7 Ways to Pass the Time on Long Road Trips

A road trip is a great way to escape your day-to-day routine and bond with friends or family. If you plan on hitting the open road sometime soon, you want to plan ahead. During long road trips, there are moments when you and your loved ones will get bored. Here are seven ways to pass the time on long road trips.

Quick Summary: Planning engaging activities is essential when preparing for long road trips across state lines. Travelers wondering what to do on a long car trip can mix interactive road trip games with digital audiobooks and mobile entertainment to keep everyone engaged. Knowing what to do when your bored on a road trip transforms a grueling highway haul into a fun, shared memory for families leaving Muskogee.

Key Takeaways

• Interactive Play: Classical spoken games like the 50-state license plate search and 20 Questions keep passengers focused without causing screen fatigue.
• Audio Variety: Rotating between offline audiobooks, road trip playlists, and podcasts offers low-effort entertainment for late-night highway driving near Tulsa.
• Cabin Organization: Packing finger foods and organizing charging cables ahead of time keeps passenger stops short and stress-free.

Verified Travel Prep & Cabin Comfort

• Trip-Ready Inspections: Get multi-point pre-trip fluid, brake, and tire pressure checks live at our Muskogee service center before hitting open highways.

• Smart Device Integration: In-cabin testing for Ford SYNC® 4 connectivity, wireless Apple CarPlay®, and high-speed multi-device USB charging ports.

• On-Lot Road Trip Lineup: Explore road-trip-ready family SUVs and crew-cab trucks with integrated rear-seat power outlets on display at our dealership.

7 Fun Ways to Stay Entertained on the Road

1. Movies

If you have a laptop, tablet, or smartphone, you or your loved ones can watch movies during a long drive. Some vehicles have built-in screens on the back of the front seats, which can also entertain riders for long periods of time. A movie is a great way to make a long car ride feel shorter.

2. The License Plate Game

Everyone who’s ever been on a road trip knows the License Plate Game. If you’re unfamiliar, players of the game must look for license plates on other vehicles from the 50 United States. Whoever finds the most license plates in the most different states win. To raise the stakes, have the winner pick where you will stop for dinner, or have the loser buy the winner a snack at a rest stop.

3. 20 Questions

Twenty questions is another game you and your loved ones can play on a long road trip. To play, one person must pick a noun. Then, the other players must guess the noun by asking 20 questions. If players don’t guess the noun in 20 questions or less, the person who picked the word wins. If the guessers discover the correct answer in less than 20 questions, they win the game.

4. Video Games

Video games are another way riders can entertain themselves while traveling from here to there. Many smartphones and tablets are available with video game apps that are fun and time-consuming. Portable gaming systems are also an ideal option.

5. Listening to Music

Studies show that listening to music can actually make a road trip feel shorter. If you plan to drive for hours at a time, turn up the radio and sing along to your favorite songs. A little karaoke can entertain riders and pass the time.

6. Audiobooks or Podcasts

If you and your riders can’t agree on a music playlist, think about queuing up some podcasts or audiobooks. Do you and your friends enjoy true crime? Do your children like to listen to fairytales? Listening to an interesting book or podcast can entertain riders for hours at a time.

7. Car Picnic

You’re going to get hungry on your trip, so why not have a car picnic? Pack some tasty foods that are easy to eat while the car is moving, such as sandwiches, wraps, or bars. Don’t forget some drinks. Fill up some water bottles for your trip so you and your riders don’t get too thirsty while you’re on the go.

Smart Cabin Technology to Keep Everyone Entertained

When you spend hours driving along rural highways near McAlester or navigating long stretches toward Tahlequah, having a modern cabin layout makes a huge difference. Finding fun things to do on a long road trip becomes much easier when your vehicle keeps all your devices powered and connected. Modern Ford crossovers and trucks feature multiple high-speed USB ports alongside available 110V household-style power outlets, meaning tablets and portable game consoles never run out of battery midway through the trip.

At James Hodge Ford, our road-trip specialists always recommend setting up your media before pulling out of the driveway. Using intuitive touchscreens with Apple CarPlay® or Android Auto™ lets you queue up family podcasts, switch playlists through steering wheel controls, and manage turn-by-turn navigation without taking your eyes off the road. Knowing what to do in long road trips comes down to balancing these tech features with classic car games, giving everyone a smooth ride from start to finish.

Hit the road for your next trip in a trustworthy vehicle. You can shop with James Hodge Ford to find the perfect road trip car for you and your friends or family.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the best road trip games to play without screens? 

The most engaging screen-free road trip games are classic verbal challenges like 20 Questions, the License Plate Game, and the Alphabet Sign Game, which involve every passenger without requiring extra gear.

What to do on a long car trip when passengers get restless? 

When deciding what to do on a long car trip during restless stretches, alternate between listening to an episodic true-crime or comedy podcast, passing out finger snacks, and planning a quick stretch stop at a scenic rest area.

What are the top things to do on a road trip to pass time quickly? 

The most effective things to do on a road trip include singing along to shared playlists, listening to engaging audiobooks, and running handheld video game competitions among backseat passengers in Oklahoma.

How should drivers prepare their vehicle before taking long road trips? 

Before setting off on long road trips, inspect tire tread depth and fluid levels, clean the interior cabin windows, download offline map routes, and pack an emergency safety kit at our service center.