Continuing with our summer travel series, today we look at what to do en route from home to your destination. What you do en route depends in large part on your mode of travel.

If you are traveling by train or plane:

• I find that a long plane ride is the perfect time to catch up on reading. No phone or email or Internet to distract you. (Yes, I know that many planes offer wi-fi in the air, but why pay to be more distracted?) I will carry a book or two I’ve been meaning to read.
• There are two good ways to keep from having to carry heavy books. First, use e-books. Many libraries lend out e-books that you can read on a phone or tablet. Increasingly, airlines (especially on longer flights) offer USB ports for recharging. You can download a vacation’s worth of beach reading onto a device that weighs less than 2 pounds. Second, buy used books and leave them behind as you read them. I’ve passed on books to flight attendants and left them in libraries at resorts and B&Bs.
• I sometimes use long flights to watch movies I never made it to the theater to see.
• Children can read or watch videos or play games on a tablet. Be sure to pack ear buds.
• Journal.
• Carry old magazines that you can discard as you read them.
• Nap.
• Hand write personal letters.
• Crochet or do needlework. Crochet hooks pass through security easily, as does needlework as long as you remember to bring short-bladed safety scissors.

If you are traveling by car (and you are not the driver):

• Books on tape are a good idea. Many libraries loan out audio books. Look for family favorites or books set in your destination.
• Play classic car games like “I Spy” and the license plate game.
• Consider investing in travel games like Scrabble, backgammon, checkers, and the like.
• Crocheting and knitting do well in the car.
• Watch the signs to look for interesting places to stop.
• You’ll notice that watching DVDs or playing video games are not on this list. We all have more than enough screen time the rest of the year. When there are other things to see and do, why not?

How do you pass your time while traveling?