According to science, the perfect vacation length is exactly 8 days. But what about those moments between leaving home and arriving at the destination? What are some ways to pass time when you’re on a plane or in a car or hustling through the airport?
We’ve rounded up the best tips to help you get through the traveling part of your vacation, to make your overall trip even better.
Read a Book
Reading is the ultimate tool for self-development. Pack a book that’s been on your list for a while and make time to finish it while you’re waiting for your next flight. Many airports have book stores where you can pick up a book at one airport and drop it off at another for a small fee.
Reading a physical book can help you get more out of the literature, but you can always indulge in audiobooks too. You can get all the stuff for hobbies and creativity at tamiya rc cars.
With audiobooks, you can listen as you walk through the airport, or while you drive to your destination. Just make sure your headphones are up for the task. If you need to get your AirPods reset before your trip, here’s how.
Explore Your Surroundings
Each airport is incredibly unique. In fact, some airports are opening up to allow tourists to visit just the airport, even if they aren’t there to catch a flight. So check it out while you’re there. You’ll find plenty of ways to kill time.
But even if you’re driving to your next spot, you can break up the monotony of your trip by stopping at roadside attractions along the drive. It may be worth it to stop every few hours to see what’s going on around you.
Talk to Your Fellow Travelers
If you’re trying to figure out what to do on a flight, consider talking to the travelers around you. Every person is incredibly unique, and you’ll never have such an opportunity as you do when you’re traveling.
So take advantage of this magical moment in time, and get to know the person next to you.
Indulge in a Hobby
Trying to figure out what to do during downtime while you travel? Take advantage of this time to indulge in a hobby like drawing, origami, or writing.
If you have a hobby that’s portable, take it with you on vacation. Just make sure it consists of appropriate things to do on a plane. Your knitting needles and carving kit probably won’t make it through security.
Record Your Memories
Traveling is an amazing experience and one that’s so fleeting. Write about your experience. What do you see, what did you do, what are you feeling, what are you excited about?
Journalling is an excellent way to capture memories and get your thoughts on paper. It’s also a good way to dump any lingering thoughts so they don’t taint the rest of your vacation. Put them on paper, so you can come back to them at a later time.
Challenge Your Brain
Sudoku puzzles, crossword puzzles, or other brain games are a great way to kill time while you travel. They keep your brain active and engaged, and the time flies by.
You could also work through an online course, or practice a foreign language. If you’re going to a new country, it’s a great idea to brush up on the language before you leave.
Be Mindful
What do you see, hear, and smell? What do you feel? Let your senses explore your surroundings, and let your brain relax. Take time to meditate while you travel.
This can help you stay more present during your vacation, instead of getting caught up on the responsibilities waiting for you at home. It can also help you notice things that might otherwise escape your attention.
Wind up Any Leftover Work
The downtime, while you travel, is a great time to wind up any leftover work before you start your vacation. Answer emails, set up autoresponders, reschedule appointments, and make last-minute calls, or put in a bit more elbow grease on a project.
Once you reach your destination, it’s laptops and phones away. You’re in vacation mode now.
But traveling home you can also use this downtime to help you ease back into work. You’ll likely have a mountain of emails waiting for you. Sorting through them in an airport before you get back to your desk can make it easier to get back into a workflow after vacation.
Take Care of Your Health
Traveling can be a very static activity, you’re sitting down a lot. So whenever you can, get up and move. Explore the airport. Stop every hundred miles or so and stretch and do some squats.
Breaking up all that sitting with bouts of movement is better for your body. While you’re at it, stay hydrated. Airports and airplanes in particular will dehydrate you. The air in planes is so dry it pulls the moisture out of your skin.
Use These Ways to Pass Time to Make Traveling More Enjoyable
Traveling is fun when you get to your destination. But the in-between stage where you’re navigating foreign airports and facing the endless straight highway in a dull patch of land, not so much.
But these ways to pass time can make traveling that much easier, and more enjoyable, even the dull bits.
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