The Top 10 Ways To Improve Your Traveling Experience

August 24, 2006 on 7:28 pm | In top 10 |

As I write this article I am sitting on a train from Boston heading to New York. Riding the train has always been an enjoyable experience for me, and I figured it was due to my utilization of time during the journey. I want everyone to enjoy their travel time, so here is the top 10 ways to make the best of your long travels:

10. Don’t Sleep The Night Before
Now this may sound like a bad idea, and for the most part it is; but having the need for sleep on a long ride is a great time killer. If you only got a few hours of sleep the night before, set your cell phone alarm and take a much needed nap. Sure this isn’t the best thing for your sleep cycle, and that is why it ranks #10, but it can still be a rather enjoyable experience.

9. Engage In Conversation
People are interesting, period. If you have someone sitting near by, then take the initiative to strike up a conversation. Some of the most interesting people I have ever talked to have been on a train. Even if the person isn’t entertaining, it was worth a try!

8. Play A Game
If you have a laptop or a Nintendo DS, this can be an easy way to kill time. Playing a game for a few hours straight is a great way to make the time fly by. You play your DS when you can go outside, so why not play the DS when you can’t? Other suggestions include paper games such as crossword puzzles and Sudoku.

7. Read A Book/ Magazine
Some people love to read, and what better way than on a train? Usually I will pick up a sports or tech magazine right before my train ride and that will provide a few hours of relief. If you get “car sick” then skip this tip.

6. Bring Headphones
As long as you have a laptop, or a mp3 player, music can keep you entertained for hours on end. Usually I will buy an album on Itunes that I have been meaning to listen to and run it on repeat for the entire train ride.

5. Think/Scheme
I am a business man at heart and the best time to really think and conjure up business plans is on a long ride. You can really focus when there is limited resources at your disposal. So spend your time wisely and get to thinking!

4. Write A Blog Entry
This is exactly what I am doing right now. I have nothing better to do and I figured that this is probably the best time to write a top 10 of what to do on a train ride! A long travel period gives you plenty of time to brainstorm, rough draft, and produce.

3. Clean Your Computer
This is a great way to be efficient while riding the train. Clean up your dirty computer of all the useless junk you have accumulated. Delete old and outdated pictures and applications that you haven’t used in months. You will be happy you did this before your computer becomes overwhelmed with junk.

2. Get Work Done
For a college student like myself the train ride is a great place for me to get my work done. When I am around my friends there is a million things I would rather do than write a 7 page paper. This doesn’t hold true on a 4 hour train ride. Some of my best work has come during travel time!

1. Set and Keep Open Your Firefox
This is my number one way to waste time on the train. Right before I leave my apartment or house for the train ride I will open up my laptop and Firefox. Usually I will open up some 10-15 tabs of unread material. For this exact train ride I opened up Techcrunch, Boing Boing, Gizmodo, Mashable, Bill Simmons’ Mail bag, and Pro Blogger. That was a great hour or two of reading!

Most people hate traveling, but I feel like that I am most efficient when my opportunities are limited. I can get some great reading in, listen to a new album, write a college paper, and write this blog entry in one ride. What else could I ask for?

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The Top 10 Ways To Improve Your Traveling Experience

August 24, 2006 on 7:28 pm | In top 10 |

As I write this article I am sitting on a train from Boston heading to New York. Riding the train has always been an enjoyable experience for me, and I figured it was due to my utilization of time during the journey. I want everyone to enjoy their travel time, so here is the top 10 ways to make the best of your long travels:

10. Don’t Sleep The Night Before
Now this may sound like a bad idea, and for the most part it is; but having the need for sleep on a long ride is a great time killer. If you only got a few hours of sleep the night before, set your cell phone alarm and take a much needed nap. Sure this isn’t the best thing for your sleep cycle, and that is why it ranks #10, but it can still be a rather enjoyable experience.

9. Engage In Conversation
People are interesting, period. If you have someone sitting near by, then take the initiative to strike up a conversation. Some of the most interesting people I have ever talked to have been on a train. Even if the person isn’t entertaining, it was worth a try!

8. Play A Game
If you have a laptop or a Nintendo DS, this can be an easy way to kill time. Playing a game for a few hours straight is a great way to make the time fly by. You play your DS when you can go outside, so why not play the DS when you can’t? Other suggestions include paper games such as crossword puzzles and Sudoku.

7. Read A Book/ Magazine
Some people love to read, and what better way than on a train? Usually I will pick up a sports or tech magazine right before my train ride and that will provide a few hours of relief. If you get “car sick” then skip this tip.

6. Bring Headphones
As long as you have a laptop, or a mp3 player, music can keep you entertained for hours on end. Usually I will buy an album on Itunes that I have been meaning to listen to and run it on repeat for the entire train ride.

5. Think/Scheme
I am a business man at heart and the best time to really think and conjure up business plans is on a long ride. You can really focus when there is limited resources at your disposal. So spend your time wisely and get to thinking!

4. Write A Blog Entry
This is exactly what I am doing right now. I have nothing better to do and I figured that this is probably the best time to write a top 10 of what to do on a train ride! A long travel period gives you plenty of time to brainstorm, rough draft, and produce.

3. Clean Your Computer
This is a great way to be efficient while riding the train. Clean up your dirty computer of all the useless junk you have accumulated. Delete old and outdated pictures and applications that you haven’t used in months. You will be happy you did this before your computer becomes overwhelmed with junk.

2. Get Work Done
For a college student like myself the train ride is a great place for me to get my work done. When I am around my friends there is a million things I would rather do than write a 7 page paper. This doesn’t hold true on a 4 hour train ride. Some of my best work has come during travel time!

1. Set and Keep Open Your Firefox
This is my number one way to waste time on the train. Right before I leave my apartment or house for the train ride I will open up my laptop and Firefox. Usually I will open up some 10-15 tabs of unread material. For this exact train ride I opened up Techcrunch, Boing Boing, Gizmodo, Mashable, Bill Simmons’ Mail bag, and Pro Blogger. That was a great hour or two of reading!

Most people hate traveling, but I feel like that I am most efficient when my opportunities are limited. I can get some great reading in, listen to a new album, write a college paper, and write this blog entry in one ride. What else could I ask for?

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