Road trips are great adventures, but what can you do to pass the time during those long hours in the car?
Take advantage of the long hours available in the car to build skills or knowledge, it is also a great time to build relationships with your travel buddies. Podcasts, audiobooks, audio courses, crossword puzzles, sudoku, knitting, and other crafting are all great options to stay entertained while on a long road trip.
Ideas for Adults
When you are young it is a bit easier to stay entertained on a long road trip. Your mom probably packed coloring books, toys and snacks to keep you happy. What do you do now that you are the adult?
Here are some great ideas for adult passengers to keep themselves busy on a long trip. If you are the driver, keep reading, I have ideas for you below.
Audio Course
This is a great time to learn something new.
More and more professionals are offering audio courses to learn a new skill. This would be perfect if you are hoping to learn a skill like content marketing, English Literature, Communication Skills, Conflict Management, Global Warming.
There are some platforms, like Listenable, that offer a subscription to listen to several audio courses.
It is a good idea to choose something ahead of time so that you are looking forward to learning it and you don’t get stuck death scrolling.
Learn to Knit or Crochet
You got time to sit, you got time to knit!
Well, am I right or am I right?
If you are taking a summer road trip, knitting a scarf might not be first on your mind, maybe choose a cool summer knitting or crochet project or get a head start on your Christmas gift making.
This is a cool skill to learn, and it will keep your hands and mind busy. You also end the trip with a completed project!
Skillshare is sure to have a great course on Knitting or Crocheting.
Cook a Fresh Meal
So, have you heard of the Hot Logic (affiliate link)? No, this must be our first time meeting, because I am OBSESSED.
The Hot Logic is a slow cooker for your car. It is a soft sided lunch box with a zipper and a hot plate in the bottom.
You can use it to heat up frozen meals, but you can also use it to cook from scratch!
You can make a steak dinner with this thing.
Get creative and make a hot meal for your travel party in the Hot Logic.
I have a few ideas in this post.
Sudoku
I love math, I am a high school math teacher.
Sudoku is a great way to pass the time.
You can print out plenty of puzzles online or pick up a book at Dollar General.
Crosswords
This is a fun, old school way to exercise your mind.
There are really cool themed crosswords, or you can search by difficulty.
Read A Classic
If you have never read some the the classic works like
- Romeo and Juliet
- Pride and Prejudice
- Great Gatsby
- Jane Eyre
- The Call of the Wild
- Where the Red Fern Grows
- Le Miserables
Now is the time, you will look so sophisticated with that classic literature in your hand!
These classic novels have been loved by hundreds of thousands of people and you will surely be impacted by these books.
Make Road Trip T-Shirts
With a steady hand and a box of my favorite fabric markers (amazon affiliate link) you can make some wicked cool trip tee shirts.
Try customizing some shirts that you already have, you know they fit and they won’t cost you anything.
I love these markers, they have served me well for years, I have had them since college and they are still working!
Learn to Solve a Rubik’s Cube
Grab a Rubik’s Cube and a stopwatch (affiliate link, but seriously, get this one, the other ones come with a whistle. Can you imagine a whistle on a road trip?!) and this is a great activity for a road trip. Learn to solve it then work to beat your time.
This guy thinks it can change your life!
When you have mastered it you can binge watch all the amazing Rubik’s Cube content on YouTube, it’s so amazing.
Ideas for Everyone
How to Pass the Time for Kids
I often hear parents asking for suggestions to keep the kids busy on a long road trip. There are a few classics that I listed here, but there are some other great ideas that parents should consider.
There is the age old question of screens or no screens, and there are options for both.
Coloring Books
We like to grab a few new coloring books, or print a few new coloring pages that are new and interesting to your kids.
I like to use colored pencils for the car because they are the cheapest low mess solution.
Grab a few clip boards too, I like to keep these tucked under the seats and I load them up with games and puzzles and then pass them back.
Lacing Shapes
I love the Melissa and Doug Lacing shapes on Amazon (Affiliate Link). My 6 year old enjoys these in the car. They are a simple activity to keep in the baby bag as well. (You could also use this great guide to pack lots of snacks in there.)
Hand Sewing
Riding in the car is a great time to learn a new skill for kids.
I found very affordable small embroidery kits at places like JoAnne’s or Walmart. They come with a hoop,embroidery floss and the needle. These are great for Christmas gifts for friends and family.
Magnet Drawing
We have a few of these magnetic drawing toys for the car. These keep my kids occupied for hours in the back seat.
You could also use Etch-a-Sketch or electronic drawing tablets like this one on Amazon.
We have used all of these and I love that they can stay in the car, they are open ended and all of my kids can play with them, no matter the age.
DVD Player
A portable DVD player is a great tool when traveling with kids.
We have gone through several, because they break. They break in all kinds of ways, so I wont recommend any, but we keep buying them.
I have gotten several off of Facebook Marketplace and the used ones have lasted just as long as the new ones.
I got a mystery box of kid’s DVDs on Ebay and we got a great selection all at once! Totally recommend.
I save movies for the last bit of the trip. I find that my kids lose interest if I pull it out too soon.
Tablet
Tablets for children are very affordable and they are a great tool for entertainment.
Choose new apps or familiar favorites and make sure you have a few offline options in case of a prolonged dead zone.
You can also use tablets to play dramatized audio books like on Librivox!
How to Pass the Time for the Driver
Passengers have all the fun! How can you entertain yourself on the road when you are the driver?
I talked to my truck driver husband and he had some great ideas.
Audio Books
This is the classic road trip entertainment choice for many families.
Get involved in the book selection and enjoy the story. Using audio books that appeal to the whole family add another great memory for the families on vacation.
Consider listening to something related to your destination to help build anticipation, which will make your vacation that much more fun.
There are 6 things you can do to make sure your vacation yields maximum stress relief, this is just one of them, you can find the rest here.
Podcasts
There is nothing like a great podcast, it is so engaging and so educational!
There are some amazing choices when it comes to family podcasts, try listening to a podcast about a band or composer then spend some time listening to the music that was discussed.
Audio Course
Audio courses are more and more available and these are like beefed up podcasts.
As the driver, consider choosing an audio course that can help you at work or in life.
Try a Zero Waste audio course while you are on your summer road trip, so you have some new ideas for holiday gift giving.
There are hundreds of options.
Eye Spy
If you want to play a game with the rest of your travel party, Eye Spy is the perfect game.
If you want to keep the game going longer, maybe start the trip by making a big list and try to find everything on the list before you arrive at the campsite.
I made this list for my family’s camping trip.
With this list you will never find yourself bored on a road trip no matter where your seat in the car!
Have fun, it is going to be great.
