Airlines may label their routes differently, but a long-haul flight is generally defined as any journey lasting at least 8 hours.
These can present some serious challenges to your mood, but there’s plenty you can do to pass the time more pleasantly. Here are my top tips for what to do on a long flight to avoid boredom and arrive happy.
What to do on a long flight
Even if you’re not flying with the luxury of a lie-flat seat in first class, you can still arrive at your destination in good spirits. Follow these tips to pass the time more cheerfully and you’ll touch down ready to go.
Choose the right seat
While this is also not an activity for onboard fun, it’s my top tip for how to survive a long flight no matter which cabin you choose. If you tend to visit the restroom often, you should probably choose an aisle seat so you don’t stress about asking your entire row to stand up repeatedly. If you prefer a little extra leaning room, the window is better for you.
Dress comfortably
Wear loose fitting, comfortable clothing that won’t squeeze, restrict or pinch any part of you during your journey. On that note, bring an eye mask and ear plugs to control light and sound when you want to sleep, and consider bringing a face mask to block unpleasant smells.
Take a walk
Don’t be afraid to get up and walk around when the seat belt sign is off. It’s not only mentally more stimulating than staring at the seat in front of you, but it’s much better for your circulation, your muscles, and backside. I try to get up at least every two hours.
Exercise in your seat
Seated exercises like shoulder lifts, ankle rotations, and toe flexing can go a long way in keeping your body in better condition. Before your trip, develop a 15–minute chair routine you enjoy, and use it every few hours onboard as an easy activity.
Drink water
Staying hydrated is one of the greatest challenges in the air, so turn this into an activity. Set silent timers to remind yourself to drink water regularly throughout your journey, and avoid alcohol and other dehydrating beverages. If you do have a celebratory champagne, keep these dos and don’ts of alcohol on flights in mind.
Binge a series
This is your chance to binge that series you keep telling your friends you’ll watch someday. You’ve got plenty of time to breeze through an entire season, so download the episodes on your favorite device and pack a charger in your carry-on.
Listen to a book
Speaking of time-consuming pastimes, this is also the perfect opportunity to make great progress on an audiobook. You can certainly read a book instead, but keep in mind that opening your window shade or turning on your overhead light can be seriously disruptive to those around you.
Read a guidebook
Despite what I just said about annoying your neighbors, guidebooks are rarely available in audio so this is one to physically read. It’s fun to think about where you’re headed, and making some last-minute discoveries en route can be especially exciting. If you can, bring a little clip-on lamp to avoid lighting up the cabin.
Plan your trip
Take things a step further and start making some actual plans for your journey. Use the specifics you learned from your guidebook or just outline some top goals for each day, or the trip as a whole. Even making some bucketlists of categories like foods to try or souvenirs to find.
Listen to new music
A long flight is a golden opportunity to listen to a new album or explore the sounds of some new artists or genres. You’ve got nothing else to do, so it won’t be a waste even if you don’t love what you find. I always bring my own headphones because free airline headphones are low quality and don’t block external noises.
Meditate
Meditation is a great way to re-center your thoughts and calm your mind during a long flight. Some airline entertainment systems include a couple of meditation tracks, but I encourage you to shop around and download a few you like before boarding. Aim to meditate at least every couple hours if you’re awake.
Sleep at the right time
The longer the nap you can manage, the more time you’ll pass without needing entertainment. This is true, but it’s best to sleep only during hours you would be sleeping in your destination’s time zone if you want to avoid jetlag. And check out this red-eye flight survival guide for more ways to arrive refreshed.
Work
It may not sound like much fun, but knocking out some work while onboard will not only pass the time, but free up your schedule for other activities once you arrive. Whether that’s enjoying a drink by the resort pool or visiting with family during an important event, you’ll be grateful that you have less need to be glued to your laptop or phone.
Milk the meals
Sometimes I catch myself anticipating meal time en-route. It’s not because airline food is delicious, especially in economy, but because it’s something to do. And that’s totally valid. On a long-haul flight, you’re almost guaranteed to be served at least one meal, so milk this time by taking it as slow as possible.
Choose better snacks
Planes are more cramped than cars, though, so it’s important not to overload your body with ingredients that will make it uncomfortable. Avoid salty, spicy, and sugary snacks as much as possible. This is when you really should be reaching for the healthy snacks.
Play games
Plunge ahead in your favorites, but download a few new ones before take-off to keep things interesting. Many airlines have games on the seatback entertainment system, too. On some, you can even challenge other passengers.
Do puzzles
You can also take it old school with word games and other activities in a puzzle book. You can still find these in many convenience stores and airport newsstand shops. Now is the time. They’re good for your mind and take longer than flashy app games.
Learn a language
If you’re headed to a country where the official language isn’t your own, long plane rides are an ideal time to expand your linguistic repertoire. Maximize your seat-time with serious lessons from language apps (you may need to purchase Wi-Fi for this), or just work on a few key phrases and vocab words from a pocket language guide.
Organize your photos
Now is the perfect time to weed through the excess photos in your phone’s gallery and delete the ones you don’t need. You’re never going to do it any other time, and you’ll be freeing up some valuable space for more travel photos. Feel free to organize the keepers into albums, too.
Start using these long flight tips
Now that you’re equipped with this arsenal of expert tips, it’s time to book a flight and start using them. Wherever you’re headed, these top tips for future trips will help you in the planning stages, too. And if you just want to get out there but don’t have a destination in mind, you’re a perfect candidate for scoring last-minute flights.
