Things to Do on Airplane Rides
- Bring a laptop and write e-mails and letters.Comstock Images/Comstock/Getty Images
Bring your laptop on long plane rides. If the airline offers Wi-Fi, you can use it to catch up on e-mails, check social networking sites or surf the Internet, if you don't mind paying a fee. You can tell people at home about your trip so far, update your blog or "clean out" your camera by importing old photos to your computer. You can also get work done, read articles you've previously downloaded, or watch DVDs. Make sure you remember earphones, chargers, cables and your eyeglasses. - Use the time to read.Jupiterimages/Goodshoot/Getty Images
Purchase reading materials for long flights. Try to get a variety of things to read to keep you from getting bored. Bring a novel that you can disappear into. Bring magazines you can flip through; they're a visual break after long stretches of novel reading. Bring newspapers to find out what's going on at home and travel guides to learn about your destination. If you have an electronic reader, you can bring all these things in one small package. - Catch up on your sleep.Jupiterimages/Comstock/Getty Images
Long flights are a great way to catch up on sleep. If your flight is more than eight hours in length, you can take herbal supplements to help you sleep. Check with your doctor first, and consider melatonin pills or herbs like chamomile. Your sleep depends on your comfort, so you may want to bring your own blanket, pillow and sleeping mask. Some airlines still give out pillows and blankets, but others are selling them. - Listen to music.Digital Vision./Digital Vision/Getty Images
Listening to music will help you pass the time. Fill up your MP3 player with creative playlists titled "Happiness," "Sleepy Time" or "Vacation Music." This will keep you in a good frame of mind throughout the often frustrating travel process. Playing soft music will help you get to sleep and drown out the noise of your fellow passengers. You can also put podcasts or audio books on your iPod or music player and listen to them throughout the flight.
