By Laura Jemetta

Okay, I’ve got a list for you today. Now you might know by now that as much as I love travel, I’m not the best flyer. In fact, I’ve written about it in detail in my post about how I get through long haul flights. Long Haul flights can be really boring – and when you live in Australia, it’s a long haul flight to get just about anywhere! So below is a comprehensive list of things you can do during a flight to keep yourself occupied.

1. Write in a travel diary: This is something I do on every flight that I take; after the meal service, I take out my travel diary and write my first entry of the trip. It’s usually short, and mainly describes the what the airport experience was like and how excited I am for the trip. Also, if I’m really bored, sometimes I’ll just write about how bored I am.
2. Watch a Film: one that you’ve always meant to see, a new release that you’re excited to watch, or an old favourite of yours, that you already know you love. Even if you only watch one movie, that’s about two hours taken up already.
3. Do a Crossword: I really enjoy crosswords – I always have. So sometimes when I’m in the airport, I buy myself a crossword book to start on the plane. Of course, a more cost effective option is just to bring one from home, but ether way, crosswords will keep your mind occupied, hopefully for a good stretch of time.
4. Start a TV show: Okay, so this might not deserve a it’s own entry, but you can also start a new show on the flight, which I actually find preferable to watching films. I don’t know why, but something about watching multiple, ,shorter episodes of something gives me the illusion that time is passing faster. My favourite thing to do is to start something fun and a little bit trashy – when I came back from the US, I started watching Riverdale, (which I can’t seem to stop watching even now, no matter how outrageous it gets!)
5. Answer my Travel Journal Prompts: which you can find here. I really enjoy more structured writing tasks when I’m journalling, (as well as freewriting), so I developed a list of prompts that you can answer pre-trip, during your trip, and post-trip. Don’t forget to check them out!
6. Read a great book: In the past, I’ve overloaded myself with books when travelling – I used to take both a fiction and non-fiction title, ‘just in case’. But now I think all you need when travelling is a book that you really love, and haven’t re-read in a little while. That way you know you’re going to enjoy what you’re reading, and there’s no disappointment.
7. Budget for your trip: I’m assuming most people will already have done this before leaving, but the plane could be a good time to work out how much you want to spend each day and where you’re going to spend your money and where you’re not. You can also start tracking your spending now, if you spent any money in the airport.
8. Explore the Lonely Planet app for the city/cities you’re going to: I love this app! Now, the guides on there aren’t the complete guide that you’ll get if you buy the hard-copy book, but they are full of information about places to eat, accommodation, and the best things to see in that city. Why not explore the app and get even more excited for your destination?
9. Make a list of all the places you want to eat/see/go: (If you haven’t already). I’m a list person, so I’ve usually done this weeks before departure, but if you haven’t you can use the info from the Lonely Planet app to make a list of all the places you want to visit.
10. Play a Game: I love board game, and there are quite a few that you’ll be able to play in the confines of Economy. You could play solitaire, or another card game with your seat-mate, scattergories, a modified version of pictionary, or some sort of trivia game, (there are lots of free trivia apps so that you can pretty much play trivial pursuit without all the pieces and cards).
11. Get some sleep
12. Write something: You know I’m a writer, so I like to spend a great deal of my spare time doing some form of writing. I’m trying to write a novel, so a flight is a good stretch of uninterrupted time to get some writing done, but you could also write a letter, (to yourself or someone else), poetry, (write an ode to travel-boredom), or some non-fiction, (start a memoir?). Whatever floats your boat.
13. Do some colouring in: My mum is a huge fan of colouring books – she finds it a soothing and relaxing hobby. Personally, I’m not a huge fan, (severe lack of patience), but creating something with your hands can be a really nice, mindful thing to do. Pack a colouring book and a small pack of pencils/markers, and you’ve got another activity to do.
14. Listen to something: Music, a podcast, an audio-book. I sometimes put my headphones in and try to fall asleep to my music – it blocks out the noise of the cabin, and makes it a little easier to sleep.

Leave me a comment if you made it to the end of this post – tell me if you have, or plan to use any of these tips on your next flight!

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