Trip to bountiful boredom

YOU can finally smell it--vacation fever is in the air. Finally, that much-awaited road trip would soon materialize. Imagine a long strip of road with no traffic, your car running smooth on the highway as you listen to your favorite record in full volume. The morning sunshine firing up everything with its energy. The wind blowing in your hair…

But wait. Reality check: we’re in the Philippines where highways are unpredictable. You’d have to spend a good two to three hours on the road before you could reach your desired destination. It gets to a point you’d rather go farther away so you could take a ferry or a plane just to avoid the nightmarish car build-up. If you’re lucky, however, and your car is miraculously going fast, then there’s still something that we all have to address: the problem of boredom. Sometimes, singing to your favorite song just isn’t fun anymore and so here are tips to get through travelling without being bored:

Keep ’em rollin’. Some people just have it. When it comes to traveling, some people have the ability to follow something with their eyes without getting a splitting headache. Like being able to read "Unbearable Lightness of Being" on the road, which could be a double whammy for a light reader like me. Or cross-stitching on a forsaken windy highway with the car’s minimum lighting. Our 2bU! chief of correspondents has the ability to make those tiny beaded bracelets while in a moving cab. If you don’t have these talents, bring a nice book, your latest hobby and some paracetamol just in case.

Make your walkie do some talking. Horror story: You haven’t bought a tape in the last six months. You’re tired of listening to your old albums. You didn’t take any of them on your trip. You brought your Walkman.

While on the bus, you whip out your Walkman and try to find a decent FM station. No signal. You gasp! You choke! You’re bored to death!

Okay, it’s an exaggerated, insipid horror story, but it kept you in suspense, right? Come on, admit it. Audio books could just be your cup of tea. Basically, they’re books read out loud and recorded for you, so you won’t get that splitting headache I mentioned earlier. From "Star Wars" to Stephen King thrillers, there a quite a number of titles to choose from. Just avoid stories with vehicular mishaps in them for a more comfortable ride.

Snap with a click. So you’re a budding photographer? Then this road trip may just be the next project you need. A video camera is not necessarily the only item that can chronicle your traveling experiences. All you need are two to five rolls of film and you’re all set. Start taking pictures even before you get in the car or bus. Catch your friends yawning, moaning and drooling while sleeping. Capture everything that surrounds you--the traffic, accidents, crossing animals, highway sidestands and ordinary folks. The right eye may be all that’s needed to make these images beautiful. Nature and your friends shouldn’t be the only subjects of your photographs.

Extend insomnia hours. How about not sleeping the night before your trip? Yup, it sounds so simple, it’s stupid. But believe me, that’s how I will fight boredom when my 10-hour trip up north pushes through. Come to think of it, dreaming is worth spending your time on. Aside from the chance that you’ll get a good one, arriving relaxed at your destination, is really a major plus. This is worth considering especially if you’re traveling alone, or stuck with dull companions. Then, the perfect snooze pillow and your most comfortable position are all that you’ll ever need.

Chat by your lonesome. Speaking of all you’ll ever need, the ever reliable mobile phone would also be perfect for the solitary voyager. Network companies have devised another profitable scheme where lonely souls can hook up with other individuals to text about everything under the sun. It’s different from the anonymous Internet chatrooms, though, of course, there are quite a number of limitations to mobile chatting. Who knows, you may encounter someone who lives in the place you’re going to? Consider this, though, it’s cheaper to stick to texting. You may see yourself reloading so much credit into your cell phone with mobile chat. For more instructions on this topic, visit your service provider’s website.

Flash and see them blush. You’ve seen it on "Romy and Michele" and "Dude, Where’s My Car"? You’ve seen it in most Hollywood films. How about seeing it for yourself? I’m talking about making faces, sticking out your tongue, practically anything that would derive attention and a reaction from the people in other cars. One time, a friend beside the driver’s seat made a sign that said, "He wants your phone number!" and plastered it on the window. Just one of those ways to amuse yourself by looking stupid.

Chronicle with a cassette. My friends and I cannot get over the recordings I made during our junior high school trip. Armed with a cassette recorder, I interviewed most of my classmates and had them sing silly songs, rant over our teachers, answer senseless questions and impart "inspiring" quotations. It’s really a better--and amusing--way to get to know your friends (or in this case, classmates) better. You could ambush interview someone, then review and laugh over it later. You would realize how much you suck. Try spoofing Mike Enriquez and describe the sights as you go by, and you’d find it so idiotic and funny at the same time. Even the recordings I made of the teacher scolding someone in class provided comic relief while traveling. With the funny things you’ll be doing on your trip this year, you’ll have something to listen to on the next. All these you can do while on the move.

Dig out those skeletons. Mwahaha… finally, you’ve got them cornered! There is no escape. The truth is out. Isn’t it fun when you finally get that chance to ask your friend about his girlfriend who dumped him for a girl who used to be his crush in high school? Yes, there is always something like that in your barkada, and being stuck in a car in the middle of nowhere is the perfect opportunity to learn their deepest, darkest secrets. But then again, who knows what you yourself are hiding, so go easy with the questioning.

Know the game. Of course, one just has to include games on lists like this. From card to memory games, one can select the most appropriate ones for his/her friends’ tastes. You still don’t know what games you can play on your nice little trip? Here’s an idea: Each player must pick out a battle name. Write the names down on a piece of paper then set aside. Then divide into two teams. Designate a team leader who’d be responsible for your team strategy. When all is set, begin timer. First one to make a sound will be voted off the car. Then listen to your designated driver sigh with relief.