Travel Boredom

[Bubba]

What do you do to stave off the boredom when you are on a long plane/train/car journey?

Book? Magazine? Rolling up little snot balls and flicking them at fellow passengers?

On a recent 7-hour flight I went with this...

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Gin and Tonic plus FFVII makes time pass very quickly :D

Anyone do anything unusual?

[Sephex]

If possible, video games. Otherwise I would read something on my smartphone or laptop (if able). I haven't had to take a real long trip where I wasn't driving ever since all the various options one can do with portable electronic devices became a thing, so I guess I'll find out next time I an a passenger on a long trip!

[Miss Mae]

Last flight I was on, I spent the three hours playing the card game Sopio with Jiro. Usually though I just stare out the window while travelling and wish I could sleep. Even being able to read a book would be nice, but it often causes travel sickness.

[Jiro]

I usually just sleep.

[Parker]

I get a big book and read it. Last time I flew I read a big book the entirety of the out-bound journey, which was something like 18 hours including layover. I was sick of the book so on the way back I watched like three movies and 4 episodes of different TV shows.

[Pike]

Pokemon makes the time fly by like you would not believe.

Alternatively if it's a plane and there's good in-flight entertainment you can just watch movies all day. I watched three movies on the plane when I was flying back from the UK.

[Shlup]

I usually put in some earbuds and read. I like books.

My flight to Tokyo had a really neat entertainment center right in front of me with TV, movies, a few games, and a map of where we were flying over (spoiler: lots of ocean). If I remember correctly, I watched like four movies on the way back.

[blackmage_nuke]

Talking if someone interesting is with me. Games/reading on my phone if the transport is steady without any major turns to give me headaches and nausea. Sleep/music if the previous criteria have not been met.

[Psychotic]

If it's a short journey like the train, my iPod, phone or a book will do. On longer flights there's usually some good options for movies, music and TV shows so I usually do a combination of that. Alternatively, rushing the cockpit while screaming "DEATH TO THE INFIDELS!" is always a hootin' hollerin' good time.

[noxious.sunshine]

Depends on when the flight is. I usually post up at a bar pre-flight and have drinks & get a nice buzz going.

Then I pass out on the plane 'cuz Southwest blows and only takes debit cards & I don't have one of those so I can't get drinks on the flight.

In the car? I buy a tall can at every stop and guzzle it in the bathroom really quick then go back to sleep.

[The Man]

Music and reading.

[Pike]

I usually put in some earbuds and read. I like books.

My flight to Tokyo had a really neat entertainment center right in front of me with TV, movies, a few games, and a map of where we were flying over (spoiler: lots of ocean). If I remember correctly, I watched like four movies on the way back.

Oh man the flights with the maps are the best.

[Shorty]

I can't read on planes because I get motion sick :( I wish I could. I load my ipod up with movies or tv shows I want to see, and tend to fall asleep watching them. International flights usually have a good selection as well.

[Shiny]

Reading either on my phone or with a book; although I'm considering borrowing my sister's ipad for an upcoming journey. Last plane flight I watched a movie though and a free pilot of a new show. The trip was short enough where I could just watch those two and be fine. 8 hour red eye flight I'll probably just sleep.

[Scotty_ffgamer]

When I'd gone on long car rides with family for a vacation, I would usually read. I'd also oftentimes bring a notebook to do some writing in (and quickly stop trying that after getting annoyed by bumps in the road). Sometimes I'd play the gameboy. The first time I flew to Alaska in middle school, I think I was too terrified to do anything for a good chunk of that flight. Then I read stuff I'm pretty sure.

Ever since high school, my flights and long car trips have been with a lot of friends, and we'd usually just talk the entire trip and joke around.

I also flew once with this flight attendant

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and she made awesome jokes throughout the entire flight. She was a lot funnier on my flight than in this video, I think.

[Pumpkin]

Video games, books, trivia games, sleeping.

[Pike]

I envy all of you people who can sleep on a plane because it's actually impossible for me to do for some reason.

[Jiro]

Planes naturally make me sleepy now, which is great. Long flights can be a bit of a pain 'cause I'll sleep for a little while like five or six times before we actually get there, but on Australian Domestic flights of a couple hours I can usually get by with one or two naps and some video games or reading.

I feel bad for you, Pike. Being stuck in your seat for so long and being unable to sleep is killer.

[Formalhaut]

Depends. If I'm with people, like friends or family, I absolutely refuse to wear earphones and listen to music/play video games. I just feel that I'd be rude ignoring my travelling companions. For the most part, I just chat and talk with my companions. Time passes quite well doing that. If there's nothing really to talk about, then perhaps I'd consider browsing the internet.

By myself however, things get more diverse. Music is a good option as I'm internet binging on websites like Cracked and news sites. I'd also play video games sometimes depending on my mood, or read a book. Heck, I've been known to read my Bible during particularly tedious journeys. Never for very long though.

Lately however, I've made quite the habit of talking with people who sit next to me. I was on the train just over last week to get to my boyfriend's place and over the course of the journey I managed to have conversations with two elderly ladies and a Canadian from the Northern Territories who taught English Literature. Fun times, seriously. I'm normally quite shy, but for some reason I really broke out of my shell and just chatted to my seat neighbours.

[Calliope]

My flights used to be between Auckland and LAX/SFO, so I would pass the time drinking limitless free booze, playing tetris and watching movies. Now I only fly from one state to another, so I pass the time panicking about a plane crash instead.

[Kalevala]

I've never been able to sleep on planes. I had an eight hour flight to Rome a few years ago and didn't sleep the entire, and that's not counting layover time, but thankfully Air Canada has personal in-flight entertainment screens. Same goes for trains. I was on a 21-hour train ride with my grade 12 English class and a group of us just stayed up talking the entire time.

Cars, however, are a different situation altogether. My brother-in-law drove nine hours or so to Montreal for a Dream Theater show and I slept the entire way back.

[fire_of_avalon]

I do not sleep, read or play games on flights. I might bring a book but I invariably just get struck by the fact that I'm flying and just gaze rapturously out the window.

In cars I am typically the driver, so I drive. I like to drive.

I don't take trains anymore. I had a horrible experience and I just don't ever want to get stuck on one again.

[Ayen]

I never been on a plane or a train before. When it comes to long car rides I'd usually pack up the Game Boy and play on that if I'm not just enjoying the countryside.