this is how you survive long trips

Anyone who travels will sooner or later have to deal with hours-long bus, train, car, or flight sessions. In an airplane, you can usually entertain yourself with the screen in front of you filled with movies, but in a bumpy bus or rattling train, that’s harder. No worries, there are plenty of ways to make those eight hours of staring ahead actually quite fun.

Podcasts
That was my big discovery during the Rio vacation. Podcasts are listening services that you can subscribe to, and I have become totally addicted to Serial. A true story about a murder of a teenager in Baltimore, and the person who has been in prison for that murder for 15 years still insists he is innocent. In 12 episodes, we learn more and more about the case, the rather weak evidence from the State, the gaps in the defense, and the confusion that arises when an apparently good boy suddenly gets arrested for premeditated murder. Seriously, download that stuff, it’s amazing and you’ll actually want to sit on a bus for four hours because then you can listen to how it continues. 

Audiobooks
In line with the previous point, listen to a book instead of reading it. Personally, I turn green after 5 minutes when I try to read in the car, so an audiobook is ideal then. Often you can also choose different voices, so if one doesn’t suit you, just pick another.

Organizing and sorting photos
Also a hobby of mine. I make it a hobby to put the million billion photos I take throughout the day with my iPhone all in the designated vacation folder. From the bursts, I choose the best ones and edit others until they look their absolute best. The downside is that you don’t see a thing of the landscape you might be passing through, but oh well, who cares about that.

Reorganizing your bag
The longer you are traveling, the more chaotic your bag has become. Or is that just me? In any case, it’s time to tidy up. Reorganize the compartments with the things that belong there, throw away receipts and other little bits of junk, and make sure you can find everything again. Also handy, check if there are any holes in the lining. Because that’s of course life-threatening and the perfect place for your credit cards and keys to hide.

Go to sleep
Seriously, go to sleep. You’re probably tired enough and every hour of sleep is a bonus. I rarely fly without sleeping pills, and if I’m blessed with a reasonably comfortable bus, I immediately close my eyes to catch up on lost sleep.