Favorite things to do on long plane flights?

All my long plane flights have been overnights, so...

1. Try, unsuccessfully, to sleep.
2. Watch the movie.
3. Stare at the ceiling.
4. Read the in-flight magazine (usually a couple of times).
5. Look at other passengers
6. (I know it is only supposed to be five) Look at my watch every couple of minutes.

My long plane flights have also been overnight.

1. Take sleeping pills.

2. Go to the toilet every 30 minutes.

3. Listen to audio books.

4. Take sleeping pills and have a
couple of drinks.

5. Go crazy

If you're doing an overseas flight on a plane that has those little individual screens on the back of each seat~ you're in luck! All kinds of continuously repeating movies, television programs, map showing progress of the flight, etc.

Drinks are free in European carriers. Also Valium is very helpful.

For the kids, the handheld computer games or reading Harry Potter are the two most successful things I've observed recently.

Numbers 1 through 4 would have to be sleep: what works for me is 1) eating before getting on the plane, not eating on it 2) no caffeine! 3) earplugs and an eye mask {makes an amazing difference} and 4) a pashmina in addition to the airplane blanket.

I just got back from the longest flights of my life--total of 26 hours flying time--and these really worked. #5 is books, particularly something fun and fluffy, like a mystery or romance; airplanes, to me, are not the place for Serious Reading.

Have a great flight!

fly the plane.

Since many airlines put in the tv's on the backs of every seat the rides are a lot shorter. But...
Take off shoes
Take a walk once in a while and strtch by the bathrooms
Play numerous electronic games that I have...Yatzee, Whack a Mole, etc
thats about it.

What the heck is a pashmina?

I think a pashmina is some kind of fancy shawl. I am sure you will get lots of answers.

I can never sleep on flights, so my five would be, in no particular order:

1) Remember an amusing incident from the past; replay it in your mind.
2) Stare at the back of the seat in front of you (assuming no small tv screen is there)
3) Think of five places you'd rather be.
4) Worry about your connection and the how to get to the other terminal
5) Stare at someone diagonally opposite. Study their mannerisms.

If I am really bored, I make up little scenerios about the people sitting around me, how they met, how long they have been married, who the boss is in the family. But I have to be really bored.

In addition to what (some) other posters mentioned, we take the notebook computer and spend time refining our driving routes and viewing saved webpages/pics of the areas we intend to visit. The kids (late teens and if they're coming along) use it for games.

Although a bit geekie, it does make the time "fly" by and keeps your mind on the trip instead of the flight.

A pashmina is a shawl made from the coat of a very rare and valuable animal (like a yak/goat) from Nepal. It was all the rage a few years back and for just a few hundred dollars you can wear the hair of a rare animal on your back.

1. worry
2. fret
3. fume
4. worry some more
5. worry about how much I worry.

The best thing of all if you're traveling alone is to discover that you have an interesting seatmate who doesn't mind talking, and learn all about each other's lives.

Of course the down-side to that is they are boring then you are stuck in an aluminum tube next to them for six or seven hours.

The best thing of all if you're traveling alone is to discover that you have an interesting seatmate who doesn't mind talking, and learn all about each other's lives.

I always feel that everyone is able to sleep but me. Are they all faking it?

(I'll add mindless puzzles and solitaire.)

Gerry K

Go into the overhead compartment and take something out of your carryon, then put it back 15 minutes later. Repeat throughout the flight. Make sure you stand up in the right spot so that you can block several passengers view of the movie screen.

Play Whack-A-Mole (PETA must be howling) but instead of using moles, just sit in the middle seat of a row of five and kick the seats in front of you - as people stick their head up to find out the disturbance, whack'em!

Stare at that little plane on the map for 12 hours. Could anything move more slowly?

Whackamole...you are going to get me in trouble for surfing at work! That absolutely cracked me up!!!

A

I didn't realize children under the age of 12 went to work.

I look around the cabin and make up names for the people around me, ie: Miss Fidgit, Mr. Preppy, Mrs. Meek One and her two children, Grumpy and Whiner.
Then I switch them around and pair them all up differently, I may pair Mr. Preppy with Ms. Old Hippie, etc.

Answer: A chemical cocktain

1 10mg. valium
1 halcyon (prescription sleeping pill)
2 Vodka tonics

My doctor told me about this little recipe, and if I take it right after the first meal on the plane, I wake up as we are landing. Works every time!

Thank you for the laughs!
I especially like WackaMole and Ms Hippie and Mr Preppy.
I try to sleep.
I try to not have to get up to pee a million times.
I try to not listen intently to every sound the engines are making.
I try to find a comfortable position in a seat that has no comfortabl postitions.
Usually none of the above works,making me one of the biggest smilers getting off that plane!

Oh shut up Where are the (Child labor laws@xxx.com)

I thought the whack-a-mole was hilarious myself. Can't you just picture the heads bobbing up and down in the seats in front of you as you kick them. Love it.

Laura, I could have used Wackamole last night at the theatre!
The people in front of us kept popping up and looking behind us! I have no idea what they thought they would see at the BACK of a Broadway theatre,but Wackamole would have come in very handy.
Wack those little heads!

Some of you people are starved for entertainment.

Maybe you should travel more.

Just an idea.

1.stare at my partner who spends most of the flight sleeping with his mouth wide open and then, after the flight, complains he didn't get any sleep at all!!!!
2.Flick through all 18 channels of the seat back tv and not find anything on apart from the map with the little, very slow moving plane.
3. Fall asleep for 20 minutes just as the film I was wanting to watch starts.
4.Eat everything that is put in front of me, even though I wouldn't touch half of it in an ordinary restaurant.
5.Try not to look petrified as the plane goes through turbulence. Also watching the stewardesses to see if they look calm!
6.Plan my fitness and diet regime for the end of the holiday( the one I never got round to before the holiday!!!)
7. Convince myself that the boring flight is a means to an end - I love being on holiday, I just don't like travelling to get there!

Not sure if you could call these "favourite things to do on long plane flights" but they are certainly some of the things I do to pass the time!

Thanks Lulu... I love the cocktail combo. Have tried each of the 3 before, but never all at once. Next flight~ I'll give it a go!

In order:

1. Look at my watch
2. Do both crossword puzzles in the magazine
3. Ask myself inane questions like "Are we there yet," "How much longer," etc.
4. Watch the movie that I would not voluntarily have done at any other time, just to pass the time
5. Look at my watch
6. Delude myself into trying to fall asleep
7. Wake up 3.5 minutes later
8. Look at my watch and cuss to myself that I only looked at my watch 3.5 minutes ago
9. Look at the plane on the TV/movie screen and see that it hasn't moved
10. Go to the bathroom
11. Stretch
12. Look at my watch
13. Return to step #1

1. I call the airline a few times before departure (actually weeks and days before) to find out how crowded the flights are that I am booked on. If the flights are overbooked, I tentatively plan to get myself bumped in both or either direction. If at a 75% or less occupancy, I keep my fingers crossed that I can change my seat assignment so that I can sleep across the ocean.

2. Go to my favorite take out restaurant at lunch time, and have a picnic dinner packed for the flight, stop at Walgreens and buy a large bottle of water, and my favorite junk food -- always a 1 pound box of Cheese-Its.

3. Get to the airport 4 hours early to avoid the line at check-in, put my name on the list as a potential volunteer to be bumped (cause I know that I'll end up routed on a flight in a business class seat, get at least 1 free roundtrip voucher and cash), or try to alter my seat assignment to at least get an empty seat next to me so that I can sleep.

4. Go through Security and take Tylenol PM or Excedrin PM a 1/2 hour prior to boarding.

5. If I get on the scheduled flight, I eat my picnic dinner after take off, and usually fall asleep a 1/2 hour later and wake up about a 1/2 hour before breakfast is being served.

6. If I don't fall asleep, I begin writing in my travel diary, read the book that I brought along to pass the time, start flipping the channels on the remote control until I find something that is worth watching, or do crossword and logic puzzles.

I've been pretty successful at being bumped, and even with the inconvenience of being routed all over creation, its worth the time and benefits to be upgraded to a business class seat (I start mentally planning where I am going to fly to for free). Of course, flying alone has its benefits because the chances of being asked to volunteer to be bumped are much better.

I record my favorite music on cassettes and listen throughout the whole trip. My mind is a thousand miles away and then the time goes by very fast.

Well- I'm a bit glad I'm not the only one that can't sleep on planes...
My last red eye I was determined to sleep..
I had the earplugs, eye cover thingy, pashima-like-extra-soft-fleece from Target, smooshy pillow, 2 tylenol PMs in me, and a couple cocktails.
Nothing. NO sleepy. I was only insanely tired and now extra grumpy....
I wanted to unbuckle and lie down on the floor so I could sleep.
So basically what I do on long flights...
try not to fidget

Nice to hear from so many other people
who also can't sleep on planes!!

One thing that worked for me a couple of times on long flights--making a new address/phone directory, copying things form another thing.

Read magazines

Renew my membership in the mile high club.

What is the mile high club, I thought that most flights were over 30,000 feet, how do I join?

Eat a lot of beans before the flight, wait for the passengers next to me to change seats, stretch out, hide under the blanket, have a nightcap, choke a chicken, go to sleep.

1) Buckle the seat belt, sleep..
2) Wake up, check, if we are in the air already, sleep..
3) Watch a movie for 5 min, get bored, fall asleep...
4) Feel like someone tries to wake you up, look at the food, sleep..
5) Wake up, check that we have another 30 min of flight time, go back to sleep..
I don't know, something in plane flights make me drowsy..
Probably pre-flight hassle...

I totally agree with Amy. I always bring an extra cozy shawl with me along with several books, especially, as she pointed out, a fluffy romance which I would probably not read otherwise, a mystery, or a travel book I haven't read yet about the place I'm visiting. In addition, I read on this site about a sleeping pill called ambien which I got from my doctor for a recent flight to Paris and it really worked - first time ever that I've slept on the flight! I also bring a pad of paper and pencil in case I want to write a letter, journal entry, or make a list of things that I need to do.

My children always take cd's with them along with a book and some games, although now many flights have movies and games right at their seats.

to the top

I read, read, read.

I also bring my own care pack like the above posters - eyepatch, ear plugs, neck pillow, comfy socks, extra sweater.

I read ALL the time - in taxis, in lines, even walking down the street (at home, not on vacation!).

I have never been able to imagine what people who don't have any "activity" are thinking about when they just sit and stare off into space for hours at a time (i.e. when there is no inflight entertainment). Now I have a better idea - they're imagining my husband (Mr. Preppy) running off with Ms. Hippie or thinking about whackin' me!

I usually fall asleep before we take off. Wake up during meals and sometime during the night. If I'm lucky to get one of the few planes with a larger john see about renewing my membership in the mile high club.

I usually try to open the door and go for a walk.

topping!

Someone really doesn't know what "the mile high club" means? Sex on the plane, silly!!

Two vodka tonics, one vallium, one halcyon? You'd better be a 250 pound man because they'd have to carry me off the plane at the other end. I'm sure you're doctor would have better advice for you. Ambien is a nice short lived sleeping pill that works for about 6 hours. If you can sleep for that length of time on an overseas flight, that's plenty. And alcohol is a depressant, not a sedative.

topping

to the top!

topping another oldie but goodie .... whack-a-mole, anyone?

Anne

Hi John. This will be new: flights are too short. I never seem to worry about the length of the flight. Eat, watch TV, snooze, read, talk. Arrive. How can you be bored? Just imagine. Okay - I live in a fantasy world - but the flight to Europe just isn't that long! Oh - wait - this was first postedin July 2002. Never mind. . . .

1) valium and a drink (gets rid of anxiety and makes time pass faster)
2) magazines - newsweek, vogue, martha stewart, airline magazine, etc.
3) travel guide - and plan out where to go, what to eat, where to shop, etc.
4) games on my iphone - anything but angry birds
5) movies and music on my iphone
6) journal for writing, working on my novel
7) guided meditations (there are lots of great free podcasts you can download to iphone)

Always bring snacks, a shawl, eyemask, and ear plugs on the flight, and your iphone!!!

If a night flight...

I show up at the airport in my Popeye and Nascar PJs or in a Japanese chefs outfit that my friend Mitsuko bought for me thinking they were PJs.

I bring along a British documentary DVD on WWII.

I wear a red eye mask that I've painted eyes on.

I take a couple of Ambien.

I wake up after about 2 hours, really groggy, with blurry eyes and a headache, but ready to go. My drivers love picking me up along with my ton and a half of baggage.

Pretty much all of the above is true.

dave

I was trying to figure out at the beginning of this post why no one was recommending Ipads or Kindles and the like, then I realized it started in 2002! Ah, how times change.

I know this has been topped from 202 but I'm sure suggestions are just as welcome for some, even if the options in 2011 are much greater.

I just want to point out that 'long' is a relative term. Flying from Australia, 'long can mean two or three long flights and 'overnight' becomes a completely meaningless term as time zones are crossed and day/night are manipulated by the flight crew.

As well as the above, I find a sense of humour, compassion and endless patience are also necessary. As well as gratitude for the opportunity. It's not taking me six months in a leaky boat, and even in cattle class, I'm not chained to a shelf in some hold. (and no, neither were my ancestors).

For a short - six or seven is short for us -flight, it's "dinner and a movie".

I kept being surprised by people saying they bring items like cassettes and music CD's and then realized this thread started in 2002!

Good info though!

Make Friends with Flight Attendants and get free liquer!!!

For NYC to London take the am flight. Leaves at 8-9am, arrive in London 8-9pm, you will be ready to get to destination, have a snack/drink...go to bed and the next day you are just fine. On the plane you will have done all of the previous suggestions except take serious multiple sleeping pills.
On long intercontinental flights that leave late...upgrade to a flatbed seat and dtake the pills and sleep. Can't upgrade..pray for empty seat next to yo and try to sleep with the pills and drinks. Have at least one "airplane book" that holds your interest and some snacks. It is hard.

How flying has changed from 2002! Bose QC earphones with iPad movies and TV shows, games, books make long flights enjoyable. Like being in your own little world!

I would not recommend combining Valium with alcohol - it's potentially quite dangerous. You can have one or the other, not both. And it's worth mentioning (again), that this it is an anxiety medication, not something that will necessarily help you sleep. On top of all that, anxiety medications are designed for generalised anxiety disorders, not phobic anxiety and so are not always effective for nervous passengers.

My tip (as someone who hates flying, and is usually too stressed to read a book) is to pick an airline with decent in-flight entertainment, food you would actually want to eat, and to take a puzzle or crossword book with you. The latter is quite good at distracting you from the flight and making the time pass quickly without needing the level of concentration that reading a novel entails.

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