A quick day long road trip can often be something to dread. Uncomfortable seats, poor radio connection and unchanging scenery for miles and miles turns into a long and dreary experience unless you have the right attitude. But there are several way to help pass the time when traveling from one adventure to the next.
Ever since I was little my family has gone on long road trips. To pass the time I always try to find ways to do something that doesn’t feel like I am wasting my time. These are the top 5 things I like to do in the car.
5.) Stop. This is something that you can only really do if you aren’t driving on a tight schedule. Normally when I am in the car for extended periods of time it is because I need to get somewhere on a specific timeframe. But on the rare occasions I am in the car and have some time to spare I think it is really important to stop and explore whenever something catches your eye. Whether it be stopping at outlet malls to look for deals to stopping in small towns to see local museums; the world is full of places and experiences that you can make a little adventure out of.
4.) Snack. This one might seem a little bit silly, but everyone needs to eat. This is especially important if you are going to be in the car driving for a long period of time with minimal amounts of stopping time. With that being the case, pack a lot of snacks in a good variety in case you aren’t feeling a certain thing because no one wants to be hangry in the car for long. If you aren’t able to pack at least a few snacks/drinks be sure to stop for something to eat. At the very least your legs will thank you for the stretch.
3.) Listen to music or audiobooks to pass the time. So often I get some of my best ideas when taking the time to relax, listen to some good music and let the music guide my ideas. I am particularly fond of listening to songs from music scores to inspire my writing and other creative ideas. When I’m with a car full of people, we like to make playlists that keep everyone pumped up and excited for the ride. Nothing keeps up driving morale than a car full of happy people singing karaoke and upper-body dancing.
2.) Sleep. Maybe it’s just me, but I often use a long road trip as a chance to catch up on some rest when I’m not behind the wheel. When I was little my parents sort of trained my brother and I to sleep in the car when we drove the 18+ hours down to Florida every year. So, weird positions and frequent numbness in my arms and legs is something that I have gotten pretty used to when traveling.
1.) Look out the window!! There are so many sights to see, interesting trees, abandoned buildings and cool signs. Even if you have driven down a road hundreds of times I can guarantee there will be something new to look at the next time if you really look.
When traveling five hours through the Arizona desert last month from Phoenix to Las Vegas, NV I was blown away by the sights. I don’t often get the chance to go out to the west coast, so desert scenery is something of a wonder to me. I’ve added a small gallery of some of the plants and bolders alongside the road. The cactuses really were amazing sights to see, most were at least double my height. And the rocks were so cool the way nature formed them on top of one another in unique ways.
As usual, I wanted to take a photo to turn it into a poster encouraging people to go out into the world and see things. This one, like the one I made from my photo of the Grand Canyon, says “Wander.”