This Thursday I’m off to Thailand once again. I’m in for another 22hr plane ride through Korea. I am curious as to what others do to cure boredom on long plane rides. I usually read, but that doesn’t always cut it. I also find it impossible to sleep. Drinking myself retarded is not an option either. My girlfriend would love it if I greeted her family drunk. I think this time I’m going to bring some easy to read books from when I was younger. Something quick but will bring back memories and pass the time. Like maybe “The Phantom Toll-Booth”, and “Stewart Little”. So what does everyone else do on long plane rides?
You’ve said it’s not an option for you, but I usually sack out; even on a 2 1/2 hour flight. One of these days I’ll get a laptop with a DVD player and extra batteries so I can watch a movie.
Back when dad had his Cessnas we’d fly up to the grandparent’s place about 10 hours away (including a fuel stop). There was plenty to keep me busy then, like flying the plane! Other things that occupied my time were, “Damn, my butt’s getting tired!” and “If we don’t get there soon, my bladder is going to burst!”
When I flew to South Africa last May (Atlanta to Cape Town is the world’s longest nonstop at 15 hours 45 minutes), I just didn’t sleep for 36 hours before I got on the plane. I conked out and slept most of the way. The time that I was awake, I was doing crossword puzzles and listening to CDs. This worked better than reading the entire time, which was my previous strategy for international flights. It had the added advantage of cutting down on jetlag when I arrived.
I am aiming for a similar sleep-deprivation strategy for my trip next month to Siberia : Houston -> Frankfurt -> Moscow then a red-eye flight to Tomsk, Siberia.
You have a decent reading strategy – I would recommend several books that are not designed for thinking - Crichton, Clancy, Grisham, King, or the latest trashy sci-fi is what I stick to. One of those “can’t put it down” books that you can pile through for 10 hours and not get distracted.
I"ve tried the not sleeping before you go tactic. It seems to work pretty good. I got lucky on my trip out last time and a hold row to myself. I just stretched out and went to sleep for the 13hr flight out of Tokyo. And I think your right abotu the reading thing, I"ve made up my mind andI’m headed to the book store to buy some “dumbed down” books to occupy my time. I’ve quit smoking too. not being able to smoke added to the anxiety of my last flight. This time around should go much more smooth.
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Help
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My I use your belt as a tourniquet
I second the CD suggestion. I have found that relaxing with music on a long trip works better than reading for me. I had never slept on flights before I tried listening to music.
Good luck–that sounds like a heck of a trip.
Audiobooks are also a good option. They provide a different experience than reading the actual book, so if you have trouble reading, audiobooks might be more your style. Some of the longer unabridged audiobooks can run many, many hours. The Wheel of Time series took me half a year to listen to, and I never did finish it. 
If you’re interested, try to find a rental store near you (Talking Book World seems to be the national chain). Audiobooks can get incredibly expensive, and renting them saves enormously on the cost.
I am so with you on this one. I do the Sydney-LA-Chicago flight (like 19 hours in the air) a couple of times a year. I get to see three, count them three, bad movies and get four airplane meals, ooohh, I can’t wait till my CHristmas trip.
Trashy novels are a good time waster. The laptop with extra juice can help, cuz I get all caught up on all my tardy emails, play tetris, do my taxes, etc. I also bring some CDs so when the kid next to me starts to have a tantrum, and they always do, I can drown it out.
I really don’t have any amazing answers for ya, just letting ya know that I’m with ya.
have a safe trip.