With spring break on the horizon many students will be going through extensive drives or plane rides to reach their destinations, but there are many options for beating the boredom of road trips, including podcasts, audiobooks but games for the road.

“One thing my mom did for us when we were little was map out the entire trip and make a game out of it,” senior Sara Roibal said. “We would go on month-long road trips, and she would give us maps of our route, and our job was to watch signs and try to figure out where we were. We would also compete through counting the road kill on those trips. Now, I like to spend my eight-hour drive home listening to a playlist, audiobook or a true-crime podcast like Serial.”

Senior Bradley Marshall has to make a 30-hour trip every time he goes home to California, and he always tries to make his drive as scenic as possible.

“I usually route my trip through Utah and Wyoming instead of going through Oklahoma and New Mexico,” Marshall said. “When I’m on the road for 30 hours I really enjoy listening to audiobooks, I’ve recently listened to the Game of Thrones series and ‘12 Rules for Life’ by Jordan Peterson.”

Although audio books and podcasts are popular solutions to long hours on the road, some students have more creative options for the long haul. Senior Jenise Hiles plays a game with her family called “My Cows” that can get very competitive.

“In the south, there are tons of pastures, so when you see a pasture say, ‘my cows’ and that gives you one point,” Hiles said. “If you pass a church, you say, ‘I marry my cows” and your points double, and if you pass a graveyard you say, ‘I kill your cows,’ and that cancels all of someone else’s points. One time my mom got up to 14,000 points during a game.”

Spring break is full of long trips – alone or with friends – that are a great time to get creative or learn something, and there are plenty of podcasts, books and games to get the job done.