How to Not Get Bored on a Long Car Ride

Last Updated: January 3, 2022

Long car rides can get pretty boring, especially since you're stuck in one spot for hours on end. But with a little creativity, you can make a long tedious car ride into an entertaining adventure.

Method 1

Method 1 of 3:

Preparing for the Ride

1
Invite your family or friends along for the ride. Having company can make a long car ride into a memorable bonding experience. You can talk to your friends, play games with them, sing songs and even have deep and heart-felt conversations with them on the road.
- If you're driving, you can divide the drive into shifts and delegate shifts to friends or family members who can drive. Driving for shorter time periods can prevent accidents from happening if you get tired and it can make the whole journey go faster and smoother. Driving alone might mean you will have to stop frequently to rest.
- Choose your companions wisely. A long drive can be fun with the right kind of people, while it can be torturous with the wrong kind. Choose reliable friends who will be willing to help you out during a long drive.
- Check with your other companions, especially if you're travelling with family or parents, if inviting others to the trip is okay. It's very important every gets along for the whole ride.
2
Load up on music. Bring CDs, upload music onto your music device, and create a playlist of songs. Choose:
- Songs you can sing along to. Belting out notes can make listening to music into a performance. Movie soundtracks or Broadway musical songs are great song choices that you can be fun to sing along with.
- Songs with an upbeat tune. If you're driving, you'll probably be tired and you don't want to lose control of the wheel. Choose upbeat songs to keep you awake and feeling fresh.
- A lot of songs. If the ride is long, running out of songs and having to replay them can make music become boring. You can calculate how long the ride will be and try to bring enough songs to last the ride.
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3
Download songs, podcasts, videos and others. You can find many interesting books or podcasts to listen to while on the road. This is helpful if you'd like to read in the car but you're the one driving or you easily get carsick doing so.
- There are a variety of genres of podcasts to listen to. Some podcasts are comedic, some are creative, and some are educational. They can last anywhere from 5 minutes to 2 hours long.
- Audiobooks give a dramatic feel to conventional book-reading. Some books have different narrators and styles of narration. Sample each narrator to find one that you like the best.
- If you want your kids to keep entertained by watching videos offline on YouTube, download the videos they want before the trip. Don't wait for the last minute!
4
Bring along educational materials. A long car ride is a perfect environment to learn a new skill, language, or subject. Bring along audio lessons, textbook materials, and supplies to take notes.
- If you're travelling in a bus or in a car with internet connection, you can even do research online with a laptop or on your smartphone.
- If you have homework or paperwork to complete, a car ride provides you with ample time to finish these tasks.
5
Pack some comfortable clothes, a blanket, and a pillow in the car. One of the easiest ways to pass time is to sleep. Wear comfortable clothes or change into your pyjamas to create a comfy environment to lull yourself to sleep.
- Bring a neck pillow to help support your head. It can get uncomfortable sleeping while sitting up in a car. A neck pillow can prevent you from getting neck cramps and protect your head from hitting the window while driving on a bumpy road.
- Listen to relaxing music if you're having trouble sleeping.
6
Bring electronics to keep you busy. iPads, tablets, portable DVD players, laptops, and portable game consoles can be very entertaining, especially if you load them up with games and movies.
- Remember to bring each device's chargers. Purchase or bring a car charger to charge your devices while in the car.
7
Find an interesting book to read. A good, long book should occupy you for a while. Just look up every now and then to stop yourself from feeling sick.
- Bring multiple books in case you finish one or you feel like reading another book.
- Bring books about your destination. By the time you arrive, you'll be an expert and can point out the best places to eat, shop, and find entertainment.

Method 2

Method 2 of 3:

During the Ride

1
Try daydreaming. Look out the window and use this time to make up an amazing adventure, or riveting love story in your head.
- You can also daydream about your future or think about your life and any goals you might have. Use this time to plan and think about what you will do to achieve these goals.
- Use music to amplify your daydreaming.
2
Dance to music. Make up dances in the car that can be performed whilst sitting down and wearing a seatbelt.
- If you're driving, your first priority is to concentrate on driving. However, doing a few dance moves while waiting at the intersection or shimmying your shoulders is okay as long as you pay attention to the road.
3
Look for unusual things on the road. Announce the things you see to your companions in the car or record them in a book.
- You can use this activity to pinpoint landmarks and then try to remember them on your way back.
4
Take pictures and videos of your ride. You can take pictures of the scenery or pictures of yourself and your companions. Record your trip and talk to the camera about how the trip is going so far.
- Collect these photos as memorabilia from your trip. You can even put them into a scrapbook or start scrapbooking in the car.
- Orchestrate stories and act them out as photos.
- Download applications on your smartphone camera that can enhance or change your photos. Some applications allow you to draw on your photos or add interesting borders and effects.

Method 3

Method 3 of 3:

Playing Games on the Road

1
Have a debate with your car companions. An interesting way to spark a riveting conversation is to debate. Simply choose a topic and have one person argue for it and another to argue against it.
- Remind yourself and your companions that the debate is just a game. A fun debate can quickly turn into a heated argument that might create discomfort between everyone in the car.
- Choose funny and light-hearted topics. Avoid heavy or complex topics to keep everyone in good spirits. Instead of arguing about morals or religious beliefs, debate about whether strawberries are the best kind of berry or whether squirrels are cute or just plain annoying.
2
Play word games. There are many word games that can be competitively fun and entertaining, in situations where you're driving alone or with others:
- Have a spelling bee.
- Name all the countries of the world.
- Name all the states or provinces or a country.
- Think of words that rhyme with each other as fast as you can. Whoever stops the pace, loses.
- Say one word at a time. Have each person say one word to create a sentence or story. You might come up with some hilarious examples.
3
Enact a dramatic performance or play. Read aloud a book or play and have everyone in the car act out a role or multiple roles.
- The driver should not participate in this game.
4
Get to know one another. If you're driving with others, get to know one another. Ask each other questions or play a variety of games:
- Play two truths and a lie. Have one person tell two truths and a lie. The others must guess which statements are truths and which one is a lie.
- Play Never Have I Ever. Each person will keep track of their own points, or hold up 10 fingers, or even be prepared to drink or eat something every time someone says something they have never done, but has actually done the activity. For example, Sally will say, "Never have I ever danced on stage." If Bob has danced on stage before, he will lose a point or have to eat or drink something to show that he has indeed done that activity.
- Play truth or dare. However, be careful when designing the dares, ensuring that they can be safely done inside or outside the car.
5
Count things. See how many things you can see during your car ride. You can try counting:
- Certain colours of cars.
- People walking on the road.
- Birds.
- Animals.
- Certain chain stores or buildings.
- License plates of cars from your area or your destination.

Community Q&A

Question

What are some good ideas for small children?

Community Answer

Bring some coloring books and some of their favorite toys. If you have a portable DVD player, bring it and play movies.
Question

What should I do if the road trip has already started?

Tiffani Kelley

Community Answer

You can start by seeing what you have with you. If you have a pencil or pen and some paper, you could draw or play some games like tic tac toe or hangman. If you don't have any of that, you could play something like I spy or the license plate game.
Question

How do I keep myself awake on a long car ride?

Community Answer

Interactive games with other people in the car is probably most effective. You could also read a book (if that doesn't make you sleepy) or play on an iPad.

Warnings

Eating, reading and playing video games are not good ideas for people with travel sickness. If you have it you should stick to talking, sleeping, thinking, listening to the radio and dancing or playing games.

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