Whether you’re traveling to Oregon or you are heading somewhere else for a vacation, it could well be that you find yourself having to take a long journey to get there. That can be a problem if you’re easily bored (or even if you’re not so easily bored); being bored on a plane, in a car, on a bus or a train, for example, can make the journey actually feel even longer, and by the time you arrive at your destination, you won’t be excited and you won’t be feeling fresh and happy. So here are some great tips on how to entertain yourself during a long journey so that when you get where you’re going, you’ll be ready to explore.
Write
Unless you’re the one doing the driving, settling down to lose yourself in your own thoughts and write about it can be a lot of fun. Take a good look out of the window and really think about what you’re seeing, then try to describe it. You don’t have to be writing anything in particular – you can write paragraphs of nonsense, or a novel, or a poem, or anything else that comes to mind. It really doesn’t matter what you write because the act itself is what will keep you entertained.
When you write, it’s a good idea to assume that no one but yourself will ever read it, even if that’s not going to be the case. If you have that in mind, however, you can write more freely without worrying about what other people will think of your work. It can while away a lot of time, and it gives your brain a good workout too.
Go Online
Depending on what mode of transport you’re traveling, you may or may not have WiFi, but if you do you can go online and enjoy some games, check out the best gambling odds, check out your social media feeds (and let people know you’re traveling so they can enjoy your story as you go along). You might even want to shop for vacation items to arrive when you do.
Even if you don’t have WiFi, you can prepare in advance by downloading games and movies to enjoy anywhere at any time. Don’t’ forget your earphones, though, otherwise your fellow travelers may not be too impressed with you.
Work
It doesn’t sound like a whole lot of fun, but if you do have work to finish up before you can really enjoy your trip, why not use the journey to do it? That way, once you get there, you won’t have to worry about it anymore. This can be particularly useful for those who are self-employed because even on vacation they are probably going to have to do at least some work, and the more they can do on the journey the better.
If you’re on a business trip, then it makes even more sense to get your work done. You can prepare for the meetings ahead of you to ensure you arrive with all the information you need at your fingertips.
Listen To Music
Music can be the perfect way to get through a long, otherwise boring journey. Spend some time creating a playlist before you leave so that you know you have your favorite music to listen to whenever you want it. Then you can sit back and relax. You might choose songs you can sing along to or ones that remind you of a particular place and time. You could even download songs that are just right for the trip you’re making.
What’s really great about listening to music is that you can do it either on your own or with others. Plus, even if you are driving, this is something you can get involved in, whereas most of the other ways to entertain yourself on a long journey mean you would have to take your attention off the road for far too long and it would just be too dangerous.
Plan The Trip
The journey is your ideal time to get to grips with all the things you can do once you arrive. You can have done your research ahead of time so that you don’t have to go online, or you can use a phone or tablet to give you the information you need. Work out what you definitely have to see and what can be put off if you don’t have enough time. Plan an itinerary, so you know what you’re doing each day and how to get to each place. That way, you can just follow your plan without having to spend your time working it out when you arrive.
Make sure it’s fairly flexible though. You never know when you might spot something else that you want to do, and you’ll need to be able to re-arrange things in order to fit it in.
Read
There is hardly ever enough time to relax these days, and if your favorite way to relax is to quietly read a book, then you may wonder when you’ll ever get the chance to really spend time doing that. A long drive or flight is the answer. Make sure you find an excellent book or two (or download as many as you can to your e-reader so that you’ve got plenty of choice) and ready away for as long as you can.
Think About Your Life
When you’ve got a lot of time to think, it can be the perfect opportunity to put that thinking to good use and think about your life. You can start with why you’re traveling and the reason you choose that particular mode of transport, then work back from there. This is a great time for improvement and making changes, and it could be in any aspect such as your career, your relationship, even how you dress and how you treat people. Take the time to really look at yourself and work out what’s going right and what’s going wrong. Once you know what you want to change, you can start thinking of solutions. It won’t be easy, and you may not be able to finalize anything when you’re still traveling, or even when you’re on vacation, but when you return home to your ‘normal life,’ you will at least have a place to start.