easier when learning alongside others, as you can test each other and correct your partner if they get something wrong. Learning a language will also allow you to converse together to practice the new phrases you pick up.
