Travelling can be incredibly boring. Once you reach your destination, you’ll have plenty to do, but for the duration of your trip – whether it be by sea, air, or land – you’re going to struggle to find entertainment. Passing the time while you travel can be difficult, especially if you’re seriously looking forward to a well-earned break, but there’s plenty you can do to alleviate the tedium. Here are 10 of our favourite ways to pass the time while travelling.
1. Gaming
Gaming has come on in leaps and bounds in recent years. Once thought to be the premise of “nerds”, it’s now enjoyed by everyone; whether it’s mobile games like Candy Crush Saga and Clash Royale or fully-fledged triple-A experiences like Call of Duty, a huge portion of the population is into gaming. It makes for a great hobby to indulge on a plane or a boat thanks to the portable nature of smartphones and devices like the Nintendo Switch. You could even fire up an online casino platform like Novibet and play some roulette!
2. Reading
Depending on the mode of transportation you’ve opted for, you may find reading a little difficult. Travel sickness is real, and focusing on something that requires attention, like a book, can seriously exacerbate the symptoms. However, you’d be amazed at just how quickly you get absorbed in a good book. If you’re not into fiction, you can try reading biographies or non-fiction books as well. Reading improves your mental health and other skills, so pick up a book today!
3. Music
Music is a great stress-reliever, making it ideal as an accompaniment to travel. Going away for a holiday can be one of the most stressful experiences you’ll go through (paradoxically), so taking your favourite music with you via streaming services like Spotify (or even hard-downloaded onto your device, old-school style) can be a great boon. Even though relaxing music is probably better, if metal or hardcore hip-hop relax you, then great – listen to what you enjoy.
4. Movies
Many modes of transportation have in-house entertainment. This is especially true of long-haul flights, for instance, where you’ll often spend upwards of fifteen to twenty hours sitting on a plane. While the in-flight entertainment selection isn’t always amazing, a two-hour movie can fly by surprisingly quickly. You’ll often find a choice of the latest releases on planes, so you won’t always have to settle for classics or outdated movies either.
5. TV shows
There’s some debate right now regarding whether we should even call TV shows “TV shows” anymore. After all, the vast majority of people don’t consume these shows via conventional TV methods; they may watch them on a big screen, but it’ll usually be via a streaming service, and that’s if they’re not using their laptops or smartphones. Either way, a lengthy, involving series like The Queen’s Gambit or Midnight Mass could be the perfect way to while away a lengthy travel session.
6. Sleep
Alright, so this isn’t so much a way to entertain yourself as it is to drift off to sweet oblivion for a few hours, but still, sleeping while you travel can have some serious health benefits. This is especially true if you’re going to be landing during the day; sleeping while you travel could help to combat jet lag, as you’ll keep a fairly regular sleep cycle. If you’re planning to land during the night, though, you should try your hardest to keep yourself awake and sleep when you land.
7. Conversation
If you can hold a conversation without seriously disturbing other passengers, then it’s a good idea to do so. You can keep yourself entertained simply by chatting with your travelling companion, or perhaps with a particularly accommodating passenger who’s also looking for a chat. Talking can help to keep your mind sharp and stop you from drifting off if you’re trying to stay awake. If there isn’t anyone around to talk to, then you could consider an alternative form of audio entertainment, such as…
8. Podcasts
Everyone’s new favourite radio replacement, podcasts are an excellent way to keep yourself entertained on a plane or a long car trip. They’re effectively a combination of chatty radio shows, serialised content like TV shows, and sometimes, music or drama, depending on what you’re listening to. Before you board your mode of transportation, download lots of back episodes of a new podcast you’ve been meaning to get into. You’ll be amazed at how quickly time flies when you listen.
9. Creativity
Are you an artistically-minded soul? If so, why not use this time for some much-needed one-to-one with whatever you’re currently working on? If you’re a novelist, an artist, or a musician, you could use your travel time to make some beats, add a new chapter to your novel, or draw something new on your tablet. Even if you don’t think you have a creative bone in your body, why not try anyway? You never know when you’ll discover a brand new skill!
10. Window-watching
Sometimes, if you’re on a plane, you can’t see much out of your window besides endless clouds. On other occasions, though, you’ll see truly breathtaking sights below you, especially as you take off or as you’re coming in to land. Try and get a glimpse of the world beneath the plane from time to time; it really puts the planet into perspective. If you can, snap a few shots of your view, both so you can remember it and so you can show people back home.
