Entertain Yourself During a Long Car Ride

Riding in a car with nothing to do for several days or hours doesn't sound like much fun, but there are many ways to make it more enjoyable.

Steps

  1. Find a comfortable sheet or blanket to cover you. Bring a pillow to put behind your head for extra comfort in case you fall asleep or just to make the ride more comfortable.
  2. Find a backpack for the ride. Fill it with stuff to entertain you with. Some good things to have are a couple of good books (that you haven't read), snacks, Put Documents, PDFs or Web Pages Onto Psps or iPods/MP3/other musical devices/, electronic games (Nintendo DS's, any other game thing you could play with), crossword puzzle books (your mom is bound to have some) and some magazines.
  3. If you have a CD player, iPod, or mp3 player bring it along and listen to some music!
  4. If you are riding with a brother or Face Your Little Sister, try playing some road trip games. Try license plates games and other games like 'I spy', counting cars and so on. You could also play drawing games or play games on your phone or tablet if you have one.
    • Try the alphabet game. Look for letters A - Z on signs, license plates, etc.
    • Try the "car" game. It is a fun game where you look out side and find a car, then say 3 clues about the car. The person who guesses when and what kind of car it is, wins!
  5. Snacks are another good thing to have. Try buying a Decorate a Nalgene that you can refill throughout the trip, and its good to bring some non-perishable food. Crackers, Fruit snacks, and a couple sandwiches are always good to have to stop cravings in between meals. Dont eat salty foods because salt makes you thirsty and if you drink lots of water you will need to use the bathroom more often. Try and only eat salty foods when you are at or near a service station.
  6. Bring a portable DVD player or a laptop and watch movies! Bring some old favorites or some new ones that you haven't seen before. You could borrow theses from a library (most libraries have movies that you can rent out) or rent a movie from the amazon App Store - you can rent nearly any movie you want for up to a month for quite a low price.
    • For road gaming: Use a laptop, iPod or iPad (or similar digital device). Bring extra pillows and blankets to bolster you and the digital device (pillows make great soft tables). Bring extra chargers and batteries as needed.
  7. Bring a pack of cards. So you can make and do magic tricks, play card games, etc.
  8. Read. If you don't get sick while you read, consider bringing a book or some magazines to read in the car. Try to hold the book up because looking down will make nearly any person ill. If you start to feel sick, stop reading, open the window and get some fresh air.

Tips

  • Remember to fully charge electronics like your iPod the night before the trip. If you are away for a couple of days, don't forget your charger.
  • Take an iPad or another electrical device where you can download apps if you have one. Download some good apps and fully charge your device the night before the trip.
  • Make sure to set it up the night before traveling to get the best seat. Check that you have enough leg room and that everything packed around you is secure. You don't want anything to fall on you once you start moving!
  • Make sure your batteries will last. Don't forget the charger and extra batteries.
  • Take a journal or notebook and write a story. This can make the time fly by and it can take you into a whole different world away from annoying siblings and boring car trips.
  • If you find yourself getting bored, try going to sleep or striking up a conversation with your travel companions. Let your mind drift and wander. When you have an interesting thought, write it down. Creative people don't fear boredom. Some of the best ideas come then.
  • Bring an e-reader, so you can read many books without the excess weight. Plus you won't need light, and can read at night.
  • Start saving up money a few weeks in advance. Buy yourself an iTunes gift card and treat yourself to some of you favorite music to listen to during the car ride.
  • Come up with a story with the help of your companions. This will help pass time and you can make it fun!
  • Bring a flashlight to read at night.
  • Play a story game! Say a random sentence and ask your parents or siblings to add on to that and write down what they say!
  • If you have siblings with you, try giving them each a brand or color of car/vehicle, such a VW bug or the color green. Something that you may not see that often on the road. Whoever spots the most of their color/vehicle wins a piece of candy at the next rest stop.
  • If you love your devices and you want to stay entertained with them on the ride, buy a portable charger to keep them charged.
  • If you love to watch youtube videos save some and watch them when you have nothing else to do.

Warnings

  • Try not to drink too much during road trips, especially when the exits are widely spaced.
  • If you aren't sharing a movie with your siblings or anyone else, bring earplugs or headphones so that they won't get annoyed with you. Also, if they are watching a different movie at the same time, it may be annoying hearing two or more soundtracks playing all at once.
  • Don't pester your parents with "are we there yet?" It will only make them frustrated, and it is much more pleasant to be in a car where everyone is getting along.
  • Don't play games for too long, you can get a headache and your device may run out of power.
  • If you read too long, you will probably get motion sickness so look up and take a break every now and then. If you start to feel nauseated, stop reading, look out the window at the horizon and take deep breaths. This may prevent car sickness before it really starts.

Things You'll Need

  • Books
  • Magazines
  • iPod/CD/mp3 player/phone/smartphone with ear or head phones
  • Good blanket
  • Pillow
  • People to talk to
  • Pack of cards
  • Healthy snacks
  • A refillable clean water bottle
  • Jumper or cardigan in case it gets cold
  • Films/DVDs/movies
  • Drawing stuff
  • Charger

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