Travelling across Europe can be done in many different ways, such as by plane, car, or train. This last option tends to be one of the more popular options, as well as coaches. However, one of the downsides of this is that they can take a fair amount of time compared to flying. If you’re travelling within France, for example, you’ll find that this may be the best method of transport, especially as short-haul domestic flights are now banned to reduce carbon emissions. But across the rest of the continent, train rides are regularly chosen as a cheaper alternative to certain flights, as well as an easier and more relaxed mode of transport compared to a long drive. However, while a long train ride can be a much more relaxing experience, especially if you get yourself a private cabin, it can be especially boring if you don’t prepare yourself properly. To help you beat that boredom, here are a few things you can do.
Read A Book
Many of us claim that we rarely have the spare time to sit down and enjoy a good book. The busy and hectic lifestyle has taken over for a lot of us today, and so it’s at a time like this when you’re stuck in one place with little else to do when reading a book is a perfect choice of activity. Whether you decide to sit and read a physical book or use an e-reader, books can be a fantastic way to pass the time. A good book can draw you in and distract you from the world around you, leaving you unable to put it down. If you’re struggling to find a book, many train stations will stock books for this exact purpose, as well as other reading materials like magazines, puzzle books, and newspapers, so check in one of the stores at the station before boarding if you need something to occupy yourself.
Do Some Work
If work is particularly hectic at the moment, this could be a great time to get a head start on some of your work or catch up on anything you’ve fallen behind on. Of course, the signal on the train might not be the best, but if there is any work you can get done offline, such as writing, video editing, or planning a meeting, now would be the ideal time to do it. You’ll often find many commuters using their travel time on a train to get work done, reducing the amount of work they have to do later on. The gentle background noise of a train also acts as white noise in a way, too, helping certain people to focus on the task at hand and not get distracted as easily.
Plan Your Journey
If you’re travelling somewhere for a vacation or if you’re meeting up with friends or colleagues, now might also be a good time to start planning the rest of your journey, too. You could spend this time getting things like your accommodation in order, finding confirmation emails, and contacting those you’ll be meeting to remind them you’re on the way or alert them of a delay. Planning your journey is very important if you wish to avoid stress in the future, and it can also help to calm any anxieties you might have about the journey, allowing you to relax for the rest of the trip after you’ve gone over all of your plans.
Play Online Games
Another great way to pass the time if you’re looking to just enjoy yourself for a while is to play some games. If you own a portable games console, this can be the perfect time to bring it with you. Alternatively, you could also play some games on your phone, too. You could try out a range of online games at sites like Jackpot Casino, such as online slot machines or live blackjack and roulette, and potentially win real money. You could also download many different games from an app store too, ranging from exciting adventure or fantasy games to challenging puzzle and strategy games.
Chat To Friends
Catching up with friends is a good way to pass the time, too, and this is especially great if you’re travelling with them. While some people don’t enjoy talking on a train with other passengers in close proximity, especially when that conversation might be private, if you do happen to get a private room on the train, this can be a great space to have some deep or fascinating conversations. Alternatively, if you’re travelling alone, you could message some of your friends and strike up a conversation that way instead.
Sort Your Emails
One of the more time-consuming and frustrating tasks that we may have to deal with from time to time is sorting through our emails. It’s very easy to accrue thousands upon thousands of useless emails in our primary inbox. Keeping on top of deleting them and sorting them from genuinely useful emails is no easy task. This is why setting some time out of your day to just go through them can be necessary. Of course, it will likely get to a point where you’ll be deleting many without thinking about it, and this is generally okay, especially if those are emails from months ago. However, it’s definitely worthwhile going through at least the last few weeks and months of emails to make sure you’ve not missed anything important. After all of this, you should consider setting up stricter automation email sorting, marking spam email addresses to be sent to the trash and things like newsletter subscriptions you’re not interested in anymore.
Listen To A Podcast
There are many different types of podcasts available for you to listen to when you’re looking to kill some time. These can be a good way to help you relax, especially if you choose a podcast that is focused on this. You can find everything from chilled, sleep podcasts where you might read a story, to podcasts that focus on a specific pop culture fandom. As well as fandom podcasts, you might find other things to pique your interest, whether it’s comedy podcasts or true crime podcasts. There are even many paranormal podcasts about UFOs, ghosts, bigfoot, or other cryptid critters. Check out some of the best podcasts available today and pick one that sounds interesting to you.
Try Meditation
If you’re feeling run down, anxious, or tired, you might consider a different coping tactic for your long train journey. For this, you could attempt some meditation. Meditation doesn’t require you to be sat down, cross-legged or to have done years of practice beforehand to get it right. Meditation is simply the act of relaxing your mind, shutting out your worries, and controlling your breathing properly. You can find a lot of guided meditation software that can easily walk you through this. This is especially great for those who haven’t tried meditation before but are interested in it. Meditating can be a great way to allow time to pass you by on a long journey while also helping you remain calm and prepared for the rest of the journey ahead.
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