I'm going to Italy on tour on Monday, but we're going on a coach, so it'll take 24 hours to get there.

Can you suggest anything I can do to pass the time?

Nicki

Take a puzzle book?

Car Expert

Do some reading? Listen to your Ipod/MP3? Sleep? Goodness, that sounds like a really long journey!

History coursework? (No, just kidding)

Take your flute, and reeeeeeeaaaaaaaaaally annoy everyone by playing it all the way there.

Don't have any


Will take some books, but I sometimes feel a bit ill if I read on a bus. Am taking MP3 - hope the batter lasts


Well you never know


I'll have my flute with me, it's a music TOUR

Mp3 player, magazines (better than books imo, because you need less concentration), sleep, talk with friends, play car games, crosswords/sudoku etc, portable dvd player (a bit expensive though!), gameboy/PSPs...

Why not buy yourself a cheap sudoku puzzle book/crossword book from your local newsagent before you go?

I would try and get as much sleep as I possibly could, bearing in mind it will be poor quality sleep, while being plugged into my iPod. Enjoy the trip!!

Count how many trees pass by?

Seriously, try to sleep as much as you can (those inflatable support cushions really do wonders to your comfort), drink plenty of fluids, do seat exercises regularly (especially to keep those calf muscles moving), listen to music, read a book, play games (get a few of those miniature travel board games etc), practise aural tests(!).

Daydream?

Sleep. I've done 48 hour bus journeys before, and seriously, that's the best way to pass the time! Plus you feel really awake and happy the rest of the time when everyone else made themselves stay up the whole journey!

does the coach have a dvd/video player? most tend to and we used to stick on various films to while away the time (I can sympathise- have done the Italy coach thing before) and it was rather nice wathcing the Lord of the Rings while driving through gorgeous Swiss scenery!

Sing!

Take a theory workbook.

I've just been on a 27 hour trip to Austria. I:
Read
Listened to music
Talked to people
watched films on the telly
SLEPT!

Those are my suggestions.
Have a good time.

When we went on a choir tour to Paris (not quite as long a journey - I think about 13 hours in all...) I did cross-stitch on the way there & back. Downside being that I had a bit of a red patch on my elbow where it had continually rubbed against the arm rest for several hours. Upside being that it's relaxing and passes the time and you can also talk to people and watch films at the same time, which is something that I can't do when reading I never quite managed to stitch it all correctly, but oh well - the results all looked ok in the end

Learn some Italian words, from a phrase book - if you don't get car sick, that is!

Sit next to someone you don't really know and strike up a conversation. You'll be best mates even before you get to Dover.

Sit next to someone else on the way back!

Heehee! I know a lot of the people though

So you'll be able to gossip and giggle all the way there and all the way back, then.

Gossip and giggle

tht does sound rather good wen we went on tour to holland, i sat next to someone on the way there who slept on my shoulder the whole way. that was NOT good. so if you do sleep, please dont sleep ON someone xxx

3 weeks until I go on tour to Canada!! Yeaay!

My plan for getting through the travelling is involving rather strong sedatives...

Have an AMAZING time, I'm sure you will. Trips with friends are always immense.

It'll be nice because last year I know a grand total of 2 people, this year I know all of the flute section, some oboists and people who went on tour last year

Enjoy the senary! Italy's beautiful but you can always fall to sleep through france!!!!!

...and wake up in Belguim thinking 'Where the heck are we?' I did!

I had a similar trip when i went to Spain with the school, it wasn't too bad as every few hours we stopped at a service station to stretch our legs, but if you don't have that luxury, then just stay awake the night befor you go and sleep all the way there, that's what I did, before Irealises we were going to keep stopping and there was no need!

I don't have a long coach journey with an early start this year - we're flying to Barcelona! I do miss the idea of such a long drive, though - even though I can't do much on journeys because reading makes me travel sick even with my pills

Ideas:

- Eat chocolate (this never made me travel sick and it passes the time well as long as you don't overdo it)
- Watch Blackadder (this is what we did last year during all our mini-journeys around Brittany), The Simpsons (what my school did on the way back from Belgium) or anything of your choice. Take videos or DVDs if you can!
- Have a quiz if you've got any competitive adults around and can find people to generally participate (we did this all down the EuroTunnel with the history department)
- Sing really, really loudly and hope you have a lenient coach driver
- Su Doku (unless you get car-sick). Tesco do really cheap Su Doku books.
- Read (ditto about the travel sickness)
- Sleep (only if you're tired, though - don't force it or you will just feel awful and get none rather than be well-rested and wide awake)
- Chat about really random things (best done really late at night)
- Sing notes and phrases at someone with perfect pitch and ask them to tell you what the notes were (we do this just before concerts, but our perfect pitch person isn't coming on tour this year!).
- Listen to your MP3/iPod or borrow someone else's
- Play random car games (when I'm really, really bored, I count how many cars we overtake, starting at 0 and taking away 1 for every car that passes us)

I hope the coach journey's alright - where in Italy are you going? I should make it to Venice on tour next year

You could also form a vocal trio/quartet and sing popular songs in 3 or 4-part harmony. That can be quite fun too..!

Thanks for all those ideas, we're going to Perugia

Ummm, you think my voice is good enough to do that

We kind of did that in Brittany, it was fun. You know the bit with the voices before the verses in Circle of Life from the Lion King? It sounds kind of tribal. Anyway, we had someone on tour with us called Hannah, and the flautists were all hyper. So at random intervals the flautists would all start singing "Han-nah-nah-nah-nah-nah-nah-nah-nah-nah" to the tune of that and then the rest of us would break off into harmony. The only name we found it didn't work with was Naomi.

As you can tell, we were really, really hyper.

I can only suggest taking LOADS of batteries and listening to LOADS od music. I only have a cd player not mp3, so I tend to listen to a cd then sleep if I can, then listen to another one etc....tis what I do on long coach journeys and planes and stuff...

Have fun in Italy

LION KING! We're going to watch it on the way there.

I suppose it sort of works with "Nicola"

Are you packed yet??? Are you getting an early night??

Have a great time, looking forward to hearing all about it when you get back.

I have pakced...but I might have forgotten something - all ideas welcome.

I suppose I'll get an early night!