When facing a long journey, it sometimes feels, as if the hands of the clock are advancing with exasperating slowness. However, with some imagination and organization, you can distract yourself in many ways to kill time.
Play games
Several games can entertain one or more travelers, awakening them from the boredom of too-long trips. For some, perhaps the youngest, all that is needed is a sheet of paper and a pen (such as for tic-tac-toe, hangman, or, again, the classic “names, things and cities”).
In other cases, it will be necessary to get organized, perhaps with a chess board or other board games, especially in their portable and travel versions, which are particularly suitable for the purpose.
Take advantage of technology
There are far more versatile devices than an mp3 player. Without detracting from music, it might be ideal sometimes to point to a tablet, iPad, or smartphone and entertain yourself in various ways.
Consider checking email, watching videos on one’s favorite channels, throwing a hand or two of poker on this site, or updating one’s pages on major social networks – these are just some of the options that can entertain a bored traveler.
Listen to music
All it takes is a simple iPod to have the ideal travel companion: one’s favorite music. Alternatively, one can fall back on one’s smartphone. In either case, the fitting soundtrack can conciliate sleep or make time pass more quickly. Of course, charging the battery to the maximum before setting it off will be a good idea.
Take photos and videos
Even with the importance of enjoying the trip to the last moment, capturing as much as possible of any noteworthy moment or subject is advisable. It is advisable to take photos and record videos to remember everything that catches your eye while traveling with your smartphone.
Write down on a paper your emotions
To immortalize one’s feelings about the journey or to take care of oneself, writing can also prove to be a winning solution. Take notes on the emotions evoked by the landscapes or the expectations associated with the place to which one is traveling: whatever the inspiration, writing will undoubtedly be a great way to pass the time.
Brain teaser
Pen in hand, an alternative to writing could be to solve crosswords and crossword puzzles. Obtaining, before leaving, a magazine with these pastimes is an idea you should consider: Sudoku, rebuses, and puzzles of various kinds can be valuable allies against boredom.
Read a good book
One could also opt for a good book, either to buy on the internet or to retrieve from one’s library. A few hours’ trip is the right opportunity to start or finish that book that has been waiting for weeks and for which one has yet to find the time. If not now, when?
Count in company
Somewhere between a game with other people and a solitary pastime, an excellent alternative to passing the time is to count all the objects of a specific type seen beyond a window on the way: cars of a specific color, license plates of a particular place, signs, you can count anything; perhaps, you can challenge a fellow traveler and find out which of the two has the sharper eyesight or, the readier mind. Who will reach the highest total?
Listen to an audiobook
The audiobook offers a middle ground between reading a book and listening on a technological platform- a relatively recent fad gaining momentum and one that allows one to comfortably combine a love of reading with the pace of everyday life.
Converse with one’s fellow travelers
Don’t forget that the best pastime can be just a healthy chat with your fellow travelers: sharing the desire to reach the same destination and discovering things you didn’t know about each other are all excellent expedients for getting to know each other better and enriching the travel experience, which will then be anything but boring.
Catch up with work or studies
It may seem impossible without an internet connection, but preparing drafts of emails to send later pays off. So as soon as you land, please connect to the first Wi-Fi connection you see and send them. Then, you’ll have made the most of your trip!
Sleep
Speaking of catching up, sleep is always a great option to use up those extra hours and, at the same time, win the battle against jetlag. Don’t choose seats in the last row or right at the emergency exits, as you won’t be able to recline the seat or rest during the trip; there will always be people passing by you.
Eat something
Eating may not be the ideal solution if you’re watching your weight, but time passes faster while you’re snacking. It’s scientifically proven.
