Not all train journeys are as glamorous as travelling on the Trans-Siberian Express or the Orient Express. Speed, safety, and comfort are the more usual reasons for a long train journey for most. Here we offer some tips for the times when a long train journey becomes boring: read a book, play games on your mobile or download the latest bet365 mobile app and follow the game of your favourite sports team or player, chat with the other people in the train or just relax and do nothing.
Conversation
If you are in a train carriage with other people, start chatting. Everyone you meet has a story, find out theirs. You are more likely to have an interesting conversation and possibly even strike up a friendship rather than meet someone you don’t like. Having conversations with locals may also give you interesting local knowledge about your destination.
If you are on a train journey with mostly local people in a different country, this is an amazing opportunity to observe a piece of real life for the locals. If a language barrier prevents conversation, watch the people around you and invent stories to match them all.
Read and write
Whilst you may have packed a book for a long train journey, also carry some writing materials. When there’s little to see from your train window, writing is a great way to deal with boredom. Write a letter to a friend or relative or write down a list of places you would like to travel to in the future. If your long train journey is part of an extended trip away from home, buy a beautiful notebook to carry with you. A place not only to write practical information like timetable notes and currency conversions, it’s also a way to journal your thoughts and experiences.
Future plans
Most of us have little free time due to the demands of work and home. This gives us little time to consider what we really want for our future. When travelling, we can often be inspired by something that we have seen that we would like to incorporate into our lives when we return home. Unfortunately it’s very easy to forget both the concrete ideas and the inspired feeling, whether this be about future work, a new hobby or somewhere new you want to visit. Write these down so you don’t forget.
Practice doing nothing
We don’t have to be busy all the time. Try doing nothing. Turn off your electronic devices and practice some meditation, just relax and be in the moment.