No one expects to get bored when they’re travelling. Usually, anyone on a long-term trip will have spent months and years planning what they’re going to see and do while they’re away, counting down the days to their departure. They leave the boring stuff of daily life behind them to go to new destinations and experience life in other cultures.
That may be true, but there are always times that feel a little bit more mundane in between all the exciting stuff of travel. For instance, the times spent waiting for a flight, sitting in a transit lounge or when spending hours on a bus or train. Also, you can’t go out every night – unless you have a huge budget – so you’ll have to chill out some evenings too, in whatever accommodation you’ve chosen.
Here are some ideas to pass those boring times:
Gaming on the Go
If you carry a smartphone, it’s hard to justify saying you’re bored. Especially as no-one’s ever far from a WiFi hotspot nowadays unless you’re somewhere really remote. Everyone has their favourite gaming apps downloaded and whether you’re a fan of a game such as Room 3, which offers a succession of challenging puzzles, or you prefer the simple pleasures of Prune, a minimalist game where you cultivate a bonsai tree, snipping branches and ensuring obstacles don’t block its light; mobile phone games are always entertaining.
To increase the thrill factor to your gaming, you can also try playing actual money casino games online. For starters, experiment with online slots or “pokies” where all you need to do is decide what amount to bet and press Spin. The gameplay may be undemanding, but with amazing graphics and the possibility of a cash win with every spin, slots are endlessly entertaining. You can even play in practice mode if you don’t want to place real cash bets.
Read The Classics
With e-reader apps available for every mobile device, there’s no need to lug any big books around on your travels these days. Travelling gives you a great opportunity to read those classic novels that you’ve always meant to and never quite got around to. Titles such as Wuthering Heights, War and Peace, Far From the Madding Crowd, 1984, One Hundred Years of Solitude, The Handmaid’s Tale and Dr Zhivago will certainly give you plenty of food for thought. Plus, they’ll provide you with lots of conversation starters when you meet new people on your trip.
Portable Crafting
Not all craft activities necessitate a whole load of kit. Take a pair of knitting needles and a ball of wool and you’ll have an absorbing activity for those rainy days when your planned day trips or sightseeing excursions are postponed. Great too while you’re killing time on a long plane or train journey.
If you don’t know how to knit, don’t worry, there are lots of knitting websites and tutorials online, and they start with the very basics of learning. These include how to cast on, do the knit, purl and garter stitches to much more complicated knitting styles such as cable. You can pick up new supplies of wool along the way, and if you get the hang of it, you might even be able to sell your finished items to fellow travellers. A nice supplement to your travel budget.
Once you get over the initial high of leaving home and heading off, when you’re travelling, not every day will be jam-packed with excitement but it’s easy enough to fill those downtimes with some interesting and diverse activities.
A New Life Wandering 
