Anyone who has spent a day Traveling knows that you can get bored quite easily. Most people probably have their own tricks to avoid boredom and these are mine.

Reading

I’ve been an avid reader since childhood so what would be a better way to spend my time than reading. I’m a bit old fashioned so I do carry actual books with me but also have some e-books on my phone/iPad. I’m also a bit of a magazine junkie so in addition to a Book or two I bring a couple of magazines. To me magazines are great when you want to read something quick and books are good to get immersed in. Time flies when I’m reading.

Movies and shows

In addition to books, I’m a movie freak and TV junkie so they’re a great way to Pass time when stuck traveling. Long-haul flights tend to offer in-flight entertainment and often I can catch some relatively new movies I’ve hadn’t had a chance to see yet. I also have shows and movies uploaded from Netflix on my iPad so I can watch them offline.

Sleeping

What better way to pass the time than sleeping. I usually don’t have trouble sleeping on a plane and I tend to fall asleep in the car even if I don’t want to (not when I’m driving though). Even though I can sleep on planes I tend only to sleep in short increments but when I wake up, I just wait with my eyes closed until I fall asleep again.

Exploring my destination

A good way to pass the time when traveling is to explore the destination either using guidebooks or online if you have a connection. To me, exploring where I’m going and making plans of what to see and do is great fun, and what would be a better time to do so than just before you will get there.

Podcasts and music

Listening to music and especially podcasts can help the time go by faster. This is also something you can easily do while traveling by car, even when you’re driving. A third option is audiobooks, but I’ve never really gotten into them. I could consider putting on an audiobook in the car if I and hubby would agree on the book. I’m obsessed with various true-crime podcast series and can listen to several episodes back to back so that’s a great way to kill a few hours (no pun intended).

Discussions

If you are not traveling alone a great way to pass the time is to have interesting conversations with your travel companion. If you travel alone and are brave enough you can try to strike up a conversation with the person sitting next to you. I’m lucky enough that even after 23 years of marriage I and hubby still have loads to talk about and easily get immersed in discussions. A good idea is to discuss plans for the trip.

Games

Any types of games are a good way to pass the time. You can play on your electronic devices or bring physical games to play (cards are handy as they don’t take up much space and you can play various games with them). If you are traveling by car and have company some of the traditional road trip games like “I spy”, collecting license plates, categories, and so forth can be a fun way to pass the time.

Food & drinks

I love eating and drinking so what would be a better way to pass time than this. Airplane food is not really a great culinary experience but a good way to make half an hour or so go by. I don’t want to promote drinking but having a few drinks on a long-haul flight can help you sleep. During road trips you need to plan regular stops to have something to eat. Naturally, you should also pack some snacks if you are taking a longer trip to keep you from getting hangry.

Clean up photo folders/e-mail

If you haven’t gone through your photos or emails for a while you can easily pass an hour or two by cleaning out your photo and email folders. You can also spend some time editing your photos. If you have unanswered email that should be tended to you can write responses and have them ready to send once you get online.

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