How do you pass the time on a long trip?

The Love of Pets & Other Fun Stuff
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Because I’ve learned so much from reading the Forum – there’s a wealth of knowledge and experience here – I’d like your suggestions for making a long trip go faster.

I’ve been spending a lot of time in my car lately driving to sits up and down the East Coast of the US and even when these drives weren’t long-distance, sitting in barely moving traffic has sometimes made the trip seem interminable. On the last few, to Florida, Northern Virginia, New York State and New England, I hadn’t planned ahead so spent a lot of time switching radio stations to find something to listen to before the station was out of range. I’d occasionally listen to news from the town where I grew up (the nostalgia factor) or to local radio on Alexa.

I’ve listened to podcasts, some good ones but always the same few, Hidden Brain with Shankar Vedantam on NPR or The Jordan Harbinger Show – there are loads of these so go to his website and note the episode numbers that interest you. I also like true crime shows but only those with a definite resolution, where the crime has been solved, and I’m still looking for good ones. I listen to podcasts on Alexa or Spotify, though Apple and Samsung also have podcast apps.

When I’ve had the foresight to plan ahead, I’ve checked out audio books from the library to listen to on the Libby app. This usually seemed like a lot of work, as the newer and more popular books were often waitlisted so unless I researched what was left, I had to take a chance on unknowns. This is where a premium subscription to Audible would have been nice, but I wouldn’t use it enough to make it worth it. For me, the narrator makes it or breaks it. My favorite is Dylan Baker who read Thom Wolfe’s, I am Charlotte Simmons. Can you suggest others?

And what do you do when you’re a passenger in a car, train or plane? Do you have favorite apps for games or puzzles, do you read real books or e-books, newpapers or magazines and if so, which ones?

How do you plan ahead? I’d like to know what you do to make the time go faster and a trip more enjoyable.

Will you share your recommendations for apps, books, podcasts or anything else you like to listen to, read, play or do while in transit?

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For planes, trains and automobiles, I download audiobooks, movies and music. I mix things up, for various moods.

I’ve had an Audible subscription for ages, so I have a lot of audiobooks and credits. I lean heavily toward nonfiction or classics. Like I might listen/read about the history of the place I’m going to visit, or listen/read about the art/artists, given museums I’ll explore.

I also really enjoy long stretches of silence, to zen out and/or think. Such stretches have been restful, relaxing and alternately productive for me.

If doing road trips, there are websites and apps that recommend stops along the way, like if you enjoy history or random attractions, like the biggest corn maze in the world, a meteor crater or a two-headed goat that was taxidermied. Or great bakeries and restaurants or Instagram-worthy sights. (I don’t post on there, but still find such sights interesting sometimes.)

One of the easiest ways to do that kind of search nowadays is by using AI — the platforms can produce itineraries, according to your preferences. Relatedly, you can ask about local dishes or specialties and where to get them.

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I also select audiobooks based on the narrator; Samuel L. Jackson and Willem Defoe are two that come to mind. When I plan well, I have them downloaded before I head out.
I also have enjoyed Backseat Geologist, which provides interesting (to me) information about geological formations based on your GPS location.
I keep cleaning wipes in my center console, so if I’m stuck in traffic, I spend the time cleaning fingerprints from those high-touch areas around the steering wheel, door panel, and gear shift knobs. On planes and trains, I either work or stick to books and movies, but once in a while, I find myself spending the entire time having a great conversation with a stranger.

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So we did a long trip a few years back, Brisbane to Darwin. I think it took 5 days driving for 8 hours a day to our first major stop in Katherine. 4 hours in day one I think the cd player in the car jammed or something and there is no radio stations one you get far enough out. And oh my god not much to look at either. We have been married forever so nothing much to talk about either :wink: no music on my phone and his music only tolerable for short spans. Trying to get good photos of the large birds of prey feeding on roadkill was my only salvation. Once we got to Katherine it was good, but you know you have to come home. By choice @Maeve my answer would be lots of good music you can sing to.

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I made some great travel buddies on a 33 hour bus trip in Argentina. My Spanish wasn’t so good when I booked it, and I hadn’t realised that the bus left on Tuesday but didn’t arrive until Thursday. And it wasn’t a posh one with reclining seats either! I woke up on the Wednesday morning expecting to arrive shortly, only to be told by fellow passengers that there were still a full 24 hours left to go. By the time we arrived at our destination I’d made some firm friends, and we spent the next part of our trip hanging out and exploring together.

I love remote places, so when I’m in transit I can often just pass the time by ‘people-watching’. On long motorway drives, I usually just enjoy the silence, although Dire Straits’ Brothers In Arms album has got to be the best ever driving music - takes me straight back to long childhood car journeys.

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@Maggie8K , That’s a good idea to listen to the history of the place you’re traveling to. I almost always read about it but it would be much nicer to listen to it while on the way on audiobook from the library or on YouTube, which is also great for watching walking tours. Watching these videos taken by people who are simply walking around a town has helped me decide whether to apply to sit in that location, particularly in the UK, as I’m not as familiar with places there. And you’re right, if there’s time, stopping along the way to see some novel attraction (I love this kind of thing) discovered with AI would really break up a long trip.

@mdarden1x , thanks for the narrator recommendations. I’ve already searched for titles read by S.L. Jackson and W. Dafoe. Dafoe reads a Steven King novel that would hold my interest. And my console is full of fingerprints too! I have a towel in the car (for checking the oil and wiping stuff that might land on my windshield) but need some of those moist wipes. I could do a clean of the whole dashboard while waiting in traffic.

Oh @Cathie, I’m laughing in sympathy. I can so relate to your journey. It reminds me of a trip my husband and I took up to Maine towing a travel trailer that only he could drive, which meant I sat in the passenger seat for four long days. The truck broke down both coming and going. We spent the night in Springfield, Massachusetts waiting for it. And like you, I like music I can sing along to.

@Becca , what an experience that must have been — 33 hours in a bus! But what a fortunate turn of events it turned out to be — you made friends and have a good tale to tell. Dire Straits is on my playlist now.

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@Maeve, audiobooks - on longer journeys (and sometimes long hikes) then I/we listen to audiobooks. At the risk of being nerdy, I also listen to the audio version of The Economist.

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I have tried audio books and despite who is narrating I still cant listen to them. Thought for sure I would really like the one Meryl Streep was narrating…Nope. So I dont try anymore. I typically have music going all the time, but the last time I drove from Wisconsin to Florida, I actually turned my radio off and just enjoyed the silence for a day. I do take down time on planes, etc to go through my slew of pictures on my phone to organize, delete, etc. They pile up fast and I forget about them, so I figure that’s a good time to get that done. Love alot of the ideas here and will certainly use some of them as well.

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Depending on where you drive, there also are guided tours via audio, which sometimes mix history, culture, geography and such.

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@Maggie8K , where have you found audio tours and are there any, in particular, that you enjoyed and recommend?

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They’re scattered across platforms, so your best bet is to search online for “X place and audio tour.”

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@Gettingofftherock ,

What platform, app or service do you use to access the audio version of The Economist?

And does it have a fee?