Are you dreading the long-haul flight you are about to embark upon? Are you desperately looking for a way to ease the boredom? Scared of how your kids are going to behave?
Then look no further, for today we seek to calm these worries and a few more by exploring 10 fun things to occupy yourself with on a long plane ride.
1. Gaming
Even if you don't have wi-fi on your long-haul flight, you can easily play some games that are available offline that have no ads whatsoever! Yes indeed, such games do require you to use your mind.
There are plenty of pocket travel games specifically designed with extended journeys like long-haul flights in mind. If you are really strapped for a game to play, then all you need is a source of paper and a pen to play classics like tic tac toe or hangman (the latter of which can provide hours of fun).
Many fun road trip games can also be played on a plane, albeit with a more abstract approach.
2. Writing
Now might be a good opportunity to do all that creative writing you have been putting off for a while. It is easy to despair about just how much time you are being sentenced to on a long flight, though the trick is to look at it as a blessing in disguise.
Besides the in-flight entertainment, there are relatively few distractions, at least in theory. While you are miles high above the earth, use the time apart from reality to take your mind out of its usual boxes and imagine.
3. Languages
In a similar vein, you can easily use this readily available free time without distractions to learn a new language or other skill. Sure, you could binge-watch a TV series, but you could also use this time for something a little more valuable.
Services like Duolingo and Babbel have even catered their courses to be more fun and approachable so that you can play games while still learning a transferable skill. Long flights can sure feel cumbersome to your patience, but playing games can be a great way to carry on while still nourishing your brain and learning the local language of wherever you are headed to.
4. Pre-Load Your Content
One of the most daunting things for some people about air travel is the fact that they usually have to go without wi-fi and internet for an extended period of time. How else are you meant to pass the time without things like social media that nullify the mind to the point where it feels like you are not existing?
Well, fear not, for you can easily pre-load the content that you would otherwise have streamed. This means you can easily watch movies and catch up on your favorite TV series without the need for wi-fi whatsoever. Choose wisely!
5. Hands
Of course, for some boredom is more than just in the mind and the passing of time. Indeed, for some, boredom presents itself in the physical aspects of the long hours of flying. Why not bring your own entertainment and take up a hobby like knitting?
Much as with learning a language during the flight, this is a great way to keep your mind and body occupied while still getting something at the end of it. In this case, you will be left with a fine-knitted garment at the end that you can either gift to someone or keep for yourself if your destination is going to be particularly chilly.
6. Talking
You might just as well like to come out of your shell a bit more and converse with the people around you. This is not for everyone, of course, with many preferring to keep to themselves and use the long journey to play some solo board games or for some meditative practice.
It seems like a relic of a bygone era when strangers would strike up a conversation with one another on a mode of transport simply to pass the time.
7. Yoga
The confined spaces of an airplane might not offer forth a more traditionally understood idea of a perfect space for doing yoga, but there are surprising and epiphanic things to do on a plane that can keep you in shape. This is especially important if you travel regularly in this way.
Common advice is to ensure that you are getting up and stretching at least once an hour on long flights. This motion is said to prevent stagnant blood pools from causing potential clots later down the line, known proponents of deep vein thrombosis.
8. Coloring Books
Plenty of adults are lost in the misconception that coloring is an act reserved principally for young kids. Little do they know that they are missing out dearly on a whole field of fun that they likely have no idea about.
Just start coloring something and, before you know it, a whole hour has passed. Nowadays, there are coloring books that are themed and geared towards catering to just about every interest and hobby. The repetitive movements of coloring something in have been known to be soothing and relaxing while still involving parts of the brain associated with creativity.
9. The Kids
Besides keeping your over-anxious mind at ease, the most difficult part of a long journey (if you are embarking upon one with your family) is keeping the kids occupied.
The best thing to do is to keep them as busy as possible without overburdening them, ensuring that they do not cause any fuss and mischief. Impatience strikes at the young the hardest and has been known to drive even the sanest toddlers into a frenzy of destruction.
Lego sets have been known to keep kids occupied for a while, but don't be afraid to get creative and especially cater to the specific interests of your own children.
10. Podcast
Finally, if none of the other things here arrayed are of interest to you (and you are not the kind of person that willingly listens to music), then you can always listen to a podcast.
Other than creative bullet journaling, this is a go-to way for many people to send themselves to sleep. There have been plenty of reports of people who struggle to even make it past the first 5 minutes of a podcast without falling asleep, so much so that they have never heard past these first 5 minutes. Something about voices in one's ear in a dimly lit space seems to have this quality.
Final Words
So, there you have it! Hopefully, you have left here today with something solid in your mind to keep you occupied on your next flight, wherever it is you are headed.
FAQs Things To Do on a Plane
WHAT CAN YOU DO ON YOUR PHONE ON A PLANE?
There are plenty of things to do on your phone on a plane. Very often, though, you will be limited to doing things that do not require wi-fi or an internet connection. Thankfully, many of the things you might otherwise have done with wi-fi can be replicated by downloading them in advance. This means that all of your favorite TV series and movies can be downloaded at the click of a button or tap of a screen on your phone or tablet. The same goes for any games, music, or podcasts you might be partial to.
