8 Ways to Make Your Next Long Car Ride More Fun
If you've ever been on a really long drive, you probably got bored out of your mind. Here's how you can avoid being miserable on your next road trip! By Charley Reid
Riding in a car for hours can be miserable, especially if you're driving through the middle of nowhere and even more so if you're not excited about your destination.
Just because you might not be able to do all the things you really wish you could be doing while on a long road trip, doesn't mean you have to totally be miserable. There are a ton of other things you can enjoy while the car maneuvers through traffic or zips through a bare freeway.
How to make long car rides more fun
If you're stumped for ideas on what to do while your ride isn't even halfway close to your destination, here are some tips.
#1 Pack your favorite food. When traveling, food options are very limited, and honestly, how many fast-food joints can you really enjoy eating at? The next time you are about to go on a lengthy car ride, plan ahead by packing food you actually want to eat, and will want to eat.
Yes, maybe this takes a little longer than stopping off at a roadside diner or a drive-thru, but just think about how much time you'd be wasting by stopping by every time you get hungry? Besides, if you're a healthy eater or you're on a diet, where can you possibly go to find a suitable meal in the middle of nowhere?
#2 Listen to an audiobook. Most of the time people read a book when traveling on an airplane or riding in a car for a long time. But most people also find themselves getting carsick trying to read the fine print of a book after a while, and it hurts their heads, too.
To avoid being miserable, try listening to books on tape instead! Not only does it take the stress off your eyes, but it's also a really fun way for both you and your car companions to do something together, without having to talk for hours and hours about a bunch of nothing. Listening to an audiobook is a great way for you and your road warriors to go on an adventure together, figuratively and literally speaking.
#3 Make a playlist of all your favorite songs. If you've been stuck in the car for a long time, you've probably felt like you hear the same songs on the radio, over and over again. Or maybe you're tired of skipping every other song on your outdated iPod library, because the music you downloaded when you were 18 is clearly not the same music you like today.
The next time you head out on the road, plan ahead and create a couple of different playlists, or make a few mix CD's of all your favorite songs. You know, the ones you don't skip on your iPod or on the radio every time they come on. To make it even more fun, ask your road companions to all create a mix CD or iPod playlist to bring on the trip, and take turns listening to each other's playlists. This can be a lot of fun, and a great way to laugh with your friends, especially if one of them made an all-out Britney Spears mix! Don't even think you won't try to do the hand movements from “Hit Me Baby One More Time,” because you definitely will!
#4 Take turns. One great way to make a long road trip seem much shorter is to take turns driving. If you set a timeframe for how many hours each you will drive before the next person drives, then it makes it easier on the brain when staring at the pavement from behind the wheel.
Think about how when you're working out and you set a goal for yourself to do 2 miles on the treadmill. It usually goes by much quicker and once you hit the 2 mile marker, you know you accomplished your goal, and that's a great feeling. So just like setting a goal for working out, set a goal for how much time you each will drive during the trip. It honestly will make your trip go by so much faster, and you won't even feel like you've been stuck in a car!
#5 Work if nothing else works. Depending on what you do for a living, this one might work better for some more so than others. If you do a lot of editing papers, writing, emailing, texting and social media stuff, then working in the car is a great time to get things done, particularly if you're not the carsick type.
You can also take this time to get you stuff organized, and I'm not talking about real, physical stuff. If you've got your work laptop or your phone with you, you can start weeding out all your unnecessary files, contacts and messages. When else will you ever get this done, unless you're stuck in a car for hours?
#6 Get crafty. I know cutting and gluing and doing arts and crafts can be nearly impossible to do while riding in the car, but there are some crafty things that are very possible to do while sitting there. If you've always thought about learning how to crochet or knit a scarf or hat, what could be a better time to learn than when you're just sitting in a car for hours and hours?
All you need to knit are essentially 2 knitting needles and the yarn of your choice. And if you haven't actually learned how to knit yet, then be sure you pack your beginners knitter book or download it onto your phone! You'll have a super cute scarf or hat ready to wear as soon as you arrive to your destination. If knitting is too hard for you, pack some coloring books and crayons, and bring out the inner creative child that you are, and you'll probably find yourself enjoying coloring Ariel's red hair a lot more than you anticipated!
#7 Keep a journal. While sitting in the car, you'll see a lot of different sites and people and all sorts of things. People watching can be a lot of fun, and think about all the different license plates you might come across. I mean, I once saw a woman driving a corvette with a license plate that said “I won,” which I still always remember to this day, because let's be honest, that's hilarious divorce humor! But even though I remember that license plate, I also have forgotten so many things I've seen along the way.
Don't be like me and let your memories fade away. Instead, write them down in that moment, and when you want to remember them, you'll be able to whip your car ride journals and reminisce. And if physically writing your memoirs on paper isn't for you, you can always start a blog about your travels.
#8 Figure out places you would like to see along the way. When mapping out the directions for your car ride, there is a high probability that there is going to be more than one way to get there. Just think about the Maps App on your phone, and how it shows at least two options, usually being the fastest way, and an alternate way that avoids tolls and highways all together.
Wouldn't it be cool if you also knew all the historic landmarks, or fun facts about each place you pass through? Maybe your GPS doesn't tell you these, but that's a great reason why you should do a little research before your trip, to see if there are some things along the way that you would be interested in stopping to see.
For example, what if you are really into ghosts, and you happen to be going through one of the most historic ghost towns there is? Wouldn't you want to stop to check it out? Turning your car ride into a mini-adventure that doesn't require you to go off the beaten path is a really fun and easy way to make your road trip a lot more enjoyable. It's fun having something to look forward to, besides just going from point A to B.
If every car ride you've been on has been miserable because you've had to sing songs like “This Is the Song that Never Ends” just to pass the time, try these 8 tips and be miserable no longer. It's time for you to start enjoying the ride. After all, life is a highway!
