I’m going to England for a week, leaving tomorrow evening. I haven’t flown in years and I’ll be traveling in a group of classmates, without my parents. This will also be the longest flight I’ve ever been on.
I’m sure I’ll be too excited to sleep much, so what should I bring/do? I’m flying Virgin Atlantic, if anyone knows what they have onboard.
I just worry no one will have the patience to play a game of Travel Scrabble. 
Pass the time? I drink a lot.
Oh, you meant on planes! :smack:
j/k
I drink a lot. Then I can more easily ignore the screaming baby in the row behind me and sleep. If I time my sleep right, I can fly to Europe (or back) and have my body’s clock off by only an hour or two.
I take along a bunch of crossword puzzles, and a few cheapy paperbacks I can discard without trauma at the other end. Used bookstores are great for this, as airport bookstores are insanely expensive, not to mention severely limited in selection.
Have fun! I’m so envious.
Veb
Sleeping is still the best option for a long flight. Now, you mentioned that you’d be too excited to catch some Z’s, but a bit of Dramamine should help alleviate that problem.
Some CDs or iPod.
A couple magazines.
A paperback.
Some munchies.
Deck of cards.
Pen and paper.
I usually bring my laptop.
Take your shoes off, cover your legs and feet with one of their blankets.
Watch the movie(s) they show, no matter how bad they are.
Virgin will be good, better than AA or United no doubt.
Here’s some Virgin perks:
http://www.virgin-atlantic.com/en/us/whatsonboard/inflightentertainment/index.jsp
Have fun!!! You know they drive on the wrong side of the road over there? Just thought I would warn you. 
I don’t know about you guys, but I’ve always found that being on a plane - even a long flight - isn’t very boring because they keep you so busy (being in hospital is a bit like this too).
Take-off (kinda fun) - bit where the novelty hasn’t worn off (look out the window) - drinks - flick through the airline magazines - 'nother drink - flick through the entertainment channels - look out the window a bit - get engrossed in the scrolling map - a half-arsed watch of a movie - coffee - sit there and bliss out a bit - have a flick through a paperback - a spot of freaky turbulence - main meal - nod off to sleep for a bit - wake up for a toilet break and a bit of a stand up for a while - another movie - another drink - fill out the arrival cards - “we are beginning our descent…” No problems. I usually don’t finish the books, newspapers etc I thought I would.
its so weird
sometimes a long flight seems like torture, and other times it seems like it isn’t that bad. It all depends on the amount of time that you are in the air though. If you are going to England it probably won’t be that long. I think that from NYC to london its something like 9 hours probably? But the 14 hours from Frankfurt to Detroit, chicago or dallas are the ones that will kill you. I mean really. For me I never manage to get it right. Sometimes I carry something to read then discover that its not very interesting. Sometimes they have individual screens on the back of every seat that is cool but the movies are always mediocre.
I’ve never slept through a transatlantic flight. There is just too much gonig on, and I can’t sleep like that. I’ve tried drinking too, but it makes me feel like a lush plus its hard to get drunk in coach because people aren’t around enough. once I got bumped up to business and I got really drunk off some nice wine. they were constantly refilling my glass.
Sometimes I bring nothing to do and manage to not kill myself from boredom through sleeping. Finding an interesting passenger to talk to is a mixed bag. You can’t really hold a conversation with a stranger for 5 plus hours and not make it weird. Its just strange.
Sleeping is hard for me, but I’ve come close when I get a blanket.
Just some other tips: Make sure you bring plenty of water. Probably a liter. And water that you like. I always hate how in Atlanta they only have Dasani water, which I hate.
I’m the guy with the white knuckles, staying awake the entire time in case the pilot need me.
I am not a great person to sit next to on a flight.
Still, I get on airplanes.
Just don’t like it.
Beer helps.
First, I have a double vodka.
Then, I begin torturing the person next to me by peppering them with questions. “Where you from?” “What’s your name?” “What do you do?” “How often do you travel?”
Then I regale them with tasteless jokes and boring stories until they move to another seat. That enables me to then lift the arm rest, stretch out, and take a nice long nap.
I second the suggestion that you bring water. For some reason, it’s really dry in airports and on airplanes, and you’ll find yourself going through that water pretty fast. I’d also suggest you bring something to eat. The food you get on the airline may or may not be worth eating.
I’m all in favor of an interesting book and some good crossword puzzles to pass the time. Works for me.
Oh, and, if you want to sleep–get one of those u-shaped travel pillows. They work well. If there’s space on the flight, you might be able to stretch out across several seats. But if the flight is full, you’ll have to sleep sitting up. That’s where the travel pillow comes in handy.
[hijack]Merkwurdigliebe, you have brand preferences in bottled water? Just out of curiosity–what, to you, is the difference between Dasani water and any other kind?[/hijack]
I take an Ambien and wake up on the other side.
That’s because Dasani is owned by Coke and Coke owns Atlanta.
For me I usually look out the window and try and map in my head where we are by landmarks such as mountains, rivers and cities. Of course when flying over the ocean, this doesn’t help. In that case I’d watch the movies, drink and try to sleep.
I usually just drink and play gameboy or read. It’s gets spendy but it really helps pass the time. Just don’t do it if you’re the type that likes to babble to anyone or anything. I’m perfectly happy to drink beer and ignore everything else around me.
I usually try to have sex with at least two stewardesses. That usually burns a good six hours.
Well I’m thinking drinking is right out since you say you’re traveling with classmates so…
The last long flight I had I got to take my laptop. Again this may not work for you if you don’t want to haul it around wherever you end up, but it was great to have on the plane. I watched dvds, played games, anything. We were on American which has places to plug in your stuff in some of the rows. Only some of them though. On the way back I didn’t get one so I only had the laptop as long as the battery would last or, in other words, twenty minutes. After that I slept and read.
I took Benadryl to help me sleep, but it hypes some people up so you may not want to do that if you’ve never taken it.
-Lil
Firstly: I’m fifteen, and no matter my age, I’d hate to be in an altered state while doing something rather important like air travel. 
I checked online, and Virgin has some decent movies playing on their flights right now. I’m hoping for I Heart Huckabees or Sideways, myself.
I went to the bookstore and bought a thick little guide to London, as I like knowing my surroundings. And I picked up a magazine for some lighter in-flight reading. I’ll bring along some schoolwork as well.
My dad thinks it’s silly to bring water, but I’m packing two bottles all the same.
Any suggestions appreciated.
No…those flights are a bit shorter than that. NYC to London is about 6 1/2 to 7 hours, and about 7 1/2 in return. Chicago to Frankfurt (a flight I’ve made many times) is about 8 1/2 hours there, and 9 1/2 hours back.
7 hours? I’m relieved, I’d heard much longer travel times mentioned.
Oh, and a note to add- I’d love to bring my mp3 player and my Game Boy (I’ve spent 7 hours playing Final Fantasy before, I could easily do it again!) but our chaperone specifically forbade such devices. I’m sure it’s only because of than her past experiences with that most terrible of beasts, the Teenager Who Lost Some Electronic Gadget. Even so, I’d rather not get on her bad side, at least until I’ve set foot in Heathrow. 
I brought some schoolwork to do, but somehow I can tell I’ll be rereading the UK equivalent of Hammacher Schlemmer sooner than I’ll be answering questions about WWI.
Thanks!
I’ve consistently found inflight movies disappointing. It’s rare that I’m much interested in what is showing, and rare that the screen location and picture quality are much above mediocre. There is a trend toward individual screens and “select your own” movies, but this is not yet widespread.
And unless you’re flying Business of First Class, there usually isn’t room to set a laptop in front of you so that the screen is visible. You’d need one of those dedicated DVD viewers to watch a movie of your choice.
My solution is always books; I carry at least two. On a recent return flight from New Zealand (longest leg = 12 hours) I actually got well into Anna Karenina.
Some might like to have one bottle, but two is rather silly. Water is free on the plane. Ding the bell and enjoy the service (see below). Check out this thread, also: http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=300574
In my experience, Virgin has some of the hottest flight attendents anywhere. I still fondly remember a flight from San Francisco to London that featured four flight attendents who were just drop-dead gorgeous. Other flights haven’t been as impressive, but that trip was about six or seven years ago and I haven’t forgotten it. (To the nitpickers, yes, yes, I’m sure you’ve been on Virgin flights with haggish stewardesses, all-male crews, whatever, I’m just saying.)
Virgin has some old-school video games at each seat. Since you have a Gameboy, you’ll probably be playing that, but I liked playing their Mario Golf (same version that used to be on the SNES). I don’t know if they’ve upgraded; I haven’t had a chance to fly Virgin in two or three years.