Long flights can mean hours of boredom if you don't prepare in advance. Find out how to make a plane trip go by faster.
Living in Australia is synonymous with taking at least two days – or two long flights of 10 hours plus stopovers – to arrive in España and miss family and friends. This experience of living far from everything and everyone at least brings a lot of experience and infallible techniques to speed up time on a plane trip. After a few “round the world” flights, some techniques begin to be developed so that the trip is more bearable and passes as quickly as possible.
To do this, you need to start planning well in advance. The goal is to make the experience on the plane as fruitful as possible – whether to catch up on sleep, catch up on the latest movie releases, pass that impossible stage in a game or even knit your grandma a nice sweater.
Whatever your preference, these tips can help you make the most of a long flight. Enjoy, relax and have a great trip!
11 essential tips for embarking on a long plane trip:
Make the most of the pre-trip rush
Clean the whole house, wash clothes, work hard, do sports, pack your bags and occupy all the time of your week before you travel. Getting little sleep is a good idea too, so you accumulate the fatigue needed to fall asleep for many hours on the plane.
Don't go to the movies too much before traveling
If you see all the new releases before you travel, you'll probably have to watch an older movie or settle for a series on the flight. Enrich your experience by leaving to watch the last movies that came out at the cinema inside the plane. If you see two movies during the journey, it's already 4-5 hours spent on the trip.
Download movies and music offline
If you have an outdated list of movies you want to watch, take the opportunity to do so on the plane. Now, Netflix has the option to download series and movies offline. Spotify is also an excellent way to spend time. Download offline playlists, make your own playlist and update your favorite songs on the fly.
Download Games Apps
Even if you don't like mobile games, they can help you make the time go by faster on a plane trip. Download games that don't need an internet connection. Some personal tips, from someone who is not an expert in games: FruitNinja, Drop7, Solitaire, Poker and DinerDash.
Bring a book, knitting, crossword puzzles or Sudoku
Ennoble your experience on the plane by reading a good book, one of these thrillers that are impossible to stop reading. Among the last ones that have been excellent flight companions for me are: “The Nightingale” (Kristin Hannah), “The Truth About the Harry Quebert Affair” (Joël Dicker) and the trilogy that begins with “The Shadow of the Wind” (Carlos Ruiz Zafon). If you're not much for reading, take a crossword puzzle, sudoko and why not a knitting?
Chat, but be careful not to be inconvenient.
One of the worst things about a flight is sitting next to an inconvenient person – and no one wants to be one of them. If your flight neighbor opens up, chat briefly, but give him/her the space to be comfortable next to you. Other people also arrive tired on the flight and often want to rest.
NEVER forget the Basic Kit for a plane trip
Basic Kit: travel pillow (the one with the neck), eye protector (for a nice black-out), ear protector (to hear nothing and sleep well), headphones (yours, because the ones on the plane can be uncomfortable), socks, toothbrush, toothpaste and a pen (because you often have to fill out that little immigration paper).
Bundle up and wear comfortable clothes.
Being cold is terrible, so imagine for hours and hours inside a plane? Flights are usually pretty cold. Every precaution is welcome, dress in layers (light clothes underneath) and bring coats. So you can adapt to all temperatures. Go with comfortable clothes (even sweatpants are fine!). The important thing is to look good during the flight.
drink a wine
Take the opportunity to drink a wine and relax. If you don't drink, a cup of tea can help warm you up and make you sleep better.
Learn a technique to fall asleep in any environment
Empty your mind. Don't let any thoughts come to mind. When they come, don't feed them, let them go. Focus on letting your mind go blank, just focusing on counting to 10 slowly. If the thoughts keep coming after reaching 10, stay in the practice and start the countdown. Observe your mind as a spectator, not a protagonist. Let the thoughts go, notice that when you don't feed them, they disperse. Stay focused on just counting slowly to 10. The goal is to clear your mind and control your thoughts. In addition to a beautiful meditation, it gives you a good sleep after a while in the practice.
Catch up on sleep
After watching movies, playing games, reading, drinking, meditating, it's time to fall asleep. You will already be tired from your pre-travel week, so you will definitely be able to sleep very well until you arrive at your destination.
What did you think of the tips? Hope they help on an upcoming plane trip! Leave your comment here.
