Dealing with Long Van Journeys

If you’re putting in hundreds of miles of driving every single day, then you’ll need the right sort of stimulation. After all, all that time in the driver’s seat can be pretty dull. While it’s probably not desirable to try to eliminate boredom from your life entirely, countless hours spent sitting in one position can eventually grind down even the most committed daydreamer.

Let’s take a look at a few ways in which we might make those long journeys a little bit more tolerable.

Audio Books
The problem with yammering talk-radio is that no-one’s put much thought into the subjects they’re droning on about. The result is one person’s strongly-expressed opinions battering against your eardrums for hours on end. And who needs that?

Instead, it’s better to listen to a book. That way you can be sure that the thoughts you’re hearing were arrived at after some considerable thought. There are hundreds, nay, thousands of audiobooks available, covering just about every subject you care to imagine. Thus, your interests are bound to have been covered by someone!

Podcasts
Alternatively, there are podcasts. Podcasts have a different, but considerable, advantage over radio in that they can be incredibly specialised. If you’d like to learn the ins and outs of Brexit and what it means, for example, you’ll have several to choose from. The same, again, applies to neuroscience, history, pottery and everything else you can think of.

Music
Obviously, music in your van is going to provide a little bit of entertainment. And with the advent of streaming services and voluminous smartphone-storage, you’ll be able to listen to weeks, months and days of it without ever running into a repeat. Try branching out into something a little different if you’re getting bored of the same old tunes – there must be some reason that so many people listen to jazz for pleasure, right?

Chew Gum
This one might sound a bit weird to drivers who aren’t already committed gum-chewers. But chewing gum can help to keep you alert, and help with circulation problems. Give it a try.

Breaks
When you’re driving for a long time, it becomes especially important to pull over to stretch your legs occasionally. This will help to top-up your focus, as well as giving you the opportunity to grab a bite to eat and take a bathroom break. If you’ve got a deadline to keep, then you might need to restrict your breaks to just a few minutes or so – but don’t be tempted to skip them entirely.

Hydrate
Being as you’re going to be taking regular breaks, it makes sense to keep yourself properly hydrated. Take a re-usable glass bottle and fill it with water every time you stop. Keep a tank of it with a tap in the back of the van, and you’ll be able to refill without having to fork out a few quid every time. If that sounds cheap, then you probably aren’t aware of just how much you’re spending! Alternatively, you can always sample the local tap water.