17 hours wow what a pain!!! I'm so glad we're flying although thats bad enough at 8 hours.
On long journeys I normally listed to music, read books, sleep (I sleep a lot just drove back from today York 3 hour journey slept the whole way, in the middle of the day

) I always bring my laptop on really long journeys I can't get internet

as I just use wireless at home but I use it for DVDs, do school work, eat drink ummm people watch out of the window, write in journals..
................and if all else fails there's always a good old game of eye-spy
I hate being crammed in as well it's horrible especially as my little sisters car seat takes up one seat and half of mine

it's so annoying because she's the smallest person in the car the whole way back today she kept pulling my hair, putting her feet on me and putting biscuit crumbs all over me - I hope the people in your car are nicer!
And no toilet breaks!

Thats horrible I'm terrible for needing the toilet in the car seriously I'll go 3 times before we leave stay away fro liquids, get in the car and need it half an hour in I think it's psychological
I always ind the journey there takes longest as I really want to get there, while the journey back goes in a flash!