10 Ways To Survive A Long Transcontinental Flight

Afraid of heights?

On my IG story, when polled I was surprised to see that my audience said a flight longer than 5 hours is a travel detourent for them. I am accustomed to flying for as many as 14 hours a day. Here are some of my tips for how I survive the long haul flights.

Good music

Make sure you download your favorite playlists before leaving your home. Nothing is worse than boarding your plane and realizing you don’t have access to any of your streaming services. Those same ten songs are only going to be enjoyable for an hour max. Charge your headphones and be sure not to forget them. Headphones can be so much more expensive in the airports.

Bring something to work on.

Whether you are starting a new hobby, planning what you’re going to do when you get where you are going, or writing letters to friends and family members, be sure you are prepared to get something done. It’s a great way to feel productive while spending your time disconnected from the fast pace of life on the ground. Fun fact: I am currently writing this blog post while aboard a 4 hour flight to Denver.

Read a book

Reading a book is always such a peaceful thing to do. It is a great stimulant for your mind and makes you use your imagination. I love to read because I get to paint the pictures and create a movie for the text in my mind. Reading while in the sky can surely make the time fly by.

Movies

United has an awesome selection of movies On flights longer than 7 hours I tend to look through the movie selections. I have always been so impressed by the movies some of which I’d never even heard about until I chose to fly. Waves, Beautiful Boy, and Brian Banks are three movies that I watched on the airplane that I highly recommend.

Face mist and hand cream

Because of the cabin pressure the air on aircrafts tends to be very dry I carry a face mist and hand cream in my flight bag at all times. It’s so refreshing to hydrate while in flight. The hand cream I am currently in love with is Innisfree Jeju Perfumed Handcream in peach and the face mists I love are Evian Moisturizing Facial Spray. and Glow Moisture WATERMELON GLOW ULTRA-FINE MIST.

Warm comfy socks

My feet are always the first thing to get cold on the plane. Comfy socks.. the fuzzy ones!!! I LOVE EM! Uggs makes a great pair. They really change the game when it comes to comfort.

Language learning - Quizlet, Drops, Workbooks,

Whether you are heading to a country where you have no knowledge of any language basics or you’ve been studying a language for over 5 years, language learning is a great way to spend time while in the sky. Everyone has to start somewhere. I use the apps Drops, and Quizlet for studying. Rosetta Stone is also a learning software that I have invested in. I love how these are all interactive and you learn without trying hard. They really bring out a persons natural instinct to pick up new knowledge. You can also bring a workbook to practice with. I have quite a few myself. Sometimes I will pack one to work on but I mostly prefer to use my electronics to save space in my carry on.

Games

Entertainment through gaming apps create a fun environment to pass time. I love Wordscapes. I am a words girl so I prefer word puzzles like scrabble and cross word puzzles. If you are numbers person Sudoku is a great game.

Journaling

Oh how I love journaling! I do a lot of writing on airplanes and in hotel rooms. It’s so important to clear your mind. And just get it out. You can journal about how excited or nervous you are about where you’re traveling to, the crazy experience you had with TSA, or how you had to run to your gate in your socks to avoid missing your flight! Ha! Six months later when you come across that journal, you’ll be amazed at how much life you’ve documented that you would have never remembered otherwise. It’s so mice to look back at moments that you’ve written about in the past and reminisce on that moment.

Strike up a Conversation with the Flight Attendants.

After service has been completed, Flight attendants are normally chatting in the galley and planning their layovers during the down time if there is no work that need to be done, They are also well traveled, Ask them if they have any suggestions or places to see or avoid in your final destination. It is very likely that they will have some great advice and stories to share with you.