Passing the Time

While traveling there is always going to be down time. Typically I would say "Relax and enjoy the journey," but sometimes it is absolutely necessary to distract yourself (examples: on the open road driving through Kansas, trying to forget that you are squished like a sardine on an 8-hour long flight, or stuck at the train station again because you managed to miss yet another train). There are so many different situations it is pointless to describe each in detail as living them once can be enough for one lifetime. So, what's a person to do during the down time of travel? Sure, there are books to read or maybe something to listen to on the iPod, but what if you've finished the book or the iPod is out of battery? It becomes necessary to amuse oneself with our own thoughts and observations.

The old standbys (work best while driving cross-country):

*Various forms of the license plate game -- trying to spot as many states as possible, etc.

-- I came up with an entertaining version of the l.p.g. while driving back to Michigan on one of my last trips. See how many words you can make up from the letters on the license plate (example: from 'FRY' you can get fry, fury, etc.; 'WRT' gets you write, writing, written, wrought, etc.). And while you can mix the letters up for more words, you get double points for keeping them in the order displayed. --

*Billboard game -- get from A to Z using the first letter of words on billboards and signs!

These ones work anywhere really...

*I-Spy/Eye-Spy

*20-questions

*People watch

Some of my own games that work almost anywhere:

*How many ____ can I find? -- I pick an item of clothing (something trendy like plaid-shorts for guys) and I look around and count how many I can see walking past me within a given time

*Count the Yankees -- this actually applies to the number of hats, clothing, bags, necklaces, etc. that support the New York Yankees. These are typically worn by non-American citizens. I am not sure if it is just the rest of the world loving the idea of New York City, or if they actually like baseball (most Europeans find baseball really dull, so I doubt its the latter). Anyway, its basically I-Spy, but looking for Yankees memorabilia, and then silently cursing the team.

*Talk to Strangers (this advice is for grown-ups only) -- for those of you who are of the outgoing (sometimes I have a moment of weakness and feel friendly) and would rather pass the time talking with someone than sitting alone, talking to strangers might be the option for you. A good way to start is by complimenting the person about something or by asking a question about their travels. If they are alone or even with their family, sometimes a short conversation with a stranger can be a relief for them and you never know who you will meet! Strangers, with their completely outside perspective on your life, can sometimes be really helpful and there is certainly an easy one can have when talking to someone you'll never see again (and they might even have candy).


Ok, those are a few of my ideas. Maybe I can add to this list eventually, but that requires some new ideas. If you have a great 'passing the time' game or idea, tell me in the comments section below as I am always looking for a good way to distract myself! :)