15 Ways To Kill Time On A Road Trip
Time to make that trip halfway across the country to see Nana? What a drag! No, not your grandmother. Road trips can be a burden to those who get bored easily. Don’t fret, with the long road ahead of you, there are plenty of things to occupy your time. Here are 15 ways to kill time on a road trip.
1. Sing show tunes
Belt out some Broadway musical piecse and rouse traveling buddies into good spirits. It doesn’t matter if you’re tone deaf. You’re bored and you need to pass time. Pop in that “Hair” CD and sing along to “Aquarius” like nobody’s business.
2. Balance your checkbook
Do your taxes, sort your emails, balance your checkbook, clean out your purse, bring along that pile of paperwork you’ve been meaning to go through, and go through it. Why not be productive and get another errand out of the way?
3. Be the license-plate champion of all time
Bring paper and pen and catch as many license plates from different states as you can. Kids love this one. Whoever spots the license plate first calls it and jots it down to earn points. By the end of the trip, whoever scores the most states is the license-plate champion of all time!
4. Create a scavenger hunt list
Truck driver with a mullet…check!
5. Look for drivers who resemble celebrities
That totally was Burt Reynods driving that Miata…right?
6. Punch buggy!
OK, this game can get old quickly. Every time you see a Volkswagon buggy, you have to yell out “punch buggy!” before thwacking your fellow passenger in the arm. By the time the road trip is over, you and your purplish friend will most likely not be on speaking terms.
7. Watch a movie
Don’t have a fancy car with it’s own DVD installation? No worries, bring your tablet, Android phone or a laptop and watch a movie. Of course, this doesn’t apply to the driver.
8. Knit
Why not use that lost time to finally knit a sweater for your cat? Just make sure to keep the needles away from the direction of your eyes. You never know when your car could accidentally hit one of those nasty potholes.
9. Take a nap
Catch up on that beauty sleep you’ve been longing for. Before you know it, you’ll wake up at your destination (or at least much closer to it).
10. Do some crossword or jumble puzzles or Sudoku
Now’s your chance to defeat the complex New York Times puzzle. You’ll have plenty of time to do so. What’s a seven-letter word that starts with a V and spells success?
11. Read a book
Not while you’re driving! If you’re one of those lucky people who does not get a migraine from reading in a moving vehicle, use up that rare talent!
12. Be a photographer
Unless you’re in New Jersey, use this opportunity to get creative. Roll down your window and snap as many landscape pictures as you can. A picture is worth a thousand words when it comes to bragging about your trip.
13. Call someone you haven’t talked to in awhile
For heaven’s sake, call your mother. She’s lonely and thinks you’ve forgotten her. Did you remember her last birthday.
14. Make several pit stops
Skunk Ape museum? The world’s largest peanut monument? A watermelon farm? Whatever’s on your way, make a pit stop, stretch your legs, and take a mental break as you learn the difference between the rokkaku and the dopero model at the kite museum.
15. Listen to complete sets of audio books
Plop in the unabridged version of the book you’ve been wanting to read and let James Earl Jones or other celebrity narrators accompany you throughout your journey. You’ll feel accomplished for finishing up that book by the end of your trip.