7 things to do on a long haul flight

If you’ve read previous posts on this blog, or you follow me on Instagram, you’ll know that I’ve been travelling in Australia. Before I left for Oz, one thing that came up in conversation a lot with my friends and family was the long flight. My travel time was 24 hours, including a three-hour stopover in Singapore – that’s a long time to be travelling.

If you’re going on a long haul flight, you’ll have to get a little creative if you don’t want to bore yourself to tears. Here are a few ideas on what you could do while you’re in the air.

1. Read

This tends to be an obvious option. Having been especially busy with work before I left for Australia, I was looking forward to getting on the plane and reading a good old paperback. Pick something long that you won’t finish on the flight, as you don’t want to sit there twiddling your thumbs if you’ve got a fast reading pace.

2. Watch a film

There are dozens of great films on flights these days, and often they’re new releases. On my flight I watched Crazy Rich Asians and Creed II. Watching films makes the time go quicker, and breaking up the time with sleeping and eating will make your long haul flight go by as if it were short haul.

3. Play cards

If you bring a pack of cards with you on a flight, you can easily play a few games of solitaire to pass the time. This is also a way to meet people, as the person sitting next to you might know a card game or two and ask to join you.

4. Walk around

When you’re sitting on a plane for such a long time, there is a risk of deep vein thrombosis if you don’t move around. To get the blood flowing, take a walk up and down the aisles of the plane. Try and do this every hour or so to break up your journey a bit more.

5. Go online

On larger airlines, you can usually take advantage of the in-flight WiFi. At a cost, you can access the internet or social media to talk to your friends, do some online shopping, or research your destination. The cost is worth it if you’re absolutely bored out of your mind and have nothing else to do.

6. Work

If you’re a workaholic like me, bring your laptop onto the plane and do some work from your seat. You won’t be bothered by calls or emails (unless you opt for in-flight WiFi, as above), so you can put in some hours for offline work.

7. Listen to a podcast

There are so many amazing podcasts available to listen to, and a flight is the perfect time to do so. If you use Spotify or iTunes, download a few long podcast episodes before your flight to listen to while on board. I really like My Favorite Murder for true crime and comedy, and Household Name for untold stories about big brand names and businesses.

Whatever you decide to do on your long haul flight, I hope you have a safe journey. Comment below letting me know what your tips are for things to do on a flight, and see more of my travel posts here and follow me on Instagram @jenloumeredith.