Everyone wants to travel the world, but with that comes the problem of long-haul flights. Keeping yourself entertained throughout the journey, be it four or fourteen hours, is not easy. Especially when the seats are so uncomfortable that neither can you sleep nor do you have WIFI to beguile sometime!
So, here’s my list of Top 8 realistic things that you can do, to keep yourself entertained and busy. Seriously, you wouldn’t even realize how your time will pass by. I’m not going to talk about downloading movies or TV shows beforehand because we all do it anyway, right?
Also, these activities won’t drain a lot of battery of your device.
Let’s have a look.
1. Learn a new language
When travelling overseas, the best idea is to learn about their culture and language. It’s fun and it also shows the kind of respect you have for the other country you’re going to. Learn the basic greeting and shopping phrases and you’re good to go. You can watch YouTube videos about the same or use the Duolingo app. It’s a language learning app which has over 30+ languages with free lessons to offer through their fun interactive learning process.
2. Download an e-book
Happiness is sitting by the window on an aircraft, watching the scenic clouds pass by, listening to music and reading a book. With the magic of smartphones, instead of carrying heavy books, you can download e-books on your phone or tablet and enjoy them on your journey. Flipping through those in-flight magazines can get boring after a while. Instead, download a few good e-books of your favourite genres on your phone or tablet. The apps I recommend for online book reading are AnyBooks and Amazon kindle.
3. Listen to Audiobooks/podcasts
If reading a book is too boring for you, I highly recommend you listening to audiobooks and podcasts. No matter where you are going, what you are doing, listening to podcasts can put you in a good mood altogether, and also helps you in self-growth by expanding your knowledge. Being a good source of education and entertainment, podcasts are a perfect way to pass your time during your long flight journey. The apps I recommend you to go for the same are –
– Audible ( INR 199 monthly)
– Blinkist
4. Skincare
Flying can make your skin dull and dry. You can take care of your skin in the flight itself so that when you land and get ready for your day, your skin looks hydrated and photo-ready. This is also a great way to start your holiday by unwinding and relaxing from all the stress of work. Here are all the products you can try –
Dot & Key’s Water Drench Hydrating Serum (INR 895)
Laneige’s Water Sleeping mask (INR 700)
Plum’s Green Tea Revitalizing Face mist (INR 360)
The Face Shop Sheet masks (INR 100)
5. Write a journal
With time, our memories tend to fade away, and a few years later, we tend to only remember the highlights of all the different moments of our lives. We do have cameras to capture every precious moment, but words speak louder than pictures do.
Write down every detail of your trip, every emotion in your journal, so you can look back at it years later and feel the same things again. While you’re on your way to your holiday destination, you can journal about your goals, ambitions, your next career move, things you’re grateful for etc. Journaling helps you organize your thoughts and makes you feel light.
You could even write a letter to your future self.
6. Organize your trip
Although you must have done all your major bookings for travel and accommodation, there’s still a lot of planning you can do to make your trip smooth and fun. Spend the time in flight to prepare your travel itinerary- All the places you want to see and the restaurants you want to visit. Download the PDF of a travel guide to that place and shortlist everything you want to do with a budget.
While you’re on your way back home, you can organize your camera roll and delete all the duplicate photos and edit your favourite ones so that they’re ready to go on your social media.
7. Meditate
How often do you actually get so much time to yourself? Utilize this time to the most and put on some noise-cancelling earplugs and meditate to feel relaxed and more self-aware. Simple deep breathing exercises for 10-15 minutes can also prove to be very useful if done right. This is also a great exercise if you have phobia of flying or anxiety issues.
8. Do something creative
Last but not least is getting your hands on trying some creative activities. You can color a Mandala art on your tablet, write a poem or a story, try origami or finish a puzzle. You can also try learning a new creative skill online such as editing, through videos on Youtube, by downloading them beforehand.