With COVID-19 quarantine laws easing up a little at a time, you be itching to jump in the car and go for a road trip! Some of you may need to take long car rides due to work events, while others, are gearing up for vacations and like to make car rides an annual tradition to spend more time with the family.
At first, the ride might be exciting, especially if you are going someplace you have never been to before. You might happily take out your smartphone or camera and start photographing or videoing the landscapes and scenery along the way. You feel wide awake and pumped. Fidgeting around in your seat trying to capture every moment of the drive. At some point, you decide to make it your mission to control the stereo and to keep the good songs playing. You even help the driver with GPS or the map route layout to avoid getting lost. You find yourself dancing around in your seat as you belt out your favorite tunes.
We have all been there, but eventually, the excitement wears off and the drive becomes boring. Then suddenly you realize that you have many more hours left before reaching your destination and the drive feels like it is taking forever.
There are several ways on how to make long car rides less boring. Below you will find a mixture of ideas to use, whether you are a lone driver or a passenger needing to keep busy during the ride. (Note: Some ideas listed below should not be attempted by the driver due to safety reasons)
Let’s take a look.
- Prepare for the long ride. Bring items that will keep you busy, like a portable DVD player your iPad, where you can watch movies, play games, and/or search the web. Choose to wear comfortable clothing. If you are a passenger, bring a neck pillow for comfort.
- Invite family and friends. If you were planning on going alone, it is obviously much harder to find ways to make the long trip fun, since you need to be focused on the road, but consider bringing along a companion. This way, you can drive in shifts and create memories together.
- Load up on music. Download a list of songs onto your phone to play in your car via Bluetooth. Create a playlist that you can jam to because listening to your favorite music can help to keep you upbeat and feeling fresh.
- Download podcasts. After a while, you may get bored listening to songs or find that your voice just can’t handle any more singing and needs to take a break. Having the ability to choose to listen to podcasts can make driving interesting.
- Listen to audio lessons. There is no better time to learn a new language or to become informed about interesting topics than on a long trip. It certainly provides another option from listening to music or podcasts.
- Play fun car games to keep the conversation interesting. Since you will be sitting together for a long period of time, it is important to remember to keep the game's fun. Choose word games, have spelling bees, or invite others to join in a game of listing all the countries.
- Read a book aloud or listen to an audiobook from your car’s stereo. Keep your mind from going blank or becoming sleepy.
Take some time prior to the trip to prepare and organize on how to keep the drive fun for you and your passengers. Safe travels!
