Buses are a popular means of long-distance travel. Tickets are cheaper, easier to get last-minute, and there are so many routes you can take one just about anywhere. Plus, they’re a great solution for group travelers looking to stay organized and safely together during their trip.
The one thing that isn’t quite so appealing about long-distance bus travel is the number of hours you’ll be spending, well…sitting on a bus. Fortunately, there are a lot of creative ways to keep yourself busy on a long ride. Try out one or a few of these ideas to make your upcoming bus trip fly by!
1) Try writing.
Even if you’re not normally an author, writing can be a soothing activity to sort through your thoughts during the long stretch of free time you’re about to have. Sitting around with nothing do, surprisingly, gives you a lot to think about, since your mind has nothing to do but run free. Take this opportunity to reflect, journal, and explore ideas.
Try your hand at something fun and creative—maybe a poem or a short story—or chronicle your current travel experience so you can look back on it years from now. Especially if you’re going somewhere new, the surroundings you observe as you ride the bus can be very inspirational.
2) Get some work done.
If you’re going to be stuck in the same spot for hours with nowhere to go, you might as well try to be productive, right? Bring some work documents to read through or paperwork you can get out of the way. Even a small notebook can be handy to draft responses and jot down ideas.
Of course, you can easily access plenty of work tasks and information on a laptop. Many buses (especially coach buses) have WiFi these days. Even if you won’t have Internet access, you can still download emails ahead of time to read or use tools like Google Docs offline.
3) Take advantage of technology.
Speaking of laptops, cell phones these days are essentially mini-computers. You can do pretty much anything with a smart phone or tablet, making it easy to stay occupied on a long bus ride.
Listen to music, podcasts, or audiobooks to pass the time. You could even play some relaxation sounds and use this time to meditate. If you won’t have data or WiFi access, you can download offline games and apps to keep yourself just as entertained too!
4) Play classic bus games.
Particularly if you’re traveling in a group or with kids, classic road games are great time killers. Social interaction is a refreshing way to break up the monotony of a long bus trip, and games are a fun way to go about it.
Try playing something with a deck of cards, pen and paper, or use your imagination to come up with something creative. There are a ton of great ideas online for playing bus games that require nothing more than you and your mind.
5) Catch up on your reading.
What better way to make time fly by than with a riveting book? Spend your bus ride paring down the pile of titles that you’ve been “planning to read”, that have really just been accumulating ambitiously on your nightstand.
It doesn’t have to be a book either! Grab a newspaper, E-reader, or browse online articles on your phone.
6) Plan your trip.
If you’re sitting through a long-distance bus ride, chances are you’re traveling to somewhere you either love or have never been. Get excited about your destination and plan or review your itinerary on the way there!
If you’ll have Internet access, all you need is your phone to do some research and look at photos to get you feeling ready. If not, no worries! Check out a few guidebooks from the library, buy some brochures, or print out online articles to read on the way.
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Contact our team today for more information on financing and which of our vehicles is right for you!