TIPS & TRICKS | LONG HAUL FLIGHTS - HOW TO PASS TIME
So, like every young traveller, I get so excited when it's time to jet off to a new country but I must admit, the thought of being on a plane (or just sitting still for that matter) for anything more than 4 hours bores the life out of me!
I always think to myself when writing my packing list "what the hell can I do to entertain myself for all of those hours?!" - a thought I'm sure some of you must think of too!
Well not to worry, your typical "How to pass time on a long haul flight" post has arrived! I hope this list helps you as much as it has helped me!! :)
Probably the way to pass the most time ... go to sleep! This is usually the best passer of time (for obvious reasons) particularly if your flight leaves at stupid-o'clock in the morning like 3 or 4 AM! I would sleep for most of the flight if I could but something (either the lack of comfort or over-excitement) tends to have me waking up every hour or so :(
In-flight entertainment is a great was to pass hours and hours! Entertainment may vary due to aircraft types but for example, my way to and from Dubai, I kept thoroughly entertained with games, puzzles, books, albums, movies and TV series'! Emirates even had interactive shopping facilities on board the plane!
In-flight Entertainment System
Birthday Treats from the Emirates Crew
In between naps, it's always a good idea to have a little walk around the plane. The flight staff usually encourage this (when the seat belt light is not on of course) to help aid circulation in your legs to genrally no go insane. Some people who may suffer from flat-booty syndrome may also begin to get an achy bum so again, walking around and stretching your legs (or other body parts) may be beneficial.
A long time on the plane means a long time unwashed! Freshen up or use the ladies (or men's) if needed. Nobody wants to land in a beautiful new country looking (or smelling) gross! Useful freshen up items may include a toothbrush or chewing gum, perfume, a hairbrush brush, make-up, wipes, etc.
If your aircraft is not quite as 'lavish', you could always bring your own entertainment. I tend to do this more when travelling on shorter flights (i.e. 2-5 hours) as the planes often will not have as many options as some of the others. In such circumstances, I have brought my own playing cards (obviously not to play on my own), pen and paper or pad, sudoku, my iPhone or iPad are also filled with games, movies and other entertainment.
Sometimes I will also schedule time on the plane for blog stuff. This does sound very vague but could be anything from looking over my emails, blogging, posting on social media, proof reading schedules posts, analysing my blog data and performance, checking over details for my next scheduled job, etc. I'm sure you see now why I refer to this as "blog stuff".
I suppose this kind of falls into the above category but I also spend some tim on my flights editing my videos or photos. Some may think this only takes a simple swipe of the filter but the photos features on my blog usually take a lot more time to edit than some of those see on my Instagram or Facebook pages. This often requires Photoshop or other editing software. As for video editing, sometimes this can take days depending on the length of the video and my surroundings when editing!
With every long haul flight comes breakfast, lunch and/or dinner! Sometimes, I really really like plane food (yes, I'm a weirdo, I know)!! Something about those little bread rolls and that salty butter gets me, and the desserts and fresh orange juice have really improved. And let's not get started on the bar drinks ... ;)
Oreo Ice Cream Dessert
Sample Dinner Menu
Another desserts with gifts, cards and fizz!
Dinner time..
Emirates menu
Whilst doing these things or even whilst doing nothing, I love to plug in those earphone and listen to music. Generally I do try to chat to or play a game with my travel companion(s) but after a few hours, the headphones really do need to take over.
If you are not as introvert as I am, you may want to try your hand at making new friends! I don't tend to travel on my own much but when I do, I tend to prefer my own company (no offence to the talkers out there) but I know a lot of other people are happy to make friendly conversation with the person sitting next to or opposite them too help pass the time to
This won't kill much time but why not take a few moments to enjoy the view? When it comes to looking out of the window on a plane I'm like a kid with candy!
If I have a few things lined up in the pipeline, I take a little time out to think about or plan my next trip. It never hurts to be extra prepared!
Lastly, if I'm travelling long haul, you better believe I have exciting things planned for my stay. I guess the (longgg) plane journey is a good time to go over any plans and/or itinerary that I have prepared.
And there we have it - everything i do and/or have done to pass time on a long haul flight! Let me know if there is anything else you guys do to pass time, maybe there's something I'm missing out on! xx
