I’m writing this blog on my 8 hour bus ride from Naperville to Kansas City for our Robotics tournament. So, I thought it would be fitting to write my blog on my personal favorite things to do on road trips. Recently, I have been the one driving on our road trips because I get very car sick and driving distracts me, but because this was a bus, I was forced to occupy myself in other ways. This road trip was a little different, because I was accompanied by 13 of my teammates to keep me company and keep the trip entertaining, but the gist of things to do stays around the same. 

There are some things that I cannot go without when it comes to a road trip. The first is a perfectly curated playlist. I always make a playlist with my current favorite songs that I know I will want to play on repeat. The second is a soda. Not only does the carbonation help my stomach, but it just makes the ride so much more enjoyable. Last is snacks. No explanation needed. 

Here are some of my favorite things to do when I’m on a road trip. 

1. Curl up with a book: I never enjoy reading, but something about road trips always gravitates me toward a good book. There’s something soothing about the time just passing you by as you read a good story. I have been reading my voices book on this trip, “The White Tiger”. 
2. Play games: My past couple of road trips have been right through Southern Illinois into the plain states of the country. As a result, I have encountered many many cows. I came up with this game with my cousins a couple years ago, and now I play itwith my robotics team on long trips. The game is called “those are my cows” and everytime you see a herd of cows, you have to scream “those are my cows!”. If you scream it first you get one cow. Then, when you pass a church, you scream “marry my cows”, and if you are the first to scream it you get to double the number of cows that you currently have. If you pass a graveyard, and you are the first to scream “kill those cows”, you get to choose one person to send back to zero. The person with the highest number of cows at the end of the trip wins. Another popular one is Game Pigeon. I had 8ball games going on with 4 different people during this trip. A great way to stay entertained. 
3. Journal: I personally find it really difficult to do actual homework on a moving bus (I’m struggling to write this blog right now). But, I do find it really easy to sit down with a journal and begin writing. I’ve written stories, diary entries, doodles, and so much more. It is a very relaxing way to pass the time. 
4. Watch TV: Of course, no road trip is complete without some TV or a movie. On our trip, the people on my bus watched Anyone But You and an Avengers movie, but we need something to keep us entertained when our eyes start to hurt from reading. 
5. Nap: This is my favorite thing to do on long car rides. Though I have to keep switching positions because no position is comfortable for too long, while the bus is moving, it becomes so easy to fall asleep. 

I am very surprised that I was able to do all of these things within my 8 hours on the bus, but I have to say that each thing made the ride a little more bearable and made the time move a little faster. While I do still enjoy being the driver on long rides, I know I will always have these things to fall back on to keep me entertained.