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kenmc's avatar

I'm going to be on a bus for roughly 30 hours. What are some good ways to waste this time?

Asked by kenmc (11773points) April 20th, 2009

If you remember this question, you might remember me expressing an interest in traveling by Greyhound. Well, I’ve bought the ticket and now have a day and 5 hours to kill riding 888 miles. What could I do with this time?

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32 Answers

NaturalMineralWater's avatar

Book, IPOD, mini-game system thingy (i don’t have one so I don’t know what they are called), road games, sleep, conversation (probably the best one)

The_Compassionate_Heretic's avatar

A book is the best way to go.
iPods will run out of battery life in a short period of time comparatively and will burn you out on every single piece of music you own.

gailcalled's avatar

This is your chance to read Moby Dick, Ulysses or all of Jane Austen.. Perhaps listening to a book on CDs is easier than trying to read on a bumpy bus with fumes giving you a headache.

hungryhungryhortence's avatar

Whatever you do, don’t fall asleep or take your eyes off any belongings. Take your own toilet paper.

The_Compassionate_Heretic's avatar

@hungryhungryhortence That’s a very good point. There are some gnarly people that ride the Greyhound.

hungryhungryhortence's avatar

@The_Compassionate_Heretic & Boots

Hx3 knows has ridden the Greyhound and Trailways

jonsblond's avatar

Bring Mad Libs. If you’re lucky,
you might meet a fellow passenger to play with.

KatawaGrey's avatar

I agree that a book is an excellent idea. Bring something with some variety such as a book of stories by different authors or a few short books so you don’t get bored. Bring a notebook to write stuff down in. A deck of cards would be good too. You could write letters to those people you’ve been meaning to write to. Do you play a tcg? You could build a deck or two while you ride.

The_Compassionate_Heretic's avatar

If you draw, bring your sketchbooks. If you don’t bring a journal to write your thoughts. You will most assuredly experience things of interest.

Simone_De_Beauvoir's avatar

start writing your memoir
or wedding vows

SeventhSense's avatar

I would suggest anything of value be locked up below. Just keep a couple books, some periodicals and some snacks. Keep your cash in your front pockets.

Darwin's avatar

Books, cards, Nintendo DS or equivalent, sketch pad, cell phone, iPod, snacks, knitting or some other portable handicraft, something to put over the seat before you sit on it, toilet paper, and a pillow. Also a jacket with pockets you can zip shut that can hold your electronics.

filmfann's avatar

The last time I took a bus was going to my Aunt’s birthday in Las Vegas. While my daughter and I waited at the station for the bus to arrive, I watched a man kill another man outside the station. He then walked into the station yelling, bragging about one punching a guy to death.
No more busses for me. Trains are more romantic.

James_Mal's avatar

Having a good book to read is quite an entertaining thing. If you are interested at all in drawing, or doodling, maybe a notebook and pen. It would be hard to draw anything, but it would still keep me busy. If you own any portable MP3 players, or hand held game systems, those are usually pretty nifty. I would bring my computer, and I’m unsure if you have a portable one you can bring (laptops do run out of juice pretty quick though.)

Here is a humorous list of 474 Things To Do When You’re Bored. It should be able to supply you with some fun things to do to keep you busy. That’s about all I’ve got.

Jeruba's avatar

I would probably have at least three books with me, serious. light, and a page-turner, and more likely a notebook than a laptop. A laptop takes some elbow room. I would not rely on or even want conversation, and I would not care to sit next to somebody who expected me to entertain him with talk for 30 hours.

SeventhSense's avatar

@filmfann
That’s insane.
I remember taking a bus to Virginia with my sister when I was 11. We bought a joint from this old black dude(he must have been 70) and took turns smoking it in the bathroom. She was like 13 and we got so baked. The time went real fast those last 200 miles.

aviona's avatar

The longest bus ride I’ve done is 9 hours. My friend and I popped a bunch of Benadryl and passed out on each other almost the entire time. Music and reading (if you don’t get car sick, like me!), too.

James_Mal's avatar

@Jeruba I wouldn’t like to talk for 30 hours to anyone either! Maybe on my phone, through text messaging. But at least I could stop that at any time…

aviona's avatar

If there’s WiFi on board just Fluther the whole time!

Mamradpivo's avatar

Books and iPod. Do not, no matter how tempted you may be, eat pot food. Seriously, buses are just a tad too busy and lurchy for that. Trust me.

SeventhSense's avatar

What’s pot food?

The_Compassionate_Heretic's avatar

Food with pot in it.

Bluefreedom's avatar

Books, magazines, Kindle, iPod, portable DVD player, laptop computer, video game (I.E. – Nintendo DS or Sony PSP)

MacBean's avatar

Don’t bring any sharp objects or you’ll kill yourself.

I hate bus travel with the fiery heat of ten thousand suns. I will never ever travel by bus again, no matter the circumstances. I’d rather die.

discover's avatar

ipod
novels
Audio books
Cell phone games

kevbo's avatar

Keeping your feet from swelling.

_bob's avatar

See how many different answers you can come up with for “Why didn’t I just take a damn flight?”

sjmc1989's avatar

Throw things at people who are sleeping near you. Yeah you might get your ass kicked but that will make the time go by even faster

ohmyword's avatar

I’d say it’s a good time to do some thinking. but you probably already knew that. Catch up on reading, writing, list writing, planning, brain-wracking. That’s what I usually do on plane rides at least.

knj08sweeet's avatar

ipod, bring a friend, do some thinking, read a book, make up some questions to ask some peoples on the bus…

Strauss's avatar

In 1970 I made the trip by bus from New York to Minneapolis. I think it took about two days total, including a lo-o-ong layover in Chicago. I had several books and a transistor radio with an earphone.

Hint: don’t sit near the restroom

good time for thinking, planning, writing of any type, reading, etc.

I often remembered that trip whenever I heard Simon and Garfunkel’s America.

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