# How do you pass the time on long flights? (Need answer fast-ish) **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [March 7, 2011, 4:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pass-the-time-on-long-flights-need-answer-fast-ish/573746 "2011-03-07T04:25:18Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![overlyverbose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/9dc877/32.png) [@overlyverbose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/overlyverbose)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2011, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pass-the-time-on-long-flights-need-answer-fast-ish/573746/21 "2011-03-07T17:44:55Z")
Before we had kids, I’d read, watch movies and sleep (I have the good fortune of being able to sleep in almost any circumstance). Back in the day when they’d let you do it, I would bring my cross-stitch on and sew. That was a huge time-killer. Unfortunately, I don’t think they allow you to have needles or sewing scissors on flights anymore. When I was on a nicer British Air flight long ago, they had a bar in the middle of the plane. That was really nice - it’d give you somewhere to go during the flight that wasn’t your seat and you wouldn’t be standing in the middle of the aisle. Nowadays I tend to have a lapful of kid. Thank God I don’t get as motion sick on planes these days as I used to. ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2011, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pass-the-time-on-long-flights-need-answer-fast-ish/573746/22 "2011-03-07T17:46:25Z")
I catch up on _This American Life_ podcasts. They’re an hour long, and always interesting. ---
**Author:** ![Duckster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/duckster/32/1244_2.png) [@Duckster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duckster)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2011, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pass-the-time-on-long-flights-need-answer-fast-ish/573746/23 "2011-03-07T18:00:40Z")
> [@Omi\_no\_Kami](#): > > So I’m jumping on a plane for 13 hours tomorrow. You might want to sit down for part of that trip. You know, to read, grab a bite to eat, rehydrate yourself, listen to music, watch a movie. Stuff like that. ---
**Author:** ![madmonk28](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madmonk28/32/20811_2.png) [@madmonk28](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madmonk28)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2011, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pass-the-time-on-long-flights-need-answer-fast-ish/573746/24 "2011-03-07T18:24:40Z")
I fly a lot on long haul flights from DC to the Middle East. In my experience the problem with being on a plane is that there are very few options for how to spend your free time, so I like to travel with a variety of distractions to mix it up. I try to bring one novel, a couple of magazines that have lengthier articles (for me it is the Atlantic Monthly), some magazines with lots of short articles on a variety of subjects (the Week, or the Economist) and finally some entirely cheezy entertainment (for me magazines about PC games) plus an ipod full of tv shows. The whole point is to find yourself so engrossed in something that you are unaware of the passage of time. I never quite know what mood is going to hit me on the plane, so I like the variety, plus having a choice is somehow comforting. Nothing is worse than having only a book on a plane and suddenly realizing you don’t particularly feel like reading it, then you spend 13 hours on a flight looking at a skymall catelogue. ---
**Author:** ![Machine\_Elf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/82dd89/32.png) [@Machine\_Elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Machine_Elf)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2011, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pass-the-time-on-long-flights-need-answer-fast-ish/573746/25 "2011-03-07T18:41:49Z")
> [@stpauler](#): > > Make sure to get up and walk around and drink water every couple hours too. Which reminds me, they don’t give you _nearly_ enough to drink on these long flights. You can go without for a couple of hours on a domestic flight but for thirteen hours in a bone-dry cabin, you need to buy at least a liter of water once you get through airport security. In fact, if you get two and make it a point to drink a lot (of water), it’ll force you to get up and go to the bathroom frequently, which helps get the blood in your legs moving; you do not want to develop [DVT,](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DVT) and dehydration+inactivity on very long flights are significant risk factors. ---
**Author:** ![Kyla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/eada6e/32.png) [@Kyla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kyla)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2011, 7:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pass-the-time-on-long-flights-need-answer-fast-ish/573746/26 "2011-03-07T19:37:38Z")
Books, magazines, an iPod loaded with a variety of entertainment (podcasts, audiobooks, tv shows). Variety is important on a long flight. ---
**Author:** ![QuarkChild](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/c5a1d2/32.png) [@QuarkChild](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/QuarkChild)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2011, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pass-the-time-on-long-flights-need-answer-fast-ish/573746/27 "2011-03-07T19:45:02Z")
My stategy for long flights is to bring a China Mieville paperback. He writes biopunk/steampunk novels that seem about as long as Les Miserables and are about as dense, but more entertaining. A few days ago I flew from the East coast to the West coast and finished The Iron Council just as the plane was touching down. ---
**Author:** ![Le\_Ministre\_de\_l\_au-dela](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/le_ministre_de_l_au-dela/32/12181_2.png) [@Le\_Ministre\_de\_l\_au-dela](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Le_Ministre_de_l_au-dela)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2011, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pass-the-time-on-long-flights-need-answer-fast-ish/573746/28 "2011-03-07T19:45:49Z")
Noise cancelling headphones are fantastic!! They make all the difference between being able to listen to Mozart and being restricted to stuff that crosses over the red line on the VU meter every beat. Music, books, noise canceling headphones. Try to get on the plane so hung over and exhausted you fall asleep anyway. ---
**Author:** ![suranyi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e36b37/32.png) [@suranyi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/suranyi)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2011, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pass-the-time-on-long-flights-need-answer-fast-ish/573746/29 "2011-03-07T20:00:22Z")
1. Read. Used to be books, but now I bring my Kindle. That way I can have a variety of material, so I can switch if I get bored. 2. Crossword puzzles. I bring several, and I try to get fairly difficult ones so that it takes me a good long time to solve them, and so they provide plenty of mental distraction. ---
**Author:** ![Raguleader](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/258eb7/32.png) [@Raguleader](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Raguleader)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2011, 10:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pass-the-time-on-long-flights-need-answer-fast-ish/573746/30 "2011-03-07T22:07:11Z")
A couple thoughts: Earplugs or noise-canceling headphones (or just regular comfortable headphones with some music) help a lot. A lot of what wears you out on an airplane (aside from all the obvious stuff) is the sound of the engines, which are, whether you realize it or not, rather loud. Just having that running in the background is a huge cause of pilot fatigue (hence all the super high-tech and high-price headsets for pilots). I would generally recommend against drugging or drinking yourself into a stupor, just on the off chance that something might happen where you need to respond (plane is making an emergency landing, Russians have taken over and you need to assist the Sky Marshals and the President in retaking the plane, some pretty flight attendant starts winking at you, you know, whatever). But then, that’s me, I’ve been known to nod off during earthquakes. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b2d939/32.png) [@C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/C_K_Dexter_Haven)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2011, 11:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pass-the-time-on-long-flights-need-answer-fast-ish/573746/31 "2011-03-07T23:04:36Z")
A book of NY Times Sunday crosswords. However, you might think about some over-the-counter sleeping pill, like Tylenol PM. ---
**Author:** ![Balthisar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/balthisar/32/2825_2.png) [@Balthisar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balthisar)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2011, 1:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pass-the-time-on-long-flights-need-answer-fast-ish/573746/32 "2011-03-08T01:16:47Z")
The last time I flew from Amsterdam to Mexico City, I started out on the booze. I only had two gin-tonics, but I started watching _Brüno_ and couldn’t stop laughing (out loud!) so they cut me off. But after the movie, I started playing with the language lessons. That was KLM; I’m not sure what other airlines have those personal movie/interactive things on board. It was so fun that I didn’t get to watch anything on my iPhone on either way of the trip! ---
**Author:** ![gaffa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e68b1a/32.png) [@gaffa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gaffa)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2011, 1:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pass-the-time-on-long-flights-need-answer-fast-ish/573746/33 "2011-03-08T01:56:49Z")
I’ve not flown in several years, but I frequently take an 11 hour Megabus trip. Luckily the trip has three scheduled stops (two 1/2 hour, one hour) so I can get out and walk, get food, etc. Multiple movies are usually the ticket, but on my last trip I edited a concert I had shot. Being away from the Internet and TV forced me to stick with the job at hand and I was able to ship DVDs the next morning. ---
**Author:** ![BrotherCadfael](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@BrotherCadfael](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrotherCadfael)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2011, 1:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pass-the-time-on-long-flights-need-answer-fast-ish/573746/34 "2011-03-08T01:57:02Z")
Load up my iPad with movies and books. Although I like the sleeping pill idea - I did that the last time I took the red-eye. ---
**Author:** ![HazelNutCoffee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/ac91a4/32.png) [@HazelNutCoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HazelNutCoffee)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2011, 2:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pass-the-time-on-long-flights-need-answer-fast-ish/573746/35 "2011-03-08T02:17:23Z")
> [@QuarkChild](#): > > My stategy for long flights is to bring a China Mieville paperback. He writes biopunk/steampunk novels that seem about as long as Les Miserables and are about as dense, but more entertaining. > > A few days ago I flew from the East coast to the West coast and finished The Iron Council just as the plane was touching down. That’s not really a long flight, though. 4 hours? 5 hours? Any flight that is under 5 hours passes pretty quickly for me. It’s around the 6-7 hour mark that I start wanting to kill myself. ---
**Author:** ![QuarkChild](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/c5a1d2/32.png) [@QuarkChild](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/QuarkChild)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2011, 2:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pass-the-time-on-long-flights-need-answer-fast-ish/573746/36 "2011-03-08T02:32:00Z")
> [@HazelNutCoffee](#): > > That’s not really a long flight, though. 4 hours? 5 hours? Any flight that is under 5 hours passes pretty quickly for me. It’s around the 6-7 hour mark that I start wanting to kill myself. It was SUPPOSED to be a 5 hour 40 minute flight, but ended up being 7 hours due to over an hour of tarmac-squatting. I hate United Airlines. In any case, it was long enough that some Mieville was called for. ---
**Author:** ![Alpine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alpine/32/17813_2.png) [@Alpine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alpine)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2011, 3:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pass-the-time-on-long-flights-need-answer-fast-ish/573746/37 "2011-03-08T03:36:54Z")
I agree with the noise-cancelling headphones. Flip the switch and aaaah - that low rumble just backs off. (And the … expressive… kiddies are toned down, too.) It’s too bad my Bose are on their way out - I got them for xmas years ago and now the right side has a hiss-zzzt sound. But they are so expensive and I only travel a few times a year. Maybe next xmas. Crossword puzzles AND kindle AND music AND movies. Yeah, the variety thing. ---
**Author:** ![Throatwarbler\_Mangrove](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8c91f0/32.png) [@Throatwarbler\_Mangrove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Throatwarbler_Mangrove)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2011, 3:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pass-the-time-on-long-flights-need-answer-fast-ish/573746/38 "2011-03-08T03:46:07Z")
> [@MeanOldLady](#): > > Getting drunk is the only way to be able to sleep on a coach flight. You can only read for so long in those terrible seats that won’t recline worth shit. Yep. Free booze on international flights. I have podcasts, MST3K episodes and audiobooks for the first few hours before I drink myself into a stupor. ---
**Author:** ![Ibanez](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/a4c791/32.png) [@Ibanez](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ibanez)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2011, 4:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pass-the-time-on-long-flights-need-answer-fast-ish/573746/39 "2011-03-08T04:00:36Z")
Run up and down the aisle of the plane with a pot and spoon banging them together while shouting Oklahoma ! Oklahoma ! Second thought, you might be better off with sleeping pills like others have suggested or read a book. ---
**Author:** ![Brynda](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e79b87/32.png) [@Brynda](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Brynda)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2011, 4:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pass-the-time-on-long-flights-need-answer-fast-ish/573746/40 "2011-03-08T04:58:25Z")
I can’t sleep, either. Even as a kid, I would stay up and watch my family sleep. Ambien, which is usually da bomb, doesn’t work for me. I agree with the suggestion to have variety, but it also helps to just psych yourself out and don’t think about the time. I don’t even check it until near the end of the flight. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pass-the-time-on-long-flights-need-answer-fast-ish/573746.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pass-the-time-on-long-flights-need-answer-fast-ish/573746.md?page=3)