Surviving a Long-Haul Flight: 5 Productive (and Fun) Ways to Pass the Time
by Monique Murdock
Congratulations! You’ve booked your flight and it is probably more than 14 hours. During the time you're awake, what should you do? Not to worry! I have five or six options you could consider and you could possibly complete a new year resolution!
Read a Book
Is there one new year resolution you were hoping to achieve but school and life got in the way? Possibly reading more books? Now is the perfect time to achieve one of your goals while you are traveling. I definitely recommend mystery books, something that keeps you on the edge of your seat until you reach your destination. Maybe reading is not on your mind after completing your readings for classes. You could listen to an audiobook and that still counts towards your new year resolution.
2. Listen to Music or a Podcast
This choice might be obvious but you have to make sure you have enough music to last the entire flight, and maybe back too! Make sure you have the music downloaded offline before the flight, or you'll be humming the music in your head the whole flight. Listening to a podcast can definitely help pass time, especially if it is a topic you are curious about. Maybe a murder mystery or business and self improvement. Very important note is to bring noise cancelling headphones so you don’t have to worry about the sound of the other passengers or sound of the plane. You can also protect your hearing with noise cancelling headphones!
3. Watch a movie/ TV shows
They may have flights on board but what if you are already watching a 10 season TV show and this could be the perfect time to catch up during the school semester. Well, you’re in luck. With Netflix, you can download any shows or movies, with the ad-free plan, you can have 100 active downloads. By the time you land, you might finish 2 seasons, especially if you watch it at 2x speed! (Personally, I might be watching Gossip Girl!)
4. Journal
Journaling is the best thing you can do during this trip! Why not start on the plane? You could write about your expectations for the trip, whether that is the food you want to experience or the places you are excited to visit. At the end of the trip, you can reflect back on this entry and compare. Did your expectations match up to reality? Maybe something threw you for a loop! Write about it!
5. Sleep
If you wanted to sleep the whole trip, more power to you! You’ll be ready to take on the day whenever you land, ready to explore and expand your horizons. However, you may miss the meals and snacks that come on the plane, and it may be a new experience that you wouldn’t want to miss out on! If you do sleep, bring some ear plugs and maybe a sleep mask so nobody can disturb you.
These are just tips I have to survive a long flight, but it is important to do what is best for you! Maybe you already know how to get through a long flight and it isn’t listed above, like completing a crossword puzzle or playing your nintendo switch. Whatever it may be, I hope everyone has a safe trip and I can’t wait to see everyone in Dubai!
Monique Murdock
Trip Mentor
‘Futurism and Sustainability in the UAE’
Spring Break 2025
