How To Avoid Boredom On Long Flights

When you're on those long flights, don't you get sick of that feeling that you're stuck in a steel coffin? Doesn't it just get so old and boring after a while, until you could throw those peanuts at the crying baby? Well, now if you follow these five easy steps, you'll be fine.


The offered games on the menu in front of you can provide at least some entertainment. They're worth mentioning anyway. A popular airline in July of 2009 was offering not only violent shoot-em-up Doom, but also Tower Toppler. Too soon? Guess not.


Bring a large variety of reading material. Everyone brings a book. Some people like to bring large, brick sized mass market paperbacks that look like they'll take several plane rides to read. But this is not enough. You should bring several books, for the flight alone. Don't worry about whether or not you'll finish them. That's not the point. The point is, when you get tired of fantasy, maybe you'll be in the mood for history. When you get tired of romance, maybe you'll be in the mood for some psychology. When you get tired of science fiction, maybe you'll be in the mood for some real science.


The same can be said for music. Don't just bring metal. That will get old after 6 hours of staring at the ocean, or even worse, the people to either side of you because you didn't get a window seat. Bring every possible genre that you have even the slightest interest in. Mix and match. And anyway, if you have only one genre on your ipod or whatever mp3 player you use, you're going to be in for a long flight.


The same thing goes for movies as well. A small DVD player or a full-on laptop is an obvious thing to take along, but pick your material wisely. A season or 2 of a favorite show works, and at least one exciting movie and one mellow movie. If you don't have a favorite show on DVD, just make sure your movie choices come from every genre you have.


The most important of all, however, is saved for last. The correct seat is extremely important on long plane rides. Make sure you book early enough. Of course you should get the best deal, but the place that offers that is not necessarily going to have a seating chart with what's been taken and what hasn't. You'll need to view the Airline's website for that.


It's always a good idea to book in advance, and seat choice is the most important reason why. If you like the bulkhead, book in advance. If you want a good window seat, book in advance. Most airline diagrams will display whether or not it's right over the wing, but not always. You can avoid this if you avoid any window seats in the middle of the plane. If you will be flying down the coast, make sure you know which side of the plane the ocean is going to be on. It will make a difference after 12 hours.


Basically, the secret is to just keep all your options open. Bring as much as are legally allowed to carry on the plane. You probably won't need any of it at all once you get where you're going, but long flights sometimes require packing of their own.