Long journeys, delays, queues, and waiting. Four aspects of travel that can really suck and have negative impacts on the whole adventure. After years of experience travelling with my partner who has 0 patience, I’ve learned a few tricks to make this monotonous part of the trip, a fun aspect of the adventure.

1. Make a playlist
Listening to music can be really helpful in these situations when you need to pass the time. It can also be a really good method to ease anxiety is you are a nervous traveller or are uncomfortable in a situation. We are really that we like very similar music and making a playlist can be really fun. Ill always try and throw some random classic rock anthems in there too because although he likes the song, he has no idea who the artist behind it is. Its always a fun little game of ‘who sings this’, and usually he has no idea.

2. Downloading Films/TV Series
We always remember to take our Samsung Tablet with us as its really slim and light which is ideal for travelling. But the main thing we take it for is to download films or TV series onto it to make the journeys go faster. TV series tend to work better on longer journeys because you can binge a couple of episodes and then do other things. Also if you’re going to do a lot of travelling you can watch episodes on every different journey. This way the TV show becomes a part of the adventure.

3. Write or Draw
This one wont work for everyone of course, however I find being stuck in one space for a long time a really good chance for me to crack on with work. There’s no way for you to get distracted by other things which makes it an ideal situation. For me, it usually serves as the time to write my blog or do some work for uni. You could also grab one of those adult colouring books and colour in on your journeys, which is something i’m tempted to do!

4. Read a Book or Magazine
Books are ideal to read on long journeys because again there is nothing to distract you. However, books do have two drawbacks; size and weight. If you are travelling for a long period of time with limited space, taking a big chunky book might not be the best idea. Technology does have you back with this one as you could grab a kindle of some sort and buy lots of digital books. I know, a kindle isn’t a like for like replacement for proper books (And if my partner read this he might leave me as he loves books) but it could be a live saver on a long journey.
I do recommend taking a travel guide book with you if you’re only going to one destination (if you’re going to multiple then the cost will add up!). Lonely planet guides are my personal favourite and can be really handy to have in new places.

5. Play Games
I don’t mean whip out the monopoly board and fight to be the top hat. But small games as simple as a deck of cards, top trumps or even mini travel games can be a great way to pass the time. If you take cards, you can also play drinking games when you arrive! Also if you have a pen and paper, hangman is a classic to help pass the time!

6. Plan Ahead
Use this time to plan your next leg of the journey. Its very rare that I will have a strict schedule when travelling because I like the freedom of just ending up discovering places. Apart from the main attractions where I would of course want to visit. However, travel time can be useful to think ahead about what bus you need to catch or where you want to eat later on.

7. Take a Nap
Being an adult is so hard because sometimes all you want to do is sleep. Long journeys are ideal times to catch up on important beauty sleep. Sleeping through these journeys will firstly make the fly by and leave less time for boredom. You’ll also be refreshed and ready to tackle your next destination.

8. Have a Picnic
Possibly my favourite way to pass the time. If you’re journey times over lap with lunch, this can be an ideal way to make what would normally be a boring aspect of the journey into a really cute one. Grab lots of nibbles, id always recommend savoury over sweet, maybe something to drink and pass the time by pigging out.

I hope you enjoyed these travel hacks and that they help you next time you set off on an adventure! What are you hacks for surviving long journeys?