Plane rides can get boring and dull very quickly, especially if you’ve had to wait in the airport for hours beforehand.
Sure, it’s exciting to look outside the window, if you have a seat there, for approximately 10 minutes.. But what then?
You have a weird Turkish guy sitting next to you, snoring. Two seats behind you, there’s a baby crying as if he/she were going to die. And a plethora of other slightly annoying, repetitive things.
Why couldn’t airplane babies be like this?
So what to do while you’re on an airplane?
Here are a few things I came up with:
- Think of article ideas (I.e this one)
- Read a book (I managed to get my hands on “Outliers” by Malcolm Gladwell at the book store in Istanbul airport)
- Listen to an audiobook
- Listen to music (You cannot go on an airplane, without your iPod, seriously.)
- Get philosophical (I kept wondering whether the world was really really tiny, or huge? Can’t remember what I concluded..)
- Write an article (I managed to write 300 words about a recreational product, in my iPod notes for an affiliate site I have)
- Read blog posts (I always have at least 5 tabs open on my iPod, in case I need something to read and have no internet connection)
- Talk with the people next to you (Can be awkward at first, but it’s interesting)
- Imagine what you’re going to do, when you reach your destination
- Try creating your own rap song (Didn’t work out too well..)
- Enjoy the free drinks
- Listen to a podcast (SPI, EOFire, TropicalMBA, Tim Ferriss Show (TimTim TalkTalk), EmpireFlippers, Niche Pursuits, New Business Podcast)
- Take pictures of the views
On my way to Istanbul, picture taken with a potato.
- Stress over the idea that you forgot something at home
- Keep in mind to not leave your hat in the hand luggage compartment (I didn’t follow this one)
- Think of ways to improve your blog/business
- Take a nap, naps are awesome.
- Get the latest episode of “The Simpsons” on your iPod/tablet/laptop
- Do NOT look at the clock
- Practice meditating (The noisy environment makes it a challenge of self-control)
- Read your book again and highlight everything you find significant.
- Find stuff in the clouds (I swear I saw a Wu-tang logo when taking off from Istanbul)
- Sit back and watch all the people shoving to get off the airplane
- Be silly, odds are you’ll never see any of these people again.
That’s all I could come up with for now, might update this list when I fly back home 🙂