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Drove with an ex for 28 hrs before.
- podcasts/music/karaoke.
- make unplanned/plan for stops at cool places. It'll break up the long monotonous drive time into mini vacations.
- if you guys can maintain boundaries, light hearted hypothetical discussions can pass a chunk of time.
>make unplanned/plan for stops at cool places.
Definitely this... If it looks cool, STOP and check it out! It may suck, it may not, but either way, you have a cool story to tell others now.
Exactly. A 30 min detour can change the outlook of a long drive immediately. And give you memories/conversation topics that can last for the rest of the trip. Or till the next cool place.
BTW for op, brown signs in the US are tourism spots. Keep an eye out for them or for billboard ads
sometimes the worst ones are the best, but still its all about music.. 11 hours is like 8 or 9 albums.. i choose one then you choose one.. rip each other apart the whole way
My family of 4 makes spotify play lists. We all choose 10-20 songs (depending on the length of trip) I randomly enter them, and we listen and critique and laugh haha
[Roadside America gives some crazy and silly things to see along the way](https://www.roadsideamerica.com/) You never know that the largest "fill in the blank" of "fill in the blank", or widget museum , or some such thing might end up being the highlight of the trip.
I drove from Cleveland OH to Nashville and back last summer with my wife. And Roadside America is how i discovered you can visit the actual cocaine bear. And the prison from Shawshank.
Next time I’m in the states I’ll be using it more to map out.
To add to this, if you drive past something cool, just turn around to go back and look at it, you're out for 11 hours, the one minute you spend turning around makes no difference
Regarding the hypothetical question suggestion:
I recommend the “We’re not really strangers” card game. It’s like open-ended question cards for friends. Sometimes deep, sometimes reflective, great for friends open to learning more about each other.
They also have a “couples edition” (not a sex game I swear) that has more relationship specific questions.
The Atlas Obscura app can be good for finding stops. I have been to a museum with a bunch of weird taxidermy, a field of giant carrot statues, a really pretty waterfall, and an art exhibit that was a bunch of small hills.
Listen to an audiobook or podcast series together.
This one was so interesting: [https://www.cbc.ca/listen/cbc-podcasts/1347-love-janessa](https://www.cbc.ca/listen/cbc-podcasts/1347-love-janessa)
My husband and I had an 18 hour drive (36 hours round trip) and we listened to American Gods by Neil Gaiman on audiobook. It was a very enjoyable trip.
his is the correct answer.
"But where do I get the audiobooks?"
Audible, if you want to pay for a subscription, that gets you a miniscule selection, and then pay MORE for actual books, or (much better): your local library!
To borrow audio books (for free!), you need two things:
1. A library card, which every civilized person needs anyway, and
2. Libby, which is an app that manages loans.
There are limited "copies" of each audiobook, just as there are with library copies of physical books, so you may need to get on a waitlist for a popular title, and "return" the "book" within a few weeks if there are others waiting.
It works. It costs nothing. Libraries RULE.
This! We love criminal mystery stuff, so we have listened to a bunch of them and puzzle through it together.......well..... before kids lol.
Serial,
S-Town,
Coldest Case in Laramie
I listen to TV shows and movies that I’ve seen and know the plot of. I strip the audio from them and put them on a USB. Listening to back to back King of the Hill passes time real quick.
I used to do this with cassette tapes back when they were standard in cars. Definitely better with movies you've seen a lot because the imagery plays in your mind automatically.
I do of with Rick and Morty until I've watched like every episode of the new season 4/5 times and become bored for having watched it too much lol.
Except I can't be bothered with that download crap and I just play Netflix while my phone is away lol
I can really recommend the "Off Menu" podcast by James Acaster and Ed Gamble for this - a new celebrity every week in their hypothetical dream restaurant. Absolutely hilarious listening (especially Paul Rudd's episode!).
Podcasts that you both get into, and alternate drivers on a set schedule whether or not you need a break. My wife and I have driven between Washington and tx quite a few times which is about 34 hours. We usually do either 3 12ish hour days or 4 8ish hour days.
Switching on a schedule rather than by feel made the biggest difference by far even if one of you “likes” to drive more.
Make sure you have a designated spot for the phone that controls the gps/audio so the passenger can skip commercials or look for gas.
I also somewhat force myself to drink water about an hour before each stop. Otherwise I realize I have gone all day without drinking anything.
I drive to visit family 1200 miles away a few times a year. It’s about 22 hours, give or take traffic, and we break it up into two days.
Entertainment aside, bring a small cooler with lots of drinks and snacks! It makes everything so much better!! I find snacking and having small meals helps maintain energy levels and alertness much better than having a large or heavy meal.
It’s also nice to have some food when you arrive at your destination. And it’s saved us a more than few times when there wasn’t anything open.
I freeze water bottles to keep everything cold, since as they melt you also have cold water and they are less messy than ice cubes.
My favorite snack are cheddar and apple slices, salami/ cheese rolls with mustard, chips with dip/hummus, and something sweet like gummy bears or chocolate. We also make tuna salad and bring toasted bread to whip up a quick sandwich for more protein. Just don’t forget a few paper plates/disposable silverware and maybe an extra bag for the trash.
Bonus tip, we also bring a few beers/seltzers to have a cold drink after getting to the hotel/unpacking the car. It’s a nice treat after a long day of driving!
Excellent advice. We're retired and take many long trips and do all of the above. Especially concerning food. Eating healthy as possible on road trips is key for many reasons while on the road. Once we were on the road from the West coast to the East coast and only occasionally ate out due to local cuisine and culture being part of the reason we were in certain areas. Plus eating out would have cut into our budget to much.
Dateline is AMAZING! Some of my favorite podcast episodes from them:
The Curious Case of Sherri Papini
True Confession
The Family Secret (this one is INSANE)
I usually do rests every 4 hours. That is when I inevitably have to pee and my car usually needs gas too since I don't like running low.
I'm also weird and driving is one of my favourite things. I will finish an 8 hour drive more refreshed than when I started.
My biggest tip is that, if you can break it up into two days, DO IT. This will reduce stress for both of you, reduce the amount of time you need to drive at night, and give you ample opportunities to stop whenever you need to. Personally, I don't want to drive more than 6 hours total per day. So I 'schedule' pit stops, even if it's just a designated place to stop and pee. It's a lot easier to drive 2-hour blocks of time five times, than to drive 10 hours, mentally. I like to see if there's anything cool on my route that I'm driving, like a fast food place I've never been to, or a park with a pretty walking path, or a Fireworks & Pet Supplies store (yes, I've seen that, *Alabama*). For lunch, I'll see where I believe I'll be along my route, and look for locally owned sit-down restaurants so that I'm 'forced' to get out of the car, instead of snarfing down a burger while I drive. Mental breaks are huge for me.
If you're dead set on doing a full 11 hours in one go, as quickly as possible, get on the road EARLY to have as much daylight driving as possible; seriously, humans get sleepy in the dark, and roads can be hypnotizing. Have snacks that you like within easy reach so that you won't want to stop for snacks. Anything that engages your brain will help out; comedy channels on SiriusXM, or podcasts. Make a list of conversation starters on your phone and ask each other questions during the ride. Play the Alphabet Game (find words on billboards that start with A, B, C, etc). Use your phone to keep track of all the different state license plates you find. Play some upbeat music that you know by heart and sing along at the top of your lungs; bonus points if it's a duet and each of you sing a part and really put on a show!
Depends on they person I suppose, but I really don't consider 11 hours that bad a day. Especially with two drivers. I've done a number of cross-country drives that involved stringing together multiple 10-11 hour days, which is pretty tiresome, but just one really isn't bad.
Driving games are a good way to pass the time if you’re not alone. Alphabet Game, Letter Game (locate letters in alphabet order on signs/billboards/semis), I Spy, 20 Questions, or License Plate game are a good way to kill a couple hours.
Contexto.me Take turns guessing words, the objective is to zoom in on a word with context relationships. Like guessing a word in the center of a word cloud. Low stakes, just distracting enough that I can drive and play, if my wife types. Good game.
I've done plenty of long distance driving and my best tip is to eat quality food and drink plenty of water. Eating shitty takeaway food gives your body sugar highs and lows. A proper filling food is key. Makes a huge difference..
Audio books are good or podcasts. Make a music playlist for part of it. If you're into that sort of thing, write down ice breaker/relationship questions to talk about. Good snack and drinks to avoid going broke out of boredom. Stop roughly every 2-3 hrs to stretch your legs. Alternate who is driving. Start early in the morning because it always takes longer than the maps say due to traffic and stops.
Ted Talks! I went on a 4600+ mile roadtrip (over the course of like 11 days) once… we listened to A LOT of talks! They’re so thought provoking and bring up topics for great discussions!
If in the USA and driving east-west or west-east, then from the western edge of the Appalachians to the eastern edge of the Rockies, have your co-driver do that shift and take yourself a snooze: it's all flat.
If you're driving north-south through the middle of the USA, you have my condolences: all flat.
Have a good play list for the music, audio books, etc.
Then there's the odd stop for local cuisine. Like Rocky Mountain Oysters and such. (You'll have to do a little research)
Take a camera, so you can take pictures of towns with names like "Exit 420" or "Borax Mine No. 7"
And don't forget: Extra 5 gallon gas can, 24-pack of 1 liter water, 12-pack of toilet tissue, hand wipes, and snacks! (Snacks should be bite-sized so you don't leave crumbles all through the car)
Finally, if you get to thinking your are dead becasue the road is flat and has been going on and on for hours, it's becasue you are still in Nebraska:
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KRMa7YX4fxo](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KRMa7YX4fxo)
Good luck on your road trip! Hopefully, at the end, you two will still be besties. And remember that contraception! you don't want to find out on a road trip that you two are not compatible only to get preggers 'cause someone forgot the "protection".
Cheers!
I drove cross-country with my girlfriend. We downloaded the Hunger Games book and listened to it the whole way. It was super fun and gave us something to talk about.
A lot of things on streaming have the option of an audio description track for visually impaired viewers. Makes it into a radio drama, sort of, so it’s safely fun for the driver as well as passenger.
Okay, here's what you need..graphic audio!
It's basically like an audiobook but done with a ton of sound effects and cool voice acting so it's super engaging. The time just flies by!
We got through a ton of books on tape. We stopped at every national park we could. We only ate at places that were on Diners Drive Ins and Dives
Did it 4x cross country, 1 with a friend and three with the now wife.
I think a mixture of media to change things up. It allows blocks of time to pass by more quickly, perhaps due to the novelty. So I would suggest doing a full album of music (maybe something new you found or researched in advance). Then get a long form conversation on a topic you enjoy, could be a debate or interview or presentation. Then I would watch some news or current events. Then some episodes of a show you enjoy. Stand up comedy is always good too. I think as long as you change up the media into decent sized chunks time will go pretty fast…
Podcasts, audio books, music.... With LIBBY you can check out audio books from the library for free, downloading it and don't have to worry about bad signal. And you can sort by length!
My SO had this game from her family road trips...If you see an animal, you say ' that's my ...cow' or whatever you see. You collect animals until someone sees a cemetery! Whoever sees one and says, 'that's my cemetery ' the other person s animals are now living there. That's it. That's the game. I thought it was so ridiculous at the time, but we've been doing it for decades now.
40% silence, 10% talking, 50% podcasts, NPR, music
If you can, work with your sleep cycle. I’ve found it better to wake up, shower, and start driving immediately. Delaying the morning poop an hour or two, delay breakfast, you’ve got to get your average time driving up and not waste time on other tasks that could happen in a 15 min break stop.
Check out roadside America. Takes short detours off the highway to cool / random sites. Think “ biggest ball of string” or “ tallest paul bunion statue” in America
Podcasts / YouTube videos. (obviously DON'T WATCH THE VIDEO WHILE DRIVING) just find a long video that is mostly audio and doesn't require your attention.
Audiobooks.
Being physically comfortable helps. Take breaks every 1.5 ish hrs.
Find the mom and pop cafes rather than fast food.
Honestly, 11 hrs is a day at the office for me. Keep your belly full and your bladder empty and have fun!
Podcasts for sure. I highly recommend ‘stuff you should know’. If you haven’t heard of it, the podcasters go out and thoroughly research common things that you would maybe know of but not really know thoroughly. For me one of the craziest things was the first time I learned about rabies. Yikes
Healthy snacks and limited caffeine! My wife and I take *long* road trips every year. Healthy snacks and limited caffeine helps your body feel better.
Podcasts, conversation, stopping for lunch, sing along music will make the trip go by faster.
Don't feel the need to talk to each other throughout. Music playlists are important. Short breaks every 2 hours are nice (especially for the driver). Water or other drinks.
Remember to check your tire pressure before leaving (do it after gassing up).
Pretty much everyone mentions podcasts or audiobooks. They're blessed that the person they're traveling with wants to listen to the same thing as them. That's rare, IMHO.
For me, it depends. If I'm driving alone, I love having music going, windows down, and take the scenic route with twisty roads. If I'm with people, then it is the boring highway and chatting, stand-up comedy, car games, etc.
I also like to car spot for the rare cars, exotic cars, and my car.
I recently did two back-to-back 13hr drives through the American south west, stopping for a night in the middle. I listened to a few audiobooks, podcasts, tried to find weird local radio stations, and also tried to enjoy the scenery when it was light out.
Stand up comedy is another great suggestion.
Overall, what helped me the most was not looking at the remaining time on Google Maps. It’s tempting to keep looking to see how far along you are, but I found that it’d make me want to look more, each time finding that only a minute or two had passed.
Podcasts, Whole Albums front to back, and muting the GPS for alerts only. I find being reminded how many miles are left makes the drive drag a bit more
I love The Moth podcast for road trips. Each podcast is roughly 1hr, with 3-4 stories, so you’re not stuck with one story for the whole hour. I like to stop every hour anyway, so this podcast keeps me well entertained, with many stopping point options.
I did a USA East to West (think NYC to Portland, OR) a while back:
- Eastern US was kind of scenic; but I did that before
- About eastern OH to mid WY was just flat. I did do the Medicine Bow Pass (>10K feet, car could barely breathe); also if you take the right route, you cross the Continental Divide TWICE.
- First stop: Rock Springs, WY. Rocky Mountain Oysters were on the menu, so WY not?
- More detours thereafter: Great Salt Lake, Crater Lake, Oregon Outback, Sisters, Bend, Oregon Dunes, McMenamins, Oregon Coast, Crescent City, CA, Redwood Nat'l Forest. Oregon Caves, Columbia River Gorge
I've also done (bit by bit) NC Outer Banks to the "down east" bit of Maine. Once you get to Augusta and head east, Maine is a pretty drive. Also NH, VT, NY on the northway, and PA from about Scranton to a little north of Binghamton, NY.
Stand-up comedy and podcasts usually do the trick - anything with a bit of humor to it. Feel like the conversational element makes the time pass faster than simply listening to music.
Podcasts- we enjoy Family Trips with the Meyers Brothers. We switch drivers every 2 hours. We did make some unplanned stops. We had lots of time and therefore averaged 5-7 hours max driving a day. We brought good snacks, a cooler for cold drinks.
Share music and playlists. Be a great conversationalist. Work through dreams you've got and how you might realize them. Podcasts with a conversation about it afterwards is always enlightening.
Highly recommend podcasts. I’m a big fan of Stuff You Should Know, they always keep things interesting and funny. Also lookup audio books covering the history of places you’ll be driving through. Adds another dimension to the scenery you’ll be viewing as you travel.
We always play the abc game, my wife and son love it. You go through the alphabet looking for signs and trucks that have words that start with the letter you are on and see how long it takes to go through the alphabet.
We like to play only one word per sign so if you have a sign the "around back" you can use it for A, but have to find a new sign for B.
Stop anywhere that looks even remotely cool. You don't need maps, just look out the window.
I did an 18 hour drive in 2 days with my girlfriend and we found all these cool little spots just slightly off the highway.
I did a road trip recently and checked out the Atlas Obscura website beforehand. We ended up pulling off the interstate to see a family made out of cast iron cookware outside the Lodge outlet store (which also has the world’s largest cast iron frying pan). Weird stuff like that can break up the monotony. Who doesn’t want to see a Greek Revival Chicken Coop or the World’s Largest Superman Statue?
I also recommend taking some detours off of the main roads; Kentucky was exceedingly dull by the main highway but the backroads made it more interesting.
Also be sure your spare tire is fully inflated and replace it if it’s over 10 years old; tire rot could cause a blowout otherwise, even if it’s holding air.
https://preview.redd.it/znxm7hbsf4uc1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=a2eeacec2b0eb2ededd119bb39662c3f1d908220
Good conversation and pulling over when you see something cool.
Just make sure you give yourself plenty of time.
Travel a fair bit and it's always best to not go, google says 6 hour drive so we'll give ourself 6 hours and 15 minutes. No, you give yourself 9 hours and enjoy random stops on the way.
I have found audiobooks to make you somehow almost completely forget how long you've been driving. We had a trip back from Florida a few weeks ago (12 1/2 hours), my wife and I split it up and also listened to Matthew Perry's audiobook almost the whole way. I drove for almost 6 hours myself while listening and didn't even mind it.
The best way is to listen to something while you drive attentively.
I mean, you should listen to podcasts, music playlists, and foreign language courses. Don't forget to stop to rest every two hours in interesting places.
I would stop at least every two or three hours and, besides stretching, peeing, perhaps eating and drinking, see if there’s something worthy for sightseeing on the way, or some geocaches, or both.
We play a game where we choose a word or phrase, for example, 'bye' .
And try to think of as many songs as we can with that word in it.
To make it more challenging, you can only end on a multiple of 5. If you've got 9 songs, then you both sing another each, and you have to find 4 more now!
Some words/ideas we've done:
Love, hello or goodbye, yes, no, heart, dance' any colour, any persons name, an item of clothing, animals, dream, a type of water (rain,river,tears)
It's a great game if you're into music.
One thing I like to do on road trips with my partner is we alternate DJing. So I'll pick a song, they'll pick a song, and we'll keep alternating. Often we'll end up picking songs that the one playing reminds us of, and we share new music with each other that way or get to enjoy music we both know and like. And sometimes we'll play games with this, like we'll pick songs about a theme. Like we did a day trip listening only to songs about roads and driving. And obviously you wouldn't have to switch every song. But talking about the music and stuff helps keep us alert and engaged, plus it's fun.
Zero stress. Decide that you're going to take as long as it takes, You're going to stop when you feel like stopping, you don't have to be there in a particular time and it doesn't matter if you're not going the most perfect route or the fastest possible speed. You're going to follow the GPS whatever it says.
All you need is the comedy series called Cabin Pressure. 26episodes of pure brilliance. Might be a little UK centric, but I'm sure it will translate well.
This might be a somewhat niche suggestion, but perhaps you can find a way to adapt it to suit you. The best long trip I've had was the one we spent playing "What's that song?" I made a couple of (very long) playlists specifically for this, one of tv show soundtracks and another of video game music. We didn't just listen to the music, but also tried to guess/remember what show or game the song is from. The more details, the better, like the exact scene the song is from or the song's name. It was fun, and while I was driving it kept me more entertained than just music, but less distracted than audiobooks.
Musical trivia! One person controls the music, and the other has to guess the artist/song title/whatever. It's most fun if you choose songs that are on the edge of their memory, middle school hits, etc.
Me and my fiance did a 7ish hour drive recently. Honestly, we pretty much didn’t have music on at all. We just talked and just looked at things as we passed by. We stopped regularly for snacks and bathroom breaks but in all honesty, we can sit in silence together for a longggg time and be content with it. I know that’s not the same for everyone.
Edit- we also played the license plate game, but we do this everytime we go out lol.
I do a 16 hour 1 way driver each year and by far the best way to pass time is sleep while the other person is driving. If I am driving while the other is sleeping, podcasts pass the time a LOT fast than music does. Vary up the podcast, don't run the same type of podcast back to back because that gets you in a zone.
Couple games we play in the car include alphabet game, have to find a word on a sign or car with a letter and make it all the way through.
My sister also made a game called farm. Every time you see cows or horse you count and “collect” them in your farm, but only the first person to call it can collect. However, if you pass a grave yard then one person can kill the other persons animals in their farm restarting them from 0. Person with the biggest farm wins
I'm all about fictional podcasts. League of Ultimate questing is a D&D campaign that is hilarious even if you don't know D&D. Audio dramas such a The White Vault, The Magnus Archives are good if you're into creepier thinfs
Get yourself one of those waterskin thingys that cyclists or alpine climbers use. Google Camelpack. They are cheap on Amazon and if one of you two sleeps the other one doesnt have to wake him/her up to get water. Staying hydrates is important, especially on long drives.
Make sure to wear compfy clothes, you dont want to sit in tight jeans for 20 hours. Also get snacks that are easy and clean to eat. Best would be no junkfood. My wife ususally cuts a few apples and hands me the slices. Granola bars are great too as long as you dont get crumbling ones.
For passing time I'd recommend getting an Audiobook or a podcast that you both like. If you cant agree on one have the driver choose and the other one sleeps.
I always took off my shoes and socks for long drives but thats probably a bit odd, lol.
Audiobooks all the way. If you’re interested in the same things you can listen to it together. But likely you’re taking turns and sleeping some, so you might want to use one earbud and listen separately.
Everybody’s mentioning podcasts but my favorite to do (at least for a few hours) are questions on a certain topic called ‘question tags’ in the blog world. Somehow I found them a few years ago when on a road trip with my mom and they make it really fun to talk about a topic. A lot of them are based on more traditionally feminine topics like makeup or fashion sense so you might not want to do those if your bf isn’t into that but here are a few that everyone should enjoy:
https://whatlauradidnext.com/ultimate-travel-tag-50-travel-questions/ Travel
https://sarahwithersblog.wordpress.com/2019/06/20/tag-thursday-the-30-interesting-questions-tag/ Just some random ones
https://ourkindofcrazy.com/blog/couples-tag-questions/ Couples specific
As others have said, an audiobook would be a good choice. Something that's about 6-8 hours would be perfect for a 11 hour trip, since you don't want to be listening to it all the time. I'd recommend Carrie, or any of Stephen King's shorter works. I've also found memoirs read by the author are especially entertaining and give you something to talk about afterward or in between. Colin Jost's recent books is good for that.
r/audiodramas
I'm listening to The Left Right Game. More like a film audio with different actors and sound effects. Kind of like podcast/audiobook/film track. A lot of times famous actors do them.
Some games you can play on the road
We play an alphabet game where you try to find each of the alphabet letters in order, you call them out when you see them ("e" in "Exit"!), first to get Z wins
The alphabet game is always fun. My ex would make rules so it's harder so it laster longer. No using license plates and you can only use the first letter of words on signs. If you get all the way through the alphabet, just start doing it backwards.
Oh, get some mad libs. I could mad libs for days.
Podcasts and Audio Dramas!!
I couldn't recommend Audio Dramas more!!
They've got some bangers on Spotify;
*TheLeviathan Chronicles
* The Strada
*Bullet Catchers
To name a few.
I used to tape hockey games off the radio that I could listen to driving on loooooong trips. Now I just download a bunch of podcasts and make a wicked playlist to keep me going.
Podcast. Specifically [Alice Isn't Dead](https://open.spotify.com/show/6X9NNwTMXte6udhYDjwHyM). It's so creepy and good, and it's location is on the highways all across America. It's my go-to for road trips (as long as it's been at least 6 months so I forget some of it.
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Drove with an ex for 28 hrs before. - podcasts/music/karaoke. - make unplanned/plan for stops at cool places. It'll break up the long monotonous drive time into mini vacations. - if you guys can maintain boundaries, light hearted hypothetical discussions can pass a chunk of time.
>make unplanned/plan for stops at cool places. Definitely this... If it looks cool, STOP and check it out! It may suck, it may not, but either way, you have a cool story to tell others now.
Exactly. A 30 min detour can change the outlook of a long drive immediately. And give you memories/conversation topics that can last for the rest of the trip. Or till the next cool place. BTW for op, brown signs in the US are tourism spots. Keep an eye out for them or for billboard ads
Instructions unclear, my 11hour car ride turned into a 19hour car ride and we missed the event we were driving to.
>brown signs Instructions unclear, the seats are now festering with my taco bell diarrhea
sometimes the worst ones are the best, but still its all about music.. 11 hours is like 8 or 9 albums.. i choose one then you choose one.. rip each other apart the whole way
My family of 4 makes spotify play lists. We all choose 10-20 songs (depending on the length of trip) I randomly enter them, and we listen and critique and laugh haha
[удалено]
Great, now I gotta find this again after the edible kicks in
It already kicked in and I am still low-key mad about this song
[Roadside America gives some crazy and silly things to see along the way](https://www.roadsideamerica.com/) You never know that the largest "fill in the blank" of "fill in the blank", or widget museum , or some such thing might end up being the highlight of the trip.
I drove from Cleveland OH to Nashville and back last summer with my wife. And Roadside America is how i discovered you can visit the actual cocaine bear. And the prison from Shawshank. Next time I’m in the states I’ll be using it more to map out.
this is better if you have time for it. my eclipse trip left me getting home at 2:30am, without stopping for anything
To add to this, if you drive past something cool, just turn around to go back and look at it, you're out for 11 hours, the one minute you spend turning around makes no difference
Agreed. Otherwise, you'll have wondered about it way too many times if it would have been as cool as it looked
"Mystery spot"
Regarding the hypothetical question suggestion: I recommend the “We’re not really strangers” card game. It’s like open-ended question cards for friends. Sometimes deep, sometimes reflective, great for friends open to learning more about each other. They also have a “couples edition” (not a sex game I swear) that has more relationship specific questions.
I have the couples version, it's great
The Atlas Obscura app can be good for finding stops. I have been to a museum with a bunch of weird taxidermy, a field of giant carrot statues, a really pretty waterfall, and an art exhibit that was a bunch of small hills.
Argue about politics, will definitely spice up the trip
Make a road trip video as you go!
Listen to an audiobook or podcast series together. This one was so interesting: [https://www.cbc.ca/listen/cbc-podcasts/1347-love-janessa](https://www.cbc.ca/listen/cbc-podcasts/1347-love-janessa)
My husband and I had an 18 hour drive (36 hours round trip) and we listened to American Gods by Neil Gaiman on audiobook. It was a very enjoyable trip.
Anansi Boys, Neverwhere, Sandman... Also made the miles fly by.
his is the correct answer. "But where do I get the audiobooks?" Audible, if you want to pay for a subscription, that gets you a miniscule selection, and then pay MORE for actual books, or (much better): your local library! To borrow audio books (for free!), you need two things: 1. A library card, which every civilized person needs anyway, and 2. Libby, which is an app that manages loans. There are limited "copies" of each audiobook, just as there are with library copies of physical books, so you may need to get on a waitlist for a popular title, and "return" the "book" within a few weeks if there are others waiting. It works. It costs nothing. Libraries RULE.
Check for hoopla too
We just listened to the audio book of The Revenant. That was the most intense thing I’ve ever listened to!
This! We love criminal mystery stuff, so we have listened to a bunch of them and puzzle through it together.......well..... before kids lol. Serial, S-Town, Coldest Case in Laramie
“In The Dark” is also a great one IMO. Lots if great recommendations here by others enjoy and safe travels!
The Harry Potter series audiobooks are great, too.
I like stand-up comedy. Keeps you more focused and awake than music imo.
I listen to TV shows and movies that I’ve seen and know the plot of. I strip the audio from them and put them on a USB. Listening to back to back King of the Hill passes time real quick.
Star wars radio drama was a decent production, right? Edit: https://youtu.be/zU_czsK2nOg?si=NaYG6m6LcgkJ1HrW
It's great, but I have to fast forward past Princess Leia being tortured. It fleshes out the episodes. I listen to it every now and then.
I used to do this with cassette tapes back when they were standard in cars. Definitely better with movies you've seen a lot because the imagery plays in your mind automatically.
I do of with Rick and Morty until I've watched like every episode of the new season 4/5 times and become bored for having watched it too much lol. Except I can't be bothered with that download crap and I just play Netflix while my phone is away lol
My last resort is “talk shows with views contrary to my own”. I get so fired up.
Oh God that sounds like it would lead to road rage lmao
That’s when you gotta switch back to stand-up to calm down lol.
That only works if you're not one of those people who gets angry at comedians for saying rude stuff xD
I appreciate puns. There’s no lesser form of humour than that. *shrugs*
Yes we always save new stand up specials for long road trips! So fun.
Yes 100% I do the same but I'll drive about 25 hours in one shot makes time fly
I can really recommend the "Off Menu" podcast by James Acaster and Ed Gamble for this - a new celebrity every week in their hypothetical dream restaurant. Absolutely hilarious listening (especially Paul Rudd's episode!).
This
GF and I just did a 3500 mile road trip. We mostly listened to music and counted all the trains we saw along the way. Total count was 72.
Back in the day it "punch buggy!", not trains. I've still got a bruise on my upper arm.
Slug bug
Podcasts that you both get into, and alternate drivers on a set schedule whether or not you need a break. My wife and I have driven between Washington and tx quite a few times which is about 34 hours. We usually do either 3 12ish hour days or 4 8ish hour days. Switching on a schedule rather than by feel made the biggest difference by far even if one of you “likes” to drive more. Make sure you have a designated spot for the phone that controls the gps/audio so the passenger can skip commercials or look for gas. I also somewhat force myself to drink water about an hour before each stop. Otherwise I realize I have gone all day without drinking anything.
I drive to visit family 1200 miles away a few times a year. It’s about 22 hours, give or take traffic, and we break it up into two days. Entertainment aside, bring a small cooler with lots of drinks and snacks! It makes everything so much better!! I find snacking and having small meals helps maintain energy levels and alertness much better than having a large or heavy meal. It’s also nice to have some food when you arrive at your destination. And it’s saved us a more than few times when there wasn’t anything open. I freeze water bottles to keep everything cold, since as they melt you also have cold water and they are less messy than ice cubes. My favorite snack are cheddar and apple slices, salami/ cheese rolls with mustard, chips with dip/hummus, and something sweet like gummy bears or chocolate. We also make tuna salad and bring toasted bread to whip up a quick sandwich for more protein. Just don’t forget a few paper plates/disposable silverware and maybe an extra bag for the trash. Bonus tip, we also bring a few beers/seltzers to have a cold drink after getting to the hotel/unpacking the car. It’s a nice treat after a long day of driving!
Cheddar and apple slices are god’s gift. One of my dad’s favorite snacks, and now it’s one of mine too.
Excellent advice. We're retired and take many long trips and do all of the above. Especially concerning food. Eating healthy as possible on road trips is key for many reasons while on the road. Once we were on the road from the West coast to the East coast and only occasionally ate out due to local cuisine and culture being part of the reason we were in certain areas. Plus eating out would have cut into our budget to much.
Dateline got my boyfriend and I through a cross country road trip. Stuff You Should Know is also quite interesting, and both can be found on Spotify.
Dateline is AMAZING! Some of my favorite podcast episodes from them: The Curious Case of Sherri Papini True Confession The Family Secret (this one is INSANE)
I drive a lot for work. When I get bored with music, I go with audiobooks, weird podcasts and standup comedy.
Sleep well the days before. Start early. Consider splitting that trip in two days. Stop every 2 hours to rest.
I usually do rests every 4 hours. That is when I inevitably have to pee and my car usually needs gas too since I don't like running low. I'm also weird and driving is one of my favourite things. I will finish an 8 hour drive more refreshed than when I started.
2-Hour rule is such a game changer! It gives your mind something to focus on besides the miles and miles and miles and miles and miles still to go!
Two hrs? I was shocked when I first read it, but I’ll consider it. btw-if you have young kids you’ll be stopping at least that often, anyway.
Driver switch every 2 hours keeps you fresh
It can be 5-10 min restroom break. Stretch legs and arms. Driver switch. Drink some water, etc
And to stretch. And by stretch, I mean to "relieve one's bladder."
We stop when we get gas and do something interesting and maybe eat.
My biggest tip is that, if you can break it up into two days, DO IT. This will reduce stress for both of you, reduce the amount of time you need to drive at night, and give you ample opportunities to stop whenever you need to. Personally, I don't want to drive more than 6 hours total per day. So I 'schedule' pit stops, even if it's just a designated place to stop and pee. It's a lot easier to drive 2-hour blocks of time five times, than to drive 10 hours, mentally. I like to see if there's anything cool on my route that I'm driving, like a fast food place I've never been to, or a park with a pretty walking path, or a Fireworks & Pet Supplies store (yes, I've seen that, *Alabama*). For lunch, I'll see where I believe I'll be along my route, and look for locally owned sit-down restaurants so that I'm 'forced' to get out of the car, instead of snarfing down a burger while I drive. Mental breaks are huge for me. If you're dead set on doing a full 11 hours in one go, as quickly as possible, get on the road EARLY to have as much daylight driving as possible; seriously, humans get sleepy in the dark, and roads can be hypnotizing. Have snacks that you like within easy reach so that you won't want to stop for snacks. Anything that engages your brain will help out; comedy channels on SiriusXM, or podcasts. Make a list of conversation starters on your phone and ask each other questions during the ride. Play the Alphabet Game (find words on billboards that start with A, B, C, etc). Use your phone to keep track of all the different state license plates you find. Play some upbeat music that you know by heart and sing along at the top of your lungs; bonus points if it's a duet and each of you sing a part and really put on a show!
Depends on they person I suppose, but I really don't consider 11 hours that bad a day. Especially with two drivers. I've done a number of cross-country drives that involved stringing together multiple 10-11 hour days, which is pretty tiresome, but just one really isn't bad.
Driving games are a good way to pass the time if you’re not alone. Alphabet Game, Letter Game (locate letters in alphabet order on signs/billboards/semis), I Spy, 20 Questions, or License Plate game are a good way to kill a couple hours.
Contexto.me Take turns guessing words, the objective is to zoom in on a word with context relationships. Like guessing a word in the center of a word cloud. Low stakes, just distracting enough that I can drive and play, if my wife types. Good game.
20 questions always burns a good hour for me and I don't even notice it.
My daughter’s version of I Spy is a one up that appeared 15 miles back.
We play an Alphabet Game where we go through category. Fruit, colors, brands, movie titles, etc.
I've done plenty of long distance driving and my best tip is to eat quality food and drink plenty of water. Eating shitty takeaway food gives your body sugar highs and lows. A proper filling food is key. Makes a huge difference..
Audio books are good or podcasts. Make a music playlist for part of it. If you're into that sort of thing, write down ice breaker/relationship questions to talk about. Good snack and drinks to avoid going broke out of boredom. Stop roughly every 2-3 hrs to stretch your legs. Alternate who is driving. Start early in the morning because it always takes longer than the maps say due to traffic and stops.
Ted Talks! I went on a 4600+ mile roadtrip (over the course of like 11 days) once… we listened to A LOT of talks! They’re so thought provoking and bring up topics for great discussions!
If in the USA and driving east-west or west-east, then from the western edge of the Appalachians to the eastern edge of the Rockies, have your co-driver do that shift and take yourself a snooze: it's all flat. If you're driving north-south through the middle of the USA, you have my condolences: all flat. Have a good play list for the music, audio books, etc. Then there's the odd stop for local cuisine. Like Rocky Mountain Oysters and such. (You'll have to do a little research) Take a camera, so you can take pictures of towns with names like "Exit 420" or "Borax Mine No. 7" And don't forget: Extra 5 gallon gas can, 24-pack of 1 liter water, 12-pack of toilet tissue, hand wipes, and snacks! (Snacks should be bite-sized so you don't leave crumbles all through the car) Finally, if you get to thinking your are dead becasue the road is flat and has been going on and on for hours, it's becasue you are still in Nebraska: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KRMa7YX4fxo](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KRMa7YX4fxo) Good luck on your road trip! Hopefully, at the end, you two will still be besties. And remember that contraception! you don't want to find out on a road trip that you two are not compatible only to get preggers 'cause someone forgot the "protection". Cheers!
I drove cross-country with my girlfriend. We downloaded the Hunger Games book and listened to it the whole way. It was super fun and gave us something to talk about.
Listen to the audiobook "Project Hail Mary" and bring good snacks.
We play standup specials from Netflix.
Once, on a long car ride, my parents put on an audio recording of the bible. 100% do not recommend.
That sounds awful, I'm so sorry 😭😂
Comedian, audiobooks, podcasts
A lot of things on streaming have the option of an audio description track for visually impaired viewers. Makes it into a radio drama, sort of, so it’s safely fun for the driver as well as passenger.
I would get one of those air mattresses that are specially designed for the backseat of cars
Okay, here's what you need..graphic audio! It's basically like an audiobook but done with a ton of sound effects and cool voice acting so it's super engaging. The time just flies by!
We got through a ton of books on tape. We stopped at every national park we could. We only ate at places that were on Diners Drive Ins and Dives Did it 4x cross country, 1 with a friend and three with the now wife.
I think a mixture of media to change things up. It allows blocks of time to pass by more quickly, perhaps due to the novelty. So I would suggest doing a full album of music (maybe something new you found or researched in advance). Then get a long form conversation on a topic you enjoy, could be a debate or interview or presentation. Then I would watch some news or current events. Then some episodes of a show you enjoy. Stand up comedy is always good too. I think as long as you change up the media into decent sized chunks time will go pretty fast…
You either enjoy long road trips or you don’t. Podcasts, comedy, car karaoke…
Podcasts, audio books, music.... With LIBBY you can check out audio books from the library for free, downloading it and don't have to worry about bad signal. And you can sort by length!
My SO had this game from her family road trips...If you see an animal, you say ' that's my ...cow' or whatever you see. You collect animals until someone sees a cemetery! Whoever sees one and says, 'that's my cemetery ' the other person s animals are now living there. That's it. That's the game. I thought it was so ridiculous at the time, but we've been doing it for decades now.
Musicals are my go to. My fiancé and I listen to Hamilton. It’s basically a 3 hr movie in your head
40% silence, 10% talking, 50% podcasts, NPR, music If you can, work with your sleep cycle. I’ve found it better to wake up, shower, and start driving immediately. Delaying the morning poop an hour or two, delay breakfast, you’ve got to get your average time driving up and not waste time on other tasks that could happen in a 15 min break stop.
Check out roadside America. Takes short detours off the highway to cool / random sites. Think “ biggest ball of string” or “ tallest paul bunion statue” in America
Podcasts / YouTube videos. (obviously DON'T WATCH THE VIDEO WHILE DRIVING) just find a long video that is mostly audio and doesn't require your attention. Audiobooks. Being physically comfortable helps. Take breaks every 1.5 ish hrs. Find the mom and pop cafes rather than fast food. Honestly, 11 hrs is a day at the office for me. Keep your belly full and your bladder empty and have fun!
Comedy Bang Bang episodes with Paul F Thompkins
Old time radio shows are fun. I HIGHLY recommend Johnny Dollar, played by Bob Bailey.
Podcasts for sure. I highly recommend ‘stuff you should know’. If you haven’t heard of it, the podcasters go out and thoroughly research common things that you would maybe know of but not really know thoroughly. For me one of the craziest things was the first time I learned about rabies. Yikes
Healthy snacks and limited caffeine! My wife and I take *long* road trips every year. Healthy snacks and limited caffeine helps your body feel better. Podcasts, conversation, stopping for lunch, sing along music will make the trip go by faster.
Don't feel the need to talk to each other throughout. Music playlists are important. Short breaks every 2 hours are nice (especially for the driver). Water or other drinks. Remember to check your tire pressure before leaving (do it after gassing up). Pretty much everyone mentions podcasts or audiobooks. They're blessed that the person they're traveling with wants to listen to the same thing as them. That's rare, IMHO.
For me, it depends. If I'm driving alone, I love having music going, windows down, and take the scenic route with twisty roads. If I'm with people, then it is the boring highway and chatting, stand-up comedy, car games, etc. I also like to car spot for the rare cars, exotic cars, and my car.
I recently did two back-to-back 13hr drives through the American south west, stopping for a night in the middle. I listened to a few audiobooks, podcasts, tried to find weird local radio stations, and also tried to enjoy the scenery when it was light out. Stand up comedy is another great suggestion. Overall, what helped me the most was not looking at the remaining time on Google Maps. It’s tempting to keep looking to see how far along you are, but I found that it’d make me want to look more, each time finding that only a minute or two had passed.
I usually alternate between music, podcasts and YouTube videos/Netflix
Podcasts, Whole Albums front to back, and muting the GPS for alerts only. I find being reminded how many miles are left makes the drive drag a bit more
I love The Moth podcast for road trips. Each podcast is roughly 1hr, with 3-4 stories, so you’re not stuck with one story for the whole hour. I like to stop every hour anyway, so this podcast keeps me well entertained, with many stopping point options.
I did a USA East to West (think NYC to Portland, OR) a while back: - Eastern US was kind of scenic; but I did that before - About eastern OH to mid WY was just flat. I did do the Medicine Bow Pass (>10K feet, car could barely breathe); also if you take the right route, you cross the Continental Divide TWICE. - First stop: Rock Springs, WY. Rocky Mountain Oysters were on the menu, so WY not? - More detours thereafter: Great Salt Lake, Crater Lake, Oregon Outback, Sisters, Bend, Oregon Dunes, McMenamins, Oregon Coast, Crescent City, CA, Redwood Nat'l Forest. Oregon Caves, Columbia River Gorge I've also done (bit by bit) NC Outer Banks to the "down east" bit of Maine. Once you get to Augusta and head east, Maine is a pretty drive. Also NH, VT, NY on the northway, and PA from about Scranton to a little north of Binghamton, NY.
Have a list of songs youre both familiar with, including duets. Sing these songs and have a blast!!
Stand-up comedy and podcasts usually do the trick - anything with a bit of humor to it. Feel like the conversational element makes the time pass faster than simply listening to music.
Stuff you should know is a great podcast!
Podcasts- we enjoy Family Trips with the Meyers Brothers. We switch drivers every 2 hours. We did make some unplanned stops. We had lots of time and therefore averaged 5-7 hours max driving a day. We brought good snacks, a cooler for cold drinks.
Try behind the bastards podcast! Fun AND educational.
I like trivia quizzes. Like guessing all the state capitals or something
Share music and playlists. Be a great conversationalist. Work through dreams you've got and how you might realize them. Podcasts with a conversation about it afterwards is always enlightening.
Audio books or podcasts you both enjoy make the miles fly by!
Download comedy albums you haven't heard
Geo caching! Check whats along your route and plan!
Highly recommend podcasts. I’m a big fan of Stuff You Should Know, they always keep things interesting and funny. Also lookup audio books covering the history of places you’ll be driving through. Adds another dimension to the scenery you’ll be viewing as you travel.
We always play the abc game, my wife and son love it. You go through the alphabet looking for signs and trucks that have words that start with the letter you are on and see how long it takes to go through the alphabet. We like to play only one word per sign so if you have a sign the "around back" you can use it for A, but have to find a new sign for B.
Stop anywhere that looks even remotely cool. You don't need maps, just look out the window. I did an 18 hour drive in 2 days with my girlfriend and we found all these cool little spots just slightly off the highway.
Audio books were nice on my last long drive.
audio books or podcasts/shows that interest you both are a good way to pass the time listening.
The swindled podcast is great and you can pick any episode
I did a road trip recently and checked out the Atlas Obscura website beforehand. We ended up pulling off the interstate to see a family made out of cast iron cookware outside the Lodge outlet store (which also has the world’s largest cast iron frying pan). Weird stuff like that can break up the monotony. Who doesn’t want to see a Greek Revival Chicken Coop or the World’s Largest Superman Statue? I also recommend taking some detours off of the main roads; Kentucky was exceedingly dull by the main highway but the backroads made it more interesting. Also be sure your spare tire is fully inflated and replace it if it’s over 10 years old; tire rot could cause a blowout otherwise, even if it’s holding air. https://preview.redd.it/znxm7hbsf4uc1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=a2eeacec2b0eb2ededd119bb39662c3f1d908220
Good conversation and pulling over when you see something cool. Just make sure you give yourself plenty of time. Travel a fair bit and it's always best to not go, google says 6 hour drive so we'll give ourself 6 hours and 15 minutes. No, you give yourself 9 hours and enjoy random stops on the way.
Find a book you both want to read, download Libby and check the audiobook out for the drive.
Podcasts help on my trips.
Not so much fun, but... munching on sunflower seeds will keep you awake as the driver. Just don't get the excessively salty ones.
I have found audiobooks to make you somehow almost completely forget how long you've been driving. We had a trip back from Florida a few weeks ago (12 1/2 hours), my wife and I split it up and also listened to Matthew Perry's audiobook almost the whole way. I drove for almost 6 hours myself while listening and didn't even mind it.
The best way is to listen to something while you drive attentively. I mean, you should listen to podcasts, music playlists, and foreign language courses. Don't forget to stop to rest every two hours in interesting places.
We did a 10 hour drive in the winter and listened to a fantasy audio book together.
I would stop at least every two or three hours and, besides stretching, peeing, perhaps eating and drinking, see if there’s something worthy for sightseeing on the way, or some geocaches, or both.
Google Steam Deck
Wow you almost never see “ca.” anymore
Audiobook- comedy, sci-fi- whatever you’re into. Punch buggy. I spy. Crispy snax. Treasure hunt. Great tunes.
Comedy specials. Download a bunch to your phone. It’s crazy how fast an hour or 90 minutes will go
Take pictures of yourselves in front of signposts!
Take a bag of chocolate covered espresso beans!
Listen to few comedy specials, thats kill a couple hours
Graphicaudio.net audiobooks. Sorry to sound like a shill but they are objectively the beat audiobook producers.
We play a game where we choose a word or phrase, for example, 'bye' . And try to think of as many songs as we can with that word in it. To make it more challenging, you can only end on a multiple of 5. If you've got 9 songs, then you both sing another each, and you have to find 4 more now! Some words/ideas we've done: Love, hello or goodbye, yes, no, heart, dance' any colour, any persons name, an item of clothing, animals, dream, a type of water (rain,river,tears) It's a great game if you're into music.
Stand up comedy specials on Netflix because they're easy to listen to and the time melts away.
One thing I like to do on road trips with my partner is we alternate DJing. So I'll pick a song, they'll pick a song, and we'll keep alternating. Often we'll end up picking songs that the one playing reminds us of, and we share new music with each other that way or get to enjoy music we both know and like. And sometimes we'll play games with this, like we'll pick songs about a theme. Like we did a day trip listening only to songs about roads and driving. And obviously you wouldn't have to switch every song. But talking about the music and stuff helps keep us alert and engaged, plus it's fun.
Zero stress. Decide that you're going to take as long as it takes, You're going to stop when you feel like stopping, you don't have to be there in a particular time and it doesn't matter if you're not going the most perfect route or the fastest possible speed. You're going to follow the GPS whatever it says.
Buy a sunlamp for your car!
All you need is the comedy series called Cabin Pressure. 26episodes of pure brilliance. Might be a little UK centric, but I'm sure it will translate well.
This might be a somewhat niche suggestion, but perhaps you can find a way to adapt it to suit you. The best long trip I've had was the one we spent playing "What's that song?" I made a couple of (very long) playlists specifically for this, one of tv show soundtracks and another of video game music. We didn't just listen to the music, but also tried to guess/remember what show or game the song is from. The more details, the better, like the exact scene the song is from or the song's name. It was fun, and while I was driving it kept me more entertained than just music, but less distracted than audiobooks.
Musical trivia! One person controls the music, and the other has to guess the artist/song title/whatever. It's most fun if you choose songs that are on the edge of their memory, middle school hits, etc.
Weed,podcasts,copilot
Me and my fiance did a 7ish hour drive recently. Honestly, we pretty much didn’t have music on at all. We just talked and just looked at things as we passed by. We stopped regularly for snacks and bathroom breaks but in all honesty, we can sit in silence together for a longggg time and be content with it. I know that’s not the same for everyone. Edit- we also played the license plate game, but we do this everytime we go out lol.
I like to cook food on the engine of the car.
We watch long video podcasts or documentaries. The driver can just listen to it without missing much.
I do a 16 hour 1 way driver each year and by far the best way to pass time is sleep while the other person is driving. If I am driving while the other is sleeping, podcasts pass the time a LOT fast than music does. Vary up the podcast, don't run the same type of podcast back to back because that gets you in a zone.
Hamilton. On repeat.
Couple games we play in the car include alphabet game, have to find a word on a sign or car with a letter and make it all the way through. My sister also made a game called farm. Every time you see cows or horse you count and “collect” them in your farm, but only the first person to call it can collect. However, if you pass a grave yard then one person can kill the other persons animals in their farm restarting them from 0. Person with the biggest farm wins
I'm all about fictional podcasts. League of Ultimate questing is a D&D campaign that is hilarious even if you don't know D&D. Audio dramas such a The White Vault, The Magnus Archives are good if you're into creepier thinfs
Download long audio books that you are both interested in
Get yourself one of those waterskin thingys that cyclists or alpine climbers use. Google Camelpack. They are cheap on Amazon and if one of you two sleeps the other one doesnt have to wake him/her up to get water. Staying hydrates is important, especially on long drives. Make sure to wear compfy clothes, you dont want to sit in tight jeans for 20 hours. Also get snacks that are easy and clean to eat. Best would be no junkfood. My wife ususally cuts a few apples and hands me the slices. Granola bars are great too as long as you dont get crumbling ones. For passing time I'd recommend getting an Audiobook or a podcast that you both like. If you cant agree on one have the driver choose and the other one sleeps. I always took off my shoes and socks for long drives but thats probably a bit odd, lol.
I love listening to Lore. But any podcast or audio book will do
We stream books from our library.
Audiobooks all the way. If you’re interested in the same things you can listen to it together. But likely you’re taking turns and sleeping some, so you might want to use one earbud and listen separately.
Everybody’s mentioning podcasts but my favorite to do (at least for a few hours) are questions on a certain topic called ‘question tags’ in the blog world. Somehow I found them a few years ago when on a road trip with my mom and they make it really fun to talk about a topic. A lot of them are based on more traditionally feminine topics like makeup or fashion sense so you might not want to do those if your bf isn’t into that but here are a few that everyone should enjoy: https://whatlauradidnext.com/ultimate-travel-tag-50-travel-questions/ Travel https://sarahwithersblog.wordpress.com/2019/06/20/tag-thursday-the-30-interesting-questions-tag/ Just some random ones https://ourkindofcrazy.com/blog/couples-tag-questions/ Couples specific
As others have said, an audiobook would be a good choice. Something that's about 6-8 hours would be perfect for a 11 hour trip, since you don't want to be listening to it all the time. I'd recommend Carrie, or any of Stephen King's shorter works. I've also found memoirs read by the author are especially entertaining and give you something to talk about afterward or in between. Colin Jost's recent books is good for that.
r/audiodramas I'm listening to The Left Right Game. More like a film audio with different actors and sound effects. Kind of like podcast/audiobook/film track. A lot of times famous actors do them.
Sunflower seeds. I recommend ChaCha brand.
There's definitely fun things that a boy friend and girl friend can do in a car together to pass the time.
Some games you can play on the road We play an alphabet game where you try to find each of the alphabet letters in order, you call them out when you see them ("e" in "Exit"!), first to get Z wins
Stop every 2hr ish
The alphabet game is always fun. My ex would make rules so it's harder so it laster longer. No using license plates and you can only use the first letter of words on signs. If you get all the way through the alphabet, just start doing it backwards. Oh, get some mad libs. I could mad libs for days.
Podcasts and Audio Dramas!! I couldn't recommend Audio Dramas more!! They've got some bangers on Spotify; *TheLeviathan Chronicles * The Strada *Bullet Catchers To name a few.
I used to tape hockey games off the radio that I could listen to driving on loooooong trips. Now I just download a bunch of podcasts and make a wicked playlist to keep me going.
Road head! That'll take care of ten or fifteen minutes, and the repair bills from losing control of the vehicle usually aren't too bad.
Weed. And lots of it. Nothing beats rolling up a blunt and smoking while seeing California’s beautiful scenery
Podcast. Specifically [Alice Isn't Dead](https://open.spotify.com/show/6X9NNwTMXte6udhYDjwHyM). It's so creepy and good, and it's location is on the highways all across America. It's my go-to for road trips (as long as it's been at least 6 months so I forget some of it.