Even when things run on time, you still spend hours waiting around.
Most people talk about the trip or the destination, but the bit in between can be a strange sort of limbo – it’s not quite restful and not quite productive either.
You’re not really doing anything, but you still end up feeling drained by the time you arrive.
That’s why it helps to have a few ways to gently pull your focus somewhere else, you want nothing that feels like effort but just something to make the hours pass without constantly checking the time.
You don’t have to follow every word and you don’t have to learn anything or concentrate hard.
It’s just enough to keep your thoughts from spiralling into boredom.
Even if you’ve never been into podcasts, give one a go on your next trip as they can be so good for this.
Reading works too, but not always in the traditional sense with a book or kindle in your hand, as you might find yourself skimming the same paragraph over and over because the announcements keep interrupting or the light’s not quite right.
In those cases, even scrolling through an article or flicking through a digital magazine can be enough as it’s still something to focus on that isn’t a departure board.
Getting into a good series that you’ve wanted to watch for a while is another idea, especially if youd never usually have the time to spend on something like that at home.
A game that’s not too over stimulating like Solitaire is a good shout for travel, or even scribbling a few thoughts in a notebook, or going through the photos on your phone and deleting the blurry ones are simple little things you could do.
None of it feels like a task, it’s more about keeping your hands busy and your mind just lightly engaged.
Travel can make space for that kind of thing as you’re not at home and you’re not quite anywhere else yet, so your brain has this little pause where it doesn’t feel pulled in too many directions.
You tend to cycle through from one need to the next – something to eat, something to look at, something to do.
It’s not boring in the same way, but it can be exhausting.
That’s where small wins really matter, find a game that holds their attention for even ten minutes, or letting them pick a snack they wouldn’t usually have at home, can buy you just enough breathing space to regroup.
You don’t need hours of silence, sometimes a few quiet minutes is enough.
Even something as simple as talking through what’s going to happen next can help as kids like knowing what’s coming.
When the wait feels vague or endless, they get restless so giving them a sense of the plan can sometimes settle things.
People talk about catching up on work, learning something new, planning the week ahead..
If that makes things feel easier, then great go with it.
But there’s also nothing wrong with doing very little.
That in between space doesn’t need to be filled with goals or achievements – it’s perfectly fine to just let it be quiet.
Looking out the window, closing your eyes for five minutes, watching the people around you without really thinking about it.
These things count. They help you reset in a way that scrolling through emails or forcing yourself to focus never quite does.
The waiting part of travel isn’t going away any time soon!
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