How to cope with a long car ride (for teenagers)

A family vacation is the best part of the summer, but going on vacation is another story. Luckily, there are many simple things you can do to keep yourself occupied during a long boring car ride. First of all, you need to prepare all the necessary things for the trip, including snacks, pillows and comfortable clothes. Once you’re ready, you can use a variety of activities to pass the time until you stop at the fun spot.

Table of Contents

Choose a seat for the trip

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Arrange car seats. Before getting in the car, you need to arrange specifically who will sit where. Seats near the window have a better view, or if you want to stretch your legs and take a nap, you can choose to sit in the last row. During your trip, you should change places from time to time to change the perspective.

Don’t complain about your seat. When traveling with a large group of people, someone will inevitably have to sit in the middle.

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Wear comfortable clothing. On the day of departure, you should choose light, loose clothing that can be worn comfortably for many hours. A simple T-shirt with jeans or sweatpants is always a great combination. You should also choose shoes that can be put on and taken off easily when the car stops. ^{[1] X Research Source}

If the weather is hot outside, you should wear a short-sleeved shirt. And if it’s cold outside in the winter, you should put on a thick coat to prevent getting cold in the car. ^{[2] X Research Source}
Don’t care too much about your appearance, the important thing is that you feel comfortable because no one will judge your appearance at the rest station.

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Bring two separate luggage bags. Put most of your luggage (including clothes, personal belongings and electrical equipment) in the first bag and put it in the trunk of the car. The things you think you will use while in the car, put in the other bag. That way, when it comes to entertainment, you’ll always have several options at your fingertips. ^{[3] X Research Sources}

Do not carry a bag that is too big, or it will be troublesome and take up a lot of space under your footrest. Usually the size of a backpack, crossbody bag, or handbag is just fine.
This second bag can be used to hold some items such as books, magazines, specialized magazines, tablets or portable electronic devices, a few small toys and other sundries.

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Bring snacks. Packaged foods are the most convenient because they don’t spoil and don’t need to be reheated when eaten. Foods like crackers, granpas, nuts, chocolate and bottled water will give you the energy you need to get through the seemingly endless journey without getting tired. ^{[4] X Research Sources}

If you have room, you can bring a small cooler with healthier snacks like fresh fruit or yogurt. ^{[5] X Research Sources}
Sipping on this and that will also keep you from getting hungry, so you won’t have to stop for food as often.

Kill time

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Find a comfortable sitting position. It will be difficult for you to relax in a cramped car. You can put a pillow on your lap, lean forward against your knees, or prop a pillow to rest your head, let the sunlight shine on your face and sleep. If you have enough space, you can rest your feet on the gearshift pad or sit sideways to stretch your legs. ^{[6] X Research Sources}

Remember, safety comes first. Remember to always wear your seat belt during your trip, even as you try to get more comfortable.

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To sleep. A long trip is the perfect opportunity to take a nap, especially when you have to leave early in the morning. When you go, don’t forget to bring a pillow to rest your head in the car. By the time you wake up, you’ve probably been gone for a couple of hours. ^{[7] X Research Sources}

Using eye patch and earplugs to block out light and noise, you will have a peaceful sleep.

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Read a book. Put at least one or two books in your carry-on bag and take them out to read when you want to do something quiet. Reading is a great way to relieve boredom and help you forget the long road ahead. ^{[8] X Research Sources}

Pick a best-selling book or a popular novel that you don’t need to focus too much on while reading.
Reading in the car can make many people nauseous. If you feel like you’re about to get motion sickness, stop reading for a moment. ^{[9] X Research Source}

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Bring a notebook. You can put in your bag a few sheets of paper and pens and pencils to take notes or write down your thoughts while sitting in the car. Long hours in the car are also a good opportunity for you to complete unfinished homework. ^{[10] X Research Source}

Pass the paper back and forth to a friend and play some paper games together, such as checkers, hangman or divination (Mash). ^{[11] X Research Source}
Try your hand at being creative by journaling, writing a poem or short story.

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Play word puzzles. Invite people to take turns finding out-of-province license plates or solving difficult puzzles. Word puzzles are a great choice because the only thing players need to use is their imagination. A few other popular games include: ^{[12] X Research Source}

“ Detective game ,” One player describes any object in or around the vehicle and the other guesses what it is.
“ 20 questions ,” Players take turns asking 20 questions with a yes or no answer to guess the name of a person, place or thing.
“ Which one do you choose ?” One player is given two different choices and the other is forced to choose one of the two.
“ Six Steps to Connect ,” the player names any movie, then the other must figure out the connection between an actor in this movie and an actor in other movies until they can be linked back to the original actor.

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Chat with people. Use this time to learn more about people’s lives, or chat to pass the time. You’ll be sharing a small space for hours on end, so treat it like a regular gathering. ^{[13] X Research Source}

You can walk around and hear people tell a joke or an interesting story about their life.
Write down a few prompting questions and use them to start conversations with people if you don’t know what to talk about.

Use technology to keep yourself busy

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Listening to music. Sync the songs you love to your Ipod or other portable devices so you can listen to them on the go. You can also use some other apps like Spotify, iTunes or Pandora to listen to unlimited music. If your music is loud, choose music that everyone enjoys. ^{[14] X Research Source}

Remember to put a pair of headphones in your bag, otherwise you may have trouble enjoying the music or sometimes disturb the people traveling with you.

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Watch movies or entertaining TV shows. Thanks to modern technology, today you can watch your favorite shows from anywhere. Just use your smartphone or tablet to find shows online on Netflix, Hulu, or other similar apps. You can even open a small movie show with the people in the back seat! ^{[15] X Research Source}

Make sure everyone has the opportunity to choose their favorite shows when watching together on one device.
If you have problems with network traffic or access to the internet, you can invest and bring a portable DVD player. ^{[16] X Research Source}

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Message your friends. Message your friends back home and share with them the status of your trip. This will help you stay connected with people while away.

You can only text when you are in an area with good phone signal.
Don’t forget to bring a power bank (or better yet, a car phone charger) so you can charge your phone anytime.

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Share experiences on social networks. You can spread the word about your trip by sharing it on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. Take some time each day to post photos, update statuses, write reviews about famous restaurants, museums, or stops. It’s also a great way to both document your journey and connect with people while you’re away. ^{[17] X Research Source}

Pick a unique hashtag and use it for all holiday related posts. ^{[18] X Research Sources}
Don’t forget to enable location settings on your mobile device. This helps viewers keep track of all the places you visit.

Enjoy the ride

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Design a dream journey. Make a list of the things you want to see and do when you get to the venue. Then pick one or two of them and try to make them happen. With a little forethought, you’ll be better prepared to make the most of your vacation. ^{[19] X Research Source}

Don’t limit yourself, your great vacation can include anything from swimming with dolphins to attending a music festival or climbing the highest spike of a mountain range.
Consider the cost and duration of the trip when planning. You probably won’t have enough time or money to go paragliding, snorkeling, mountain climbing, or tour the entire city in just two weekends. ^{[20] X Research Sources}

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Take a photo. Start documenting your experiences on the go. You can look for interesting landmarks or beautiful scenery along the way as a background when taking photos. If you don’t like it, you can take some naughty selfies with your friends or siblings, which will be interesting to review later. ^{[21] X Research Source}

If you are passionate about photography, you can invest in a camera to take high-quality photos and print them out later.
Create a soft album to capture memories of your trip and share your favorite moments with family and friends when you get home. ^{[22] X Research Source}

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Find out about the destination in advance. If you’re going on vacation to a place you’ve never been, you can take the time to learn a little about the history, geography, and culture of that place in advance. You will find a lot of interesting information from travel guides, road maps, tourist brochures, or simply from searching the internet. ^{[23] X Research Sources}

Record what you learn and use it to quiz friends or family.

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Visit the landscape along the way. You can check out some of the local attractions nearby and plan to stop by a few along the way. There are many beautiful terrains, amazing natural phenomena and many fascinating stops everywhere on earth. Visiting some of these places with your own eyes will make your stay that much more memorable. ^{[24] X Research Source}

Consult travel brochures to see what places are nearby and you can visit.
Note that you should not stop too many points as this may slow down the main journey.

Advice

You should get plenty of rest the night before you depart. Taking advantage of sleeping in a swaying car cannot be equal to a good night’s sleep.
Take every possible opportunity to charge electrical devices.
If you plan to drive a part, you need a valid driver’s license.
If you feel like you’re about to get motion sickness, try to look straight ahead.
Always drink enough water.
When you feel nauseous, try to breathe evenly. If it still doesn’t feel right and you might vomit, have a vomit bag ready.
Downloading movies and shows on Netflix before you go will save you quite a bit of mobile traffic.
Bring lots of snacks so you don’t go hungry.
Don’t talk too much, someone may be trying to get some sleep, and the driver and other passengers may also want peace and quiet.

Warning

Try not to disturb the driver and everyone in the vehicle. The trouble will make their mood not happy.
Control how much water you drink on the road. If you drink too much, you will have to stop often,

Steps