Imagup General Magazine 2024
When it comes to the commute, whether it be to work, on holiday or visiting family or friends, one of the biggest things to worry about is how to keep yourself occupied over the period of hours you’re stuck on a plane, train or automobile.
It isn’t easy, but over the past decade or so it has been made easier by the smartphone, our new found best friend.
Yes, iPhone and Android devices have really saved our skin, with all their fantastic apps and different ways to keep us occupied. So, if you’re facing a long commute over the winter period, then here’s our guide to what you should be downloading…
A Streaming Service
App number one should undoubtedly be a streaming service. If you can watch a movie or TV show while on a train, speeding across the country, why wouldn’t you do so with the latest box set?
The likes of Netflix, Amazon Prime and many other services like the BBC iPlayer can all be downloaded to your smartphone device, where you can either stream content or download them to play, so you aren’t using up any of your data. Many trains and bus services also now offer WiFi too so you can also connect to that to watch online.
What’s more, the festive period comes alive in terms of shows being broadcast, with tons of clashes on the TV. So streaming apps are perfect for catching up on what you’ve missed and whiling away the hours as you cut through the country.
Games
A go to for most is the humble game. There are thousands upon thousands of games available in app stores and no matter what your interests you’ll always find something for you.
One of the more popular types of game currently being downloaded are online bingo apps. Throughout 2024 bingo sites and apps are welcoming more players than ever before, and it’s really no wonder. The apps are simple to play, offer plenty of excitement and you can even come out with it with life changing sums of money if you play your cards right, or should we say play your bingo cards right.
Bingo via app has gone from strength to strength and that’s joined by the likes of puzzle games and sports games which are also particularly popular with people on the commute. The beauty of the former is they are generally quick so you can get a game finished before you disembark even if you’re two minutes from pulling into the station.
Podcasts/Audiobooks
For some people, travelling long distances can be a real nightmare not just because of staying occupied, but also travel sickness. Staring at a screen certainly won’t help that, so using the audio power of your smartphone can also be just as effective.
Most smartphones these days come complete with a podcasts app already, where you can search for all manner of titles, across a variety of sectors. Audiobooks may also be useful if staring at a book also isn’t particularly comfortable for you while travelling, with pretty much every title these days available to download, where you can listen to someone telling you the tale.
Whether you’re a lover of comedy, sport, travel, food and drink, history or whatever else, you’ll ultimately find a podcast that you’ll love, with a good place to start being the charts.
Working Documents
If work is on your mind over the festive period and you think tackling some would give you peace of mind and ultimately make for a better Christmas, then a long commute is perfect for getting stuck in.
If there’s a perfect time to be doing work, it’s when you can’t do anything else but sit on a train. Of course, you can use a laptop to get this done, but there are also many apps you can download to aid your work.
These days you can download Microsoft Office or the likes of Google Sheets and Google Docs to your device and work in exactly the same manner, finishing off any reports that had perhaps been playing on your mind so you can enjoy the rest of your time with family and friends.
What’s more, you can download editing software and many companies these days will have their own apps where you can work or at the very least catch up on emails.
Of course, these apps are also perfect for a daily commute to the office too, giving you the opportunity to get a head start before arriving at work.
Learning Apps
As well as working, you can also do plenty of learning through your phone too.
One thing you can do that many people like to take up is learning a new language. While it’s probably not advised that you learn out loud on a train or bus, but there are plenty of apps where you can listen, interact, read and type.
Duolingo is one of the most popular language apps in which you can learn around 14 different languages, including the likes of French, Spanish, German and more, with fun games making them more memorable and a more exciting learning experience.
It’s not just languages though, there are tons of different ways you can learn with apps. Udemy is one app which offers a range of different courses from learning to play the guitar, to starting a business and more.
All are created by experts and it really can be worthwhile, especially if you are looking to learn a new skill.
Other great apps which are work downloading to improve your knowledge or brain skills include the likes of Elevate and Lumosity.
The latter is hugely successful and has been downloaded millions of times by people worldwide. The app itself offers a number of mini games which are scientifically proven to improve your cognitive skills. They do this in a number of ways, with some games testing reaction skills, others your memory and then many other skills too.
