What to do on an 8 hour plane trip?

[Math Is Hard]

I can't sleep on planes. My iPod only lasts a couple of hours. What other activities can I engage into keep from going crazy?

 

[TheStatutoryApe]

I read mostly. Switch back and forth between listening to music and reading. You must have interesting papers to read.

 

[Ivan Seeking]

I can't sleep on planes. My iPod only lasts a couple of hours. What other activities can I engage into keep from going crazy?

MOVIES! Depending on the plane, you may have access to a power port for laptops. You can [or could] also rent DVD players and DVDs at most major airports.

I can't sleep on planes either.

 

[Greg Bernhardt]

The best thing I figured out on long flights is to get in a good frame of mind. Don't fight the flight. I used to get super antsy and figity. Looking at the GPS every 5 minutes and thinking about the trip ahead. Instead look at the flight as really part of the trip. The flight is part of the journey. It's not something you want to get over with immediately. Get comfortable. Eat snacks. Read a great book. Watch a few movies. And you land. I recently got through a 14 hour nonstop flight that way. Just relax as best you can and let time slip away rather than thinking about what is next on the other side.

oh and it helps if you sit next to super interesting and handsome man :D

<-------That reminds me, Ivan, bring that book you were telling me about.

 

[TheStatutoryApe]

You going to Florida? My friend was always going to some weird town in Florida for conferences.

 

[Borek]

8 hours? MIH, are you going to Bora Bora?

 

[Freddy_Turnip]

The flight is part of the journey.

Yes you're right there! The flight is part of the journey!


Do they not have video games in the screen in front of you?

 

[DanP]

I can't sleep on planes. My iPod only lasts a couple of hours. What other activities can I engage into keep from going crazy?

Read. Good books are always nice to have in long hours in planes and trains. You can drink your last 2h so you arrive happy to the destination

 

[Freddy_Turnip]

Join the mile high club?

 

[Cyrus]

Try flying the airplane, it's a blast.

 

[TheStatutoryApe]

Join the mile high club?

Try flying the airplane, it's a blast.

One two, amazing story to tell your friends.

 

[hamster143]

Ask yourself, what would you do if you were stuck on that plane for the rest of your life?

 

[Borek]

Ask yourself, what would you do if you were stuck on that plane for the rest of your life?

From the statistics I remember once per about billion journeys rest of the life is the 8 hours MIH asked about.

 

[MotoH]

Join the mile high club?

Try flying the airplane, it's a blast.

At the same time.

 

[rewebster]

Start writing your autobiography

 

[rootX]

1. Play with the buttons
2. Play with the TV
3. Watch the sky
..

 

[cronxeh]

Ohh man I can find a way to waste 16 hours at work. Where do I begin.. watch your favorite TV shows, listen to music, read a book, scan the airwaves for any broadcasts (my ham radio is super small and lightweight - Yaesu VX-2R) you can listen to the pilot transmissions (being the first to know you all going to die could come in handy when you rushing towards the parachute you stored in your bags), eat and drink (you'd be surprised how fast time flies when you on alcohol and having fun), then try to get online - you can bounce a signal off an amateur EchoLink server and get online for freeee, post on PF!

Well if all else fails I suppose you can try human contact

Then there is sleeping. You can pack some melatonin pills and Phenibut and if you time them right you would be knocked out for 8 hours easily.

 

[hypatia]

Bring healthy snacks, a good book , a trip journal, and your ipod . Read for a hour, get up and stretch, have a snack, listen to a few songs, start making notes in the journal...repeat until landing.

 

[Ivan Seeking]

That reminds me, Ivan, bring that book you were telling me about.

Check.

 

[Moonbear]

That's why I have my Kindle! The battery life is really long.

My laptop battery seems to be having problems though...only holds a charge for 2 hours now...I need to check if it's still under warranty to get it replaced, but that won't be in time for the trip...hopefully the flight will have a plug...I was really annoyed when I headed to Mozambique and discovered once on the plane that only "selected" seats had outlets for laptops...the "selected" ones being first and business class.

I can't sleep on planes either, so I'm planning on tossing on my bathing suit, slathering on the sunblock, and napping for a few hours by the pool before we do anything else.

 

[cronxeh]

I'm planning on tossing on my bathing suit, slathering on the sunblock, and napping for a few hours by the pool before we do anything else.

So.. much.. information.. to process..


*passes out*

 

[drizzle]

Earn a new skill... grandma

 

[turbo]

Reading is good, but can get tedious if the story gets slow. One thing I often did was dig my Franklin Day-Planner out of the carry-on, and look at my future calendar and make notes regarding preparations for future trips and meetings. Dig up tasks that I had not completed (or not completed to my own satisfaction) and carry them forward. I used my planner for personal stuff, as well, so I'd make reminders to get in touch with people I hadn't talked to in a while, or pick up something for my wife when I was roaming around my destination city. It's surprising how much stuff you can get done when you have planned properly and have mapped out your intent and future actions.

Also, if you don't use a planner, but can make a journal of the trip, jot down the things that were nice, things that were inconvenient, things that you wished you had brought along, etc. That might make your next trip (of even your return trip) a bit less stressful. If you ever have your ears pop when cabin pressure changes, it might be nice to have some chewing gum handy for initial ascent and for landing. If that handsome guy next to you strikes up a conversation and he has a bit of halitosis, it would be really nice to have a package of strong mints in your purse, so you can offer him one. I once had a boss who always said, when someone offers you a mint, TAKE IT. We were in sales and flew a lot.

 

[turbo]

Earn a new skill... grandma

They won't let you take knitting needles on a commercial flight, unless they are in checked luggage. At least that was my aunt's experience on her winter jaunts to Myrtle Beach.

 

[Moonbear]

Reading is good, but can get tedious if the story gets slow.

That's what I like about my Kindle. (Or any e-book reader.) I can load it up with LOTS of books. If I don't like the one I started with, I can go read another without lugging around a pile of books.

They won't let you take knitting needles on a commercial flight, unless they are in checked luggage. At least that was my aunt's experience on her winter jaunts to Myrtle Beach.

They've relaxed those rules again. You can take your knitting needles onto a flight now. I guess someone finally figured out that knitting needles really aren't all that sharp.

 

[turbo]

That's what I like about my Kindle. (Or any e-book reader.) I can load it up with LOTS of books. If I don't like the one I started with, I can go read another without lugging around a pile of books.

That is certainly an advantage. If I were still traveling, I'd have to buy one of those. I could load it with fiction, short stories, historical books, astronomy and astrophysics, etc. Is there a Kindle app that let's you download a pile of papers from ArXiv and read those, or do you still have to rely on downloading the PDFs to your laptop?

 

[turbo]

They've relaxed those rules again. You can take your knitting needles onto a flight now. I guess someone finally figured out that knitting needles really aren't all that sharp.

That's good news for my uncle's nerves. ;-)

 

[WiFO215]

That is certainly an advantage. If I were still traveling, I'd have to buy one of those. I could load it with fiction, short stories, historical books, astronomy and astrophysics, etc. Is there a Kindle app that let's you download a pile of papers from ArXiv and read those, or do you still have to rely on downloading the PDFs to your laptop?

Just download from ArXiv on to your laptop, then drag and drop into your Kindle. It's like Copy-> Paste within the computer. Quite a simple process.

On the other hand, reading science books/texts/papers on the Kindle is a pain. It still needs quite a bit of work before it becomes useful for such purposes. For now, it suits pleasure-reading alone.

 

[ViewsofMars]

I can't sleep on planes. My iPod only lasts a couple of hours. What other activities can I engage into keep from going crazy?

I can only speak of my own experiences that might intrigue you. First off, I'd rather be in the air than on Earth at times. I love to be in the air. Flying is one of my favorite things to do. I feel very comfortable in jets or 12 seaters. Usually, I spend the majority of my time aboard by mingling with people (strangers). Walk around and chat with strangers and crew whom some have become my dear friends. Flying makes me *feel* like I'm in a womb. All comfy, warm, and cozy. And I don't mind if the ride gets rough. It's profoundly exciting. Humm, I recall being in a 737 jet during a heavy rainstorm that landed on the smallest runway I'd ever seen. I LOVED it! Very exciting. I guess I'm a thrill seeker. LOL! Talk about an adrenaline rush. I can never fall asleep on a plane.

Have fun on your trip, Math Is Hard.

 

[Huckleberry]

You should ask this question to the person next to you on your flight. Poke them in the shoulder and wake them up. Then play 20 questions. Listen to a lifetime of stories. People on airplanes always have stories. It beats burying your nose in a computer or book. You can do that any old time. You've got someone who can't run away for 8 hours. Muahahaha! Make a new friend. 8 hours won't seem long enough. And if they are anti-social then you can hog the armrest for the entire flight and apologize for it when the plane lands, or play musical chairs and find someone to talk to about the nasty person you were just sitting next to. People are the best part about traveling.