Now that global travel is opening up again, there’s a lot of people looking to catch up the experiences they’ve missed over the past couple of years. Travelling is an immensely popular hobby enjoyed by everyone of all ages. But whether the journey only takes you to your destination or becomes part of the holiday, there’s often no avoiding spending time on the road.
However, there’s no need for the journey itself to be tiresome. You might be driving through or flying over beautiful scenery, but that isn’t always enough to entertain even the most interested of travellers. When you’ve got a long journey coming up, make sure you plan entertainment to keep boredom at bay along the way.
Keeping yourself entertained
- Read a Book: If you’re not the driver, getting lost in a good book is a great way of staying entertained for hours. Choose something to pick up and put down if you want to be able to admire the views on route or go for an engrossing page turner to get through a long flight. Now that we have electronic devices capable of storing hundreds of novels, there’s no need to sacrifice storage space or compromise on volume, you can always have enough books on hand for any situation.
- Use Your Ears: Finally, there is a solution for those who get travel sick while reading – audiobooks! They make a great soundtrack to any journey, and you have the added bonus of being able to share them with all the passengers. You can also listen to podcasts or take it in turn to choose the road trip music. With so many different soundtrack options nowadays there’s always something to keep everyone entertained. Why not download podcasts which will educate you about where you’re going and give you ideas of things to do when you get there?
- Learn the Language: Part of the fun of going somewhere new is to immerse yourself in the local culture, but you won’t get very far off the beaten track unless you have a little knowledge of the local language. You can use audiotapes or an app like Duolingo to pick up some useful phrases that will help you find your way or get you out of sticky situations.
- Play Games on Your Phone: Now that most people have a smartphone it’s so easy to always have a few good games with you that will help to pass the time. Try and download a mixture of those that work offline and those that need a connection, as some of the more remote places won’t always have good mobile signal. You could even look for some themed games to enhance your experience of where you are staying, for example, if travelling through Monaco or the US you might want to try out an online casino.
- Read a Book: If you’re not the driver, getting lost in a good book is a great way of staying entertained for hours. Choose something to pick up and put down if you want to be able to admire the views on route or go for an engrossing page turner to get through a long flight. Now that we have electronic devices capable of storing hundreds of novels, there’s no need to sacrifice storage space or compromise on volume, you can always have enough books on hand for any situation.
- Use Your Ears: Finally, there is a solution for those who get travel sick while reading – audiobooks! They make a great soundtrack to any journey, and you have the added bonus of being able to share them with all the passengers. You can also listen to podcasts or take it in turn to choose the road trip music. With so many different soundtrack options nowadays there’s always something to keep everyone entertained. Why not download podcasts which will educate you about where you’re going and give you ideas of things to do when you get there?
- Learn the Language: Part of the fun of going somewhere new is to immerse yourself in the local culture, but you won’t get very far off the beaten track unless you have a little knowledge of the local language. You can use audiotapes or an app like Duolingo to pick up some useful phrases that will help you find your way or get you out of sticky situations.
- Play Games on Your Phone: Now that most people have a smartphone it’s so easy to always have a few good games with you that will help to pass the time. Try and download a mixture of those that work offline and those that need a connection, as some of the more remote places won’t always have good mobile signal. You could even look for some themed games to enhance your experience of where you are staying, for example, if travelling through Monaco or the US you might want to try out an online casino.
Keeping entertained together
- Group Games: There are dozens of games which have been designed to be played by groups of people without any need for equipment. Some have even been especially created to be played on journeys, like the License Plate game. From classics like I Spy, 20 Questions, and Would You Rather? to guessing games where you hum lyrics or badly describe movies, there are so many to choose from and you don’t all need to be quiz team superstars to play. Find some more suggestions and explanations of how to play here.
- Get to Know Each Other Better: You may have known your travelling companions all your life, or you might have only met on this trip, but however well you think you know people, there are always going to be a few surprises. Use time on the road to find out more about the rest of the people in the car and share some of your hopes and dreams with them too. Conversation topics include – who would be your dream dinner guests, what moment would you want to relive, where would you most love/hate to be in ten years.
- Planned Pit Stops: Sometimes long journeys are best when broken up – why get there sooner instead of having some fun along the way? Get every member of the group to choose a stopping point they want to visit. It could be a themed lunch spot, fantastic view, site of historical significance etc. Agree on a set time to visit each place so that every stop has the same importance. Why not get the proposer to act as a tour guide and show everyone why they chose this spot?
- Selfie Scavenger Hunt: Decide on a list of locations/objects to be photographed with before the trip, e.g. a farm animal, funny place name sign, body of water, and try to tick off the entire list over the journey. When someone spots the right object, you have to pull over and take a photo of the whole group with it. Not only will this provide laughs along the way, but you’ll have a ready-made photobook to share with everyone afterwards.
In summary
Long journeys don’t have to be boring, in fact they can start the holiday fun as soon as you leave the house. With games to play and things to listen to while travelling, as well as interesting breaks along the way, the hours will fly by and everyone will enjoy themselves.
