Hey. So I'll be on a plane for over 14 hours today. Without Internet. I know!<p>I'll have my tablet and laptop and I was wondering what to do on the plane to not die of boredom. I have a few ebooks I plan on reading but only for a few hours.<p>Any pro-tips (also general travel advice welcome)
Things I do, may or may not work for you:<p>1. Bring a comfortable pillow. For some reason planes put me to sleep almost instantly. I can be asleep before the plane takes off in most cases.
2. Dress casually and light. I hate being hot. I like to be able to stretch and move around comfortably. I don't mean you have to wear your pajamas on the plane, but a comfortable pair of pants and light shirt can make all the difference.
3. Normally I like a window seat, but on a longer flight I usually try to get an aisle seat. It makes getting up and down a lot easier to stretch and walk the aisle from time to time.
4. Bring snacks.
5. Depending on how much you fly and if you have elite status, go for the upgrade if you are able.
6. I usually try to bring an assortment of things to do (i.e. work, movies, books, etc..). That way if I get bored with one thing or finish something I can move onto something else.
7. Depending on your flight, you can try to hack your way into getting the seat next to you empty. There are several ways to do this and really depends on the airline, the flight, the time of flight, the type of plane, etc.. You can Google different hacks you can try.
* Sleep (ideally closer to the time zone of your destination) - often useful to have a neck pillow, eyemask, earplugs, and sleeping pills (which are all far cheaper in a local pharmacy than in the airport)<p>* Talk to your neighbors if they seem friendly (sometimes people really enjoy this and end up unexpectedly talking for several hours)<p>* Bring a variety of different media or tasks like different genres of books, different problems or puzzles, etc., perhaps movies or music, so you can switch around from one to another (... including creative tasks like writing a letter, an essay, or a computer program)<p>* Maybe try meditation, or thinking about particular problems or questions that you've thought were interesting or worthwhile for further reflection
Get a white-noise generator. I use <a href="https://f-droid.org/repository/browse/?fdfilter=noise&fdid=net.pmarks.chromadoze" rel="nofollow">https://f-droid.org/repository/browse/?fdfilter=noise&fdid=n...</a> on Android. I find it more effective than earplugs for drowning out engine noise and crying children.<p>Don't drink alcohol if you want to be productive - although if you're just going to be watching in-flight movies, knock back as much as you can ;-)<p>If it is not too late, request a special meal. I usually choose vegetarian (because I am), but you can go for Kosher, Halal, Vegan, etc. You usually get served first and the meals are generally of higher quality.
Best advice I received: imagine you're going to be on the plane for the rest of your life. Don't watch the clock.<p>I constantly underestimate the temporary IQ loss from altitude and jet lag. Bring light entertainment. Comedies, tell-all or humor books, documentaries. Do not attempt to read Douglas Hofstadter on a plane. And don't bring Game of Thrones in case the person next to you (a) isn't into it or (b) is trying to avoid spoilers.<p>Played correctly, I am mildly disappointed when I have to put things away for the landing.