How to Entertain Yourself During a Long Car Ride

Co-authored by wikiHow Staff

Last Updated: August 9, 2022 Approved

Long car rides can easily become boring if you’re not properly prepared for the trip. Packing plenty of things to do can ensure you have a good variety of entertainment to keep you busy. Using the trip as a way to take time for yourself can not only entertain you but also give you a chance to recharge. And documenting a trip is a great way to entertain yourself while making sure you create lots of memories.

Method 1

Method 1 of 3:

Packing for Your Trip

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Pack your favorite reading material. Having something to read can make time pass during a long car ride. You can pack your favorite books or magazines, or an e-reader if you have one. Try to bring more than one book – you might get bored with just one, and having more than one option can keep you entertained.
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Bring car-friendly games. If you’re traveling with a group of people, having some car-friendly games on hand can entertain you and everyone else. Easily portable games include Trivial Pursuit (you can keep track of who’s winning by tracking how many correct answers each person gets), Apples to Apples or Cards Against Humanity.

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Pack your favorite technology. Having portable technology with you can help keep you entertained, too. Bring a tablet or e-reader, or even a portable DVD player. You can also pack a music player (like an iPod) or portable gaming device, or even your laptop. Bringing your smartphone can also keep you occupied.^{[1]
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- If you bring the DVD player, remember to bring DVDs.
- Don't forget headphones!
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Pack healthy snacks. You might feel hungry when you’re bored, and this is especially true on long car rides. Pack healthy snacks to keep yourself full without feeling heavy.
- A small bag of veggies that are easy to eat in the car - like carrots and peppers - are an easy and healthy snack.
- String cheese is easy to pack and a better option than fast food. You can also pack small bags of nuts like almonds and cashews.

Method 2

Method 2 of 3:

Taking Time for Yourself

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Write. Maybe you’ve been putting off writing a letter or email to someone. Maybe you’ve got a long to-do list in your head, and you should write it down. Taking a long car ride as a chance to do some writing is a great way to keep yourself entertained. You can also journal, write stories, or get caught up on homework.^{[2]
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Take a break! It’s okay to use a long car ride to take a break from everything. This includes electronics, the internet, even reading. Watch the landscape roll by the window and let your mind wander.^{[3]
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Play solo games. If your travel mates aren’t up for a game, there’s plenty you can do on your own. You can play the alphabet game: look for letters A - Z on signs and license plates. You can also play solitaire with a deck of cards. If you have a smartphone or tablet, download a few games that might be fun for the ride. You can also bring your favorite games to use with your portable gaming devices.

Method 3

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Documenting Your Trip

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Take lots of pictures. You can bring a camera if you have one, or use the camera on your smartphone if you have one. Either way, make sure you take lots of pictures of your trip. It can make the car ride go faster if you’re looking for new and exciting things to take pictures of.
- It’s okay to want to post your photos to social media, but try to wait to do so until later in the day. That way you don’t miss anything while you’re picking the perfect filter.
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Write down your thoughts about the trip. Keep a small journal with you to record those thoughts. You can write about something cool or funny you saw, an interesting conversation you had in the car, or how you feel about the trip itself.^{[4]
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Map fun stops. One of the best ways to entertain yourself on a long trip is to make the trip part of your adventure. Map out fun places to stop: interesting landmarks, good restaurants, or even pretty parks. This can break up the trip and make it more entertaining.^{[5]
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- To find fun places to stop on your trip, look up the tourism websites of placing you'll be visiting or passing through. You can also look for travel guide books for those places, too.

Community Q&A

Question

If you are a ten year old girl, what are some things to do alone?

Community Answer

Read, draw, or write. Listen to music. Play games or watch videos on a phone or other device. Play a card game like Solitaire. Make origami. Make up a game or story in your head about the things you see out the window. Daydream. Anything you like!
Question

What are some games that I can play on paper?

Community Answer

Tic Tac Toe, MASH, and Guess What I'm Drawing are popular games. You can also play Hang Man, or write a story with the other person.
Question

How can I be comfortable if I'm sitting in the middle for a long ride?

Community Answer

Bring a blanket and cushion, and if your muscles get sore, stretch a bit by moving your wrists and shrugging your shoulders.

Warnings

Try not to drink too much during road trips, especially when the exits are widely spaced.

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If you read too long, you will probably get motion sickness so look up and take a break every now and then. If you start to feel nauseated, stop reading, look out the window at the horizon and take deep breaths. This may prevent car sickness before it really starts.

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Don't play games for too long, you can get a headache and your device may run out of power.

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