How to pass the time on longer drives

[jimbofoxman]

Usually it's just me and it's usually just Pandora or local radio if no cell service. I've tried Podcasts and Audiobooks but my brain gets distracted by random thoughts about every 10 seconds and I forget what I've heard. Even if I really focus on it and listen, minutes later I've already forgot.

If it's me and the kid(s) (actually college age) it's always music and conversation.

 

[Jeff B]

I listen to music from various sources and talk to the wife and kids. However, I have found the best way to make a long trip better is to explore places along the way. It breaks up the driving but makes it longer.

 

[grubworm]

SILENCE is golden.

 

[old_man]

I tend to try and chat via ham radio, eat sunflower seeds, maybe catch some talk radio.

 

[Jeffrey Dill]

I tend to try and chat via ham radio, eat sunflower seeds, maybe catch some talk radio.

Ha! I've always got a bag of sunflower seeds in my car too.

And I'm pretty snobby about it - only David sunflower seeds.

 

[jimbofoxman]

SILENCE is golden.

Unless you ears ring...........then it's mind numbing!

 

[chuffaluffigus]

Going through this thread I loved the idea of trying out old radio dramas, so I started looking. There are tons of archive sites out there where you can stream them or download them one episode at a time. However, streaming requires an internet connection which we don't usually have on a trip. Downloading is literally a one at a time thing, so to have a large library with a variety of options would take forever to download them, rename them, organize into a collection, and then sync to a device you'll have with you. After some research it turns out there is an easy solution, though. The majority of the old radio programs have been uploaded to your favorite podcast provider as podcasts! You can just add the podcast in your favorite app, sync the whole thing to your device, and play it easily. Just thought I'd pass that along for anyone else that thought the radio drama idea sounded interesting.

 

[old_man]

Well I'm heading out on a two thousand mile trip back to Colorado from New York so it'll be 2 fun days of 14 hours a day I'll be going through all the things everybody's talked about wish me luck

 

[Dilldog]

On really long trips I spend most of my time wondering why I thought it was a good idea to drive a long way, lol.
I will usually listen to music. Or if I am traveling with my wife its great to just talk to her. We work opposite schedules so we dont get much time together, so its honestly kinda cool to be together for hours on end traveling.

 

[The other Sean]

I'm also a fan of silence or talking with your partner. You never realize how busy life is and how you never really just sit and chat about nothing/everything with your partner. One thing we like to do is have the passenger follow along on the Atlas and look for and point out things of interest. We also (cell signal dependent) like to Google search towns or landmarks as we go. It's kind of neat to know why and when a town came to be or was named or some of the odd history of it.

 

[Jeffrey Dill]

I'm also a fan of silence or talking with your partner. You never realize how busy life is and how you never really just sit and chat about nothing/everything with your partner.

Very true.

 

[Semonster]

I like to rotate through podcasts, silence, little music, and conversation (if I have a companion). A couple hours of one and then switch it up tends to keep me engaged.

The type of drive matters too. Lots of scenery I’ll tend to go with silence and my thoughts.

 

[MidOH]

Next big drive, I'm just going to pop a ''learn another language'' CD in.

"'Tu am petite fils.''
''You like little boys.''

 

[Ricky-Bobbi]

Next big drive, I'm just going to pop a ''learn another language'' CD in.

"'Tu am petite fils.''
''You like little boys.''

I’m learning Spanish on my long road trips. Really helps pass the time.

 

[Flipper]

Sirius, podcasts,and count high-top conversion vans, first we pick a number that we think we will see during the ride and at the end of the day the person with the count closest without going over wins. The loser has to buy dinner the next time we stop somewhere. Regular Hightop 1 point, Roadtrek 2 points, Roadtrek pulling a boat or toy 3 points. Guess you figured out we travel in a van! LOL!

 

[mep1811]

I like to listen to talk radio then the news on XM. I'll save podcasts or podcasts of other talk radio shows for the weekends.

My wife and I will have conversations as well. Music is played when she is driving. So we have a mix.

When in Alaska , there was not any XM signal so we talked or listened to music from the Ipod.

 

[Wilson123]

Prefer music or comedy on radio, talking with husband to make time go by faster

 

[Christopher Hersey]

Typically music or podcast.
If anyone is interested check out | One stop for all your 4×4 off road podcast Needs! for a variety of offroad podcast.

Thanks for the great recommendations! I’m going to give those a try.

 

[Billiebob]

Longer drives......... I love them for the peace, solitude, opportunity to think and disconnect. I used to like radio because I could tune into the local station, find out whats happening. But satlilite radio, audio books, even music is a distraction from thought. Part of the joy of driving is the joy of finding peace.

All those distractions have a place but they are mostly a cheap distraction from life.... Enjoy the road, share the chance to talk about what you pass thru.

 

[theIdahoFrontier]

I use the boring parts of the trips (asphalt time) to listen to books. Lots of easy free apps out there like Libby. Just bluetooth it from my phone to the 4Runner's sound system.

I love using libby. You can hook it to your local library card and borrow audiobooks from them. Even our small town library has a really good selection. Listened to a biography about James Garfield on my last long drive and the time flew by. I like non-fiction about people or events that I don't know much about.