I travel by train twice a week, which means a 40 minute ride devoid of internet. Most of the time I have an episode of Radiolab to listen to, but often I'll just stare out of the window, listening to music and reflecting on my life in general. For me, it's katharsis in it's original meaning: the cleansing of emotions. In old Greece, people didn't watch the tragedies as we do now. The crowd was wild, rooting for the good guy in a fight, crying in a sad scene. It was a virtue to keep your emotions to yourself in the society, but those emotions have to go somewhere, so your emotional mind was cleansed during the tragedies. I criticize myself in those moments in the train. If I don't have those moments of reflection, I usually end up reflecting on my life when I'm in bed trying to sleep. Sadly, I don't think I'm the person for something like meditation, because it's impossible for me to clear my mind completely. But this is the closest I've got and it seems sufficient.
I love long journeys by car (as a passenger) or by train for the same reason. Just staring into the countryside listening to my favourite music is one of life's greatest pleasures. However, meditation isn't foremost about 'clearing your mind' as such, though it is often a side benefit. I think 'stilling the mind' would be a better way to put it. Through analysis and contemplation you increase your awareness of your thoughts and feelings and cultivate positive emotional reactions. Instead of just 'clearing the mind' per se, you increase your ability to discern and discriminate your thoughts. You decide which are worthy of your conscious attention and, in turn, how you would like to react to certain stimuli.