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Whether your trip is on a plane, train, bus, or boat, they inherently take up A LOT of your time. So here are our top 10 things to do to during your long trip!
1 | Read
If you’re anything like me, nothing quite compares to reading a good book! Getting lost in the story and characters is such a good way to pass the time. I have a decent sized library at home so have quite a selection to choose from when its travel time! My favourite genres are mystery and romance.
In the past I have packed multiple books into my bag, which while is possible is slightly impractical. They take up a lot of space and can increase your bag’s weight! Isaiah bought me an iPad mini last year, one of the reasons he got it for me was so that I could read books on it! Whether it is your iPad, tablet, or Kindle, having multiple books on one device is a massive save on space and a very effective way to have multiple uses out of one item.
2 | Journal
I love journals! Next time you’re travelling I recommend taking a journal! It is a great way to record all you’ve been up to and process things you have seen. Better still, you can go back to journals from previous trips and read through your previous adventures.
I am so excited to start entries in my journal for our trip to Europe, its ready and waiting and I am sure it will be filled by the time we return!
3 | Watch TV shows or movies
You probably already know this, watching television shows and movies is a common activity to zone out during a flight or commute. I had to include it here!
Besides the on-board entertainment on flights, you could also have movies or TV shows ready on your tablet or mobile device. I regularly download movies and TV shows just in case I’m not interested in the mid-air options.
4 | People Watch
This can be such fun to do with your partner or traveling companions! Also can be slightly creepy so keep it casual. We all come from different backgrounds, wear different clothes, travel with different people, talk different languages and it’s interesting to see how people act.
5 | Mind puzzles
This one is one of Isaiah’s favourite pass times – the Rubik’s cube and all the other types of mind puzzles. These are great for young and old. Great to get your brain working in those mundane hours of traveling. My personal favourite mind puzzle is Sudoku, which you can find in a book or app.
6 | Sleep
Can I get an AMEN?! Haha! But who knows in order to get some great z’s you need a couple things…
- A neck pillow. There are so many kinds, styles and colours! You’ll need to do your research for the particular type you’re looking for. There are a couple of features I’d recommend you look for – the first is that it’s deflatable. This makes it easy to store when you’re not having a doze. The second is that it should be orthopaedic – this makes sure they offer better support. You can also get ones with extras like this one with a hood!
- Warmth. I’m talking thick socks, beanie, a blanket or scarf, or even a towel! There’s nothing worse than trying to sleep in the freezing aircon!
- Sensory blocking. I.e. darkness and silence. I know this can be hard to achieve in close quarters. I recommend noise cancelling headphones like these… you can play some soothing music or just have them on without sound playing. A cheaper option, that can also be effective are some foam earplugs (you know, the orange kind you can find at your local hardware store?). I also recommend eye masks. You can get total blackout ones for those of you who waken at the slightest light. The ones that I use are amazing lavender scented heating ones like these!
7 | Card games
A pack of cards has so many different potential games – great entertainment contained in one pack! Our favourites are Speed, and Warlords and Scumbags. There are also plenty of card games you can buy in airports or on your travels like Phase 10, Skip-Bo and 5 Crowns.
8 | Talk to your traveling companions
WOAH! I know, right?! Haha but honestly if you’re stuck sitting next to someone for hours it’s the best time to have great conversations! If you’re not sure how to get the conversation going we recommend the question game (something we started when we were dating and still do sometimes when we’re out and about!). All you do it start asking this or that questions that both of you have to answer. These can be as light-hearted or as intimate as you want! You might be surprised at what you learn.
9 | Talk to strangers
This is something I’m not so great at (hello all the introverts!) but luckily for me Isaiah is great at talking to people he doesn’t know! It’s honestly something I’m working on as I know the best way to increase what I know about the world we live in is by talking to all the kinds of people who live in it! We’re looking forward to doing this throughout Europe too!
10 | Be creative
This is for anyone! And doesn’t require a full set of colour pencils or paint and brushes. My favourite is simple pencil drawings with black pen layered on top for detail. And you can do whatever you’d like with this! Life drawings with whatever is in front of you, cartoons, something from a photo that you’ve taken…. the options are endless. I love book cases like these that can hold all your pencils, erasers and other art tools in the one place!
There are so many ways to be creative these days. Including using technology. Procreate is one of my most used apps on my iPad, it’s so versatile (I’m not sponsored by Procreate, I just genuinely love it!).
Hope you found this useful! Let us know what you love to do on long haul trips!
