Travel Week: Anti-Boredom Tips

The flight across the Atlantic is a killer.  It's SO LONG, and for this trip we have flights before and after as well.  This means I'm going to need some serious entertainment to keep me from going stir crazy in the tiny, crowded airplane cabins.  The kicker is, though, that it can't take up much room!  I've only got a small carry-on, and I'm not giving up any leg room!

Here are some ideas that I've found helpful for travel entertainment:

1.  Bring a small travel journal and begin writing about your trip experience.

2.  If you're a person that likes to draw, go for it!  Draw the interesting people around you, your view from your airplane seat, or start doodling in the margins of your journal to accent your trip journaling that will come later.

3.  Bring a small electronic device with games, movies, etc. on it.  (That's kind of an obvious one, but it's still valid!)

4.  Use a camera and film snippets of you (and your friends) to make into a trip highlights movie later.  

5.  Bring a really long book that will take you the entire trip to read.  (But be realistic about how much you'll actually read.  I've been guilty of bringing too many books, thinking I'd be a more voracious reader than I actually was.)

6.  Try to guess where the people around you are from based on their clothing, language, demeanor, etc. and explain your reasoning. (My sister and I LOVE this one.)

7.  Sleep.  It's simple, but it's also probably the most effective way to pass the time quickly!  Just be sure that you don't shoot yourself in the foot with your sleep timing.  If you're landing in a place during the night or evening local time, try to stay awake for a bit before.  That way you'll still be able to sleep when the locals do when you get to your destination and make the jet lag less bothersome.  (Taking melatonin when you need to sleep can also help curb jet lag effects and get you into a new sleep cycle faster.  Just a hint for life.)

8.  Make up stories about the people around you.  Find someone that looks interesting, mysterious, intriguing, beautiful, whatever, and create an entire story around them.  If you're really good, include environmental clues in the plot (such as the reason that lady has an especially tall bouffant or why the old man won't take off his hat).

9.  Bring a bunch of bobby pins and put your hair in pin curls.  Hey, it's an option.

10.  Bring some yarn and finger weave/ finger knit.  Here's a tutorial.  Oftentimes airlines won't allow knitting needles, so this is a good option that you can do with just yarn and your hand!