Are you embarking on a long bus journey on board a bus? Although road trips are a great experience, the long hours of driving and sitting still can still drag. Driving in Northern Ontario provides numerous breathtaking vistas and interesting locales, but you do become accustomed to the scenery, and then the reality of a long road before your eyes will sneak up on you.
The long hours on the road don’t need to be boring. If you focus on enjoyable activities, you really can make the voyage as enjoyable as the destination. Here are twelve ways you can stay entertained and productive during a long bus ride:
- Catch up on your reading
Reading is both a pleasurable and educational activity, and what better way to do it than during a long bus ride. Entertain your mind by reading a classic story, today’s paper, or a magazine.
For the tech-savvy, download your favourite titles on your Kindle app or your mobile phone to avoid adding extra weight to your luggage. While most buses nowadays have modern onboard amenities like a stable Wi-Fi connection, make sure that you can read your books when offline, just to be on the safe side.
- Solve puzzles
Are you looking for a kind of entertainment that lifts your mood, lowers stress, and strengthens your brain at the same time? Puzzles, like crossword puzzles and sudoku, improve brain function and memory. Crossword puzzles can also increase your vocabulary, improve your patience, and sharpen your problem-solving abilities.
- Play games on your phone
You can also play puzzle-solving games on your phone or tablet device. As with using your device for reading, prepare for the possibility of wavering Wi-Fi connections during your journey. There are many great Android and Apple games that you can play without a stable internet connection. Download some offline games on your phone or tablet.
- Do some crafting
Long drives are also an excellent opportunity for crafting. Crafts like colouring, knitting, and cutting out your own puzzles are not only entertaining; they are also known to increase happiness, boost self-esteem, and improve one’s ability to focus on minute details.
- Plan your itinerary
Don’t have an organized itinerary yet? Take advantage of the downtime and organize your trip. Remember to bring a travel guidebook of your destination, a pen, and a paper to look for excursions to do and popular attractions to visit once you arrive. Use the free time to learn more about your destination and the experiences you can enjoy once you arrive.
- Be more productive
If you want to stay ahead of your workload and be productive even when you’re away, you might want to do some work while on transit to your destination. Bring your laptop with you so you can draft that proposal, send an important email, or sort files while waiting for your ride at the terminal. Some busses have charging stations for laptops and cell phones to assist you in being productive while riding.
Getting work done during your ride will help to free you up to fully enjoy your destination upon arrival, knowing that there are no pressing business needs. Contact your bus company if you have questions about technical requirements.
- Play games with friends
If you’re travelling with a group, bring out the fun by playing some group games. Here are some game ideas:
- Tic Tac Toe – Grab a pen and paper and play five to ten rounds of Tic Tac Toe. Keep the stakes up by betting that the person who loses owes the winner an ice cream at the next stop.
- “Would You Rather…” – Ask your seatmate questions where you need to choose between two scenarios. For instance, you might ask, “Would you rather jump in a pool of cockroaches or drink a glass of bitter melon shake?” You do have to answer, but being serious with your answer is definitely optional.
- Scavenger Hunt – Before you depart, come up with a list of items that you might see during the trip (cars, motorcycles, farm animals, houses, mountains, pedestrians, etc.). Give everyone in your group a copy. The first one to spot all the items wins.
- Name That Tune – One player sings (or hums) a line of a song, and the other players have to guess the title of the song. The person who guesses the song correctly chooses the next song. An alternative version of the game is to see who can first guess the name of a song when it comes on the radio or plays from a song list from your phone or tablet.
- Write in your journal
Road trips are one of the best opportunities for reflection. As you take in the beauty speeding past you, allow yourself to get lost in your thoughts. Tap on your deepest thoughts and emotions. Grab your pen and journal and write it all down. If you’re having difficulties getting into a creative flow, jot down things that you’re grateful for, describe the scenery as it goes by, or what you’re feeling at that instant.
Unhurried journaling provides a myriad of benefits to your well-being, including boosting your memory, communication skills, emotional intelligence, and self-discipline. It can also help reduce stress, by allowing you to investigate stressors and what might be triggering them.
- Catch some winks
Travelling can drain your energy–especially in preparations for your journey. If you’ve missed sleep before your trip, seize the long bus journey as an opportunity to recharge your batteries and catch up on your rest.
- Listen to good tunes
Drown out the roaring engine and the chatters around you by listening to music. Before hitting the road, fill your playlist with some good road trip tunes that will help set the mood of the entire journey. Make a music video in your head, recall some memories, or release your thoughts in the open; the choice is yours.
- Watch a movie or TV
Catch up on your favourite TV show or a classic movie to pass the time. Download them on your phone or save them to your laptop or tablet. Long-distance buses often provide TV and movie options to keep passengers entertained throughout a ride. CHeck in with your bus company to see what onboard entertainment options are available.
- Chat
Long journeys give us time to chat with our travel companions and get to know them better. If you’re travelling solo, you can use the long bus trip to hone your conversational and interpersonal skills. It’s an opportunity to build your network as well. Befriend your seatmate. Learn about the other’s culture if you’re travelling abroad. Share travel experiences.
Your bus company also plays a significant role in making your travel experience all it can be. Parkinson Coach Lines has a modern fleet of buses, and our drivers meet the highest standards for training and safety in Ontario. When you need a state-of-the-art rental bus that will also provide a safe and fun ride, contact Parkinson Coach Lines at (905) 451-4776.