Road trips are one of the most enjoyable forms of travel you can embark on, but the long journeys can quickly become monotonous if you are a passenger. After hundreds or even thousands of miles of freeway driving, everything starts to blur into a boring slog, and the initial excitement of being on the road wears off.
For the driver, this is okay. There is always the satisfaction of covering a long distance, a natural focus offered by controlling a vehicle, and the knowledge that you are solely in charge of keeping your passengers safe.
Without this responsibility, the enthusiasm of passengers can quickly wane.
If you want to counteract this, you could try a few different solutions. For instance, playing games on your phone can pass the time, as can listening to music, developing newfound knowledge with educational podcasts, engaging in fun games with your fellow passengers, and even watching movies if the car is equipped to allow this.
Here are five ways to help pass the time as a passenger on a long road trip:
You can try mobile poker
One way to pass the time as a road trip passenger is to play games on your phone. There are countless different types to choose from, but if you are trying to keep your brain engaged and want a unique experience, then you could try Legal Mobile poker. While this should be approached as a fun distraction rather than anything serious, it could create an added dimension to your trip.
Listen to music or podcasts
Another great way to pass the time on long car journeys is to listen to your favorite music. While not exactly radical, it will help you switch off and become lost in your own world – ideal if you have hours of freeway travel ahead of you.
Alternatively, you could use the time to discover new artists and genres or even listen to educational podcasts – which are sure to broaden your mind.
Create makeshift party games
The highlight of any road trip (apart from seeing new sights), is the fun conversations you have with your fellow occupants on the journey.
However, once you have caught up on each other’s lives, it can become easy to run out of conversation. To avoid this, you could devise fun car-based games for you all to try. These could include knowledge-testing quizzes or perception games like ‘I, Spy’. Whatever game you come up with, it will help you all become closer during the course of your trip.
Find out more about your fellow passengers
On the subject of becoming closer to your passengers, you could distract each other by sharing stories you have not told them yet, revealing more about yourself than they might already know.
In return, you could ask them thoughtful questions about themselves and parts of their lives you are interested in (if they are willing to talk about it, of course). This will deepen your bond and ensure the trip cements your friendship rather than undermines it.
Watch movies
Finally, you could pass the time by watching movies. Although this is hardly original, road trips offer the perfect time to catch up on films you have missed or indulge in your favorites.
There is no need to guilt-trip yourself about wasting time – because there is precious little else to do.
