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The bags are ready, the taxi to the airport is on its way, and the only thing between you and your perfect vacation is that really long flight. Afraid of getting bored? Don’t worry, we know 14 great things to do on a plane that will keep you entertained during the ride.
Most likely you have already read everything on the internet about the place you’re heading to. Now, during the long-haul flight, you can take one more look at your plans, write a list of all the attractions you’re going to visit and schedule them day by day.
Knowing a few words in the language of the country you visit is polite towards the locals. You’ll have enough time on the plane to learn some basic words and expressions like “hello”, “thanks”, “how much does it cost”, “have a nice day” etc. So put a small phrasebook in your cabin bag and open it when you’re bored. It’s one of the most productive things to do on an airplane.
Seriously, when else will you have so much extra time to sleep? And if the last few days before the vacation were a hustle, you may not even need to think of what to do on a long flight. Just take a really good nap. Make sure you have everything you need to make yourself as comfortable as possible on the plane – a travel pillow, earplugs, and a sleep mask.
Well, this is not one of the best activities to do on the way to your vacation, but if you have some urgent presentation to finish, it’s better to do it on the plane than in the hotel room and waste a nice sunny day.
A long flight with no Wi-Fi or other distractions is probably the perfect place to finally finish that book you started a couple of months ago. Never had a chance to concentrate on “Ulysses”? Have some new personal development books on your reading list? Well, the time has come.
Never let yourself binge-watch a TV show? The plane is one of the few places where it is acceptable to forget about that rule. A new season of “Big Little Lies” will take you from New York to Lisbon. The last two seasons of “The Big Bang Theory” are more than enough to keep you occupied on a flight from Los Angeles to Beijing. So choose something interesting to watch and download a whole season or two to your tablet or smartphone – and you won’t even notice the flight.
If you don’t like watching shows on a small screen, there’s another way to entertain yourself during a whole international flight. Download some podcasts and you’ll get off the plane a little more educated than you were before the flight. “This American Life” is an award-winning weekly podcast with 2.2 million subscribers that is just about what its title says. “The Memory Palace”, a storytelling podcast “about the past”, is an incredibly innovative podcast with a sentimental edge that shares beautiful stories. If you’re into contemporary alternative music, try NPR, which is known for the quality of its music podcasts: “Tiny Desk Concert”, “Piano Jazz Shots” or “Live in Concert”. If you want it all at once, browse the KCRW Podcast list.
In everyday life, you probably do not have enough spare time to even think about playing games on your phone. Well, if you want to shorten your flight, there’s no better thing to do than to download a couple of challenging ones. Just make sure you can play hem with no internet connection. “Badlands” and “Crossy Road” are trending!
Had a really adventurous trip? Or maybe a new experience changed your view on certain things? Write about it in an article. It is a cool way to talk about your vacation to your friends and family. Then share the article on Facebook or split it and make a series of posts on Instagram. Or just keep it for yourself and read it anytime you feel sad or bored.
You know that feeling when, on your way back home, you’re all motivated and inspired, planning different stuff that will make your life better? After a short break, you pull your thoughts together and you’re now ready to go after some life goals. Try to concentrate on that state of mind and write a letter to your future self. Later, when you’re back in the daily routine and feeling a lack of motivation, you can reread this letter for inspiration.
There’s a good chance that, after the holiday, your camera SD cards are a total mess. Tons of identical shots, many of them blurred or overexposed… Do you really think you’re going to deal with it at home? We doubt it. Better get on it right there on the plane.
Surely you’re going to post some of your best photos on social media. And if you want to make them really eye-catching, you should edit them well. To do this, download a couple of editing apps before the flight. You’ll have enough time on the plane to choose the one that suits you best. If you have your laptop with you, try Movavi Photo Editor, which has useful filters and effects that will speed up the whole process. By the time you arrive, you’ll have all your best shots ready for publishing. If there are way too many of them to post at once, try putting them together into a slideshow with our Movavi Slideshow Maker. A perfect solution for sharing travel memories with your family members and friends.
Once you are done with the photos, start editing your videos. This is crucial if you want to show your travel videos to your friends without boring them to death. Make sure you have a simple app that will help you to cut, merge, and crop videos, add effects and background music. If you don’t have any experience in video editing, find a good application for beginners. Try Movavi Clips, which makes the process really easy and fun.
Experiencing the post-vacation blues? We know an activity that might cheer you up (no alcohol involved). Start planning your next trip. Browse your travel bucket list and choose your next destination. Will it be a Tuscany food tour? Or a Caribbean cruise? Or maybe you’ll finally go trekking somewhere in the Himalayas?
