We all love traveling and visiting new places, but no one cherishes the idea of spending hours strapped to an airline or bus seat. Suppose your everyday office commute involves a painfully long journey by car or bus. In that case, you’re probably eager to find practical avenues for entertainment.
Think about all the activities and interests you struggle to make time for in your everyday life. This little brain exercise will turn the agony of a long-haul flight or commute into the excitement of having free time for yourself.
Read on to explore some fun ways to kill time during tediously long journeys.
1. Tune into Kindle
If you love reading, traveling is the best time to tune into your favorite reads while devouring snacks and enjoying the fleeting views from the window seat. You can turn the monotony of a long-haul flight or unbearably lengthy road journey into an exciting literary adventure.
A Kindle Paperwhite is actually a very practical and functional investment for frequent travelers who love reading. It comes with an average battery life of 6-10 days on a single charge. And if you read one hour a day, it can last around 6 to 8 weeks. You can stock up on all your favorite reads and enjoy them throughout the journey.
2. Play Online Games
Do you love the thrill of action-packed games like Counter-Strike or League of Legends? Or perhaps, you prefer mind-boggling jigsaw puzzles, word search games and trivia-style quizzes? Consider carrying a tablet or laptop to enjoy a much more immersive gaming experience than playing on your smartphone.
If your chosen airline or bus service offers WiFi, you can tune into the endless world of online gaming. Multiplayer role-playing games are more engaging as you can interact with other players. Sports lovers can catch up on their favorite games or explore online sports betting platforms to engage in intense high-rolling fun.
You can also carry a handheld gaming console, like the Nintendo Switch or Apple iPad Air to tune into your favorites.
3. Indulge in Art
Do you normally feel anxious and jittery at the airport, seated on a flight or traveling on a bus? Travel anxiety is common and associated with multiple causes and triggers. People feel anxious about missing their flights, getting hurt in a roadside accident, losing their luggage or visiting an unfamiliar destination. In most cases, this anxiety begins when you start your journey or find yourself in a stressful situation.
Indulging in art is a highly effective technique to dispel anxiety by inducing brain hormones that promote happiness and relaxation, such as dopamine, serotonin and endorphins. You can invest in adult coloring books and knitting kits or install a coloring app on your smartphone.
If you don’t experience travel anxiety, you can still busy yourself with an artsy project that promotes mental relaxation.
4. Binge Watch a TV Show
The advent of online platforms like Netflix, Hulu and Disney+ has given the global audience an abundance of TV shows, movies and documentaries to watch. Gone are the days when we waited anxiously for new seasons with a handful of TV shows worthy of our engagement.
Modern-day entertainment seekers are always struggling to make progress through their endless bucket lists. There’s never enough time to binge-watch all the shows we’ve been meaning to check out – except when you’re traveling.
We advise carrying an iPad or laptop in your carry-all so you can tune into a Hulu or Netflix original and binge-watch a title before arriving at your destination.
Final Thoughts
If you’re still hunting for ideas to kill time, we advise reflecting on your hobbies and interests. Do you like gardening? Consider tuning into a podcast or YouTube channel to gather ideas and tips for your winter garden. You can also spend time reading up about your destination’s history and culture and map out your itinerary if you haven’t planned already.
