Fun Ways to Entertain Yourself on the Plane

Trapped on a an airplane with barely any legroom is not the time to realize that you have five hours of free time and you can't fill it with sleep (unless you're like me and can sleep anywhere at any time). There are only so many times you can read the magazine articles about places you probably aren't going to to or flip through Sky Mall (that a lot of flights don't even bother carrying anymore) before you want to lose your mind. You could make it your mission to commit the safety codes to memory and be the emergency master if your flight ever goes down. The chances of that happening are very slim though. 

Here are some ways to occupy yourself (and your travel buddies) without being the weirdo who just stares into space or annoys the crap out of your neighbor by talking them to death. If you missed how to amuse yourself on a layover, click here.

Puzzle Books

I'm a lover of puzzles. I tend to spend the time I get on the plane to the time I am allowed my "approved devices" doing the crossword puzzle in the airplane magazine, but if I'm on a long flight, I also bring along a book (or two) of logic problems. My favorite books are the Pocket Posh Puzzles series that are compact and come in all things puzzle including sudoku, which I'm notoriously bad at, cryptograms, codewords and word search. These fit in just about any pocket of your carry-on, in your purse or in your jacket pocket and have a fancy little elastic bookmark, too.

Card Games

A good card game can keep you entertained for hours. We always bring a couple with us and at least one regular travel game. Not only are they great for the plane, but we have played them while waiting for laundry, waiting for our plane and waiting for our food at restaurants. One or two are easy to slip in a pocket of your carry-on and don't take up too much space in a day bag either. Play on the beach, on a picnic and even keep your kids occupied when having some downtime in the room. Our favorite games are Fluxx, Chrononauts (you can play this one alone or with others), Zombie Kids board game (yes, this is good for the littles, too) and Cranium Zigity. These are quick-play games so you don't get bored and they can fit in most spare moments. 

There are lots of fun travel games out there. We try to pick ones that don't take up much room, don't have a ton of pieces and isn't loud. Unless they are magnetic, you might find you lose half your pieces when turbulence happens. I know a lot of people like Bananagrams, dominoes, Apples to Apples and Cards Against Humanity (which is definitely not kid-friendly). Want more options? Just head over to Amazon and find something that fits your and your travel group. If you find an awesome one, please share with us!

iPad or Tablet
The tablet is one of the best creations of technology. How else can you you bring hundreds or thousands of books, all your magazines, games, movies, TV shows and unlimited note paper? If you tried to bring everything you stuff your tablet with, you wouldn't be able to lift your bags or even get on the plane. I take our iPad mini with us on every trip and use it to read and play games – somehow I always end up taking notes on things I think of to write about later – and then we use it to get online and check emails when we get to our destination, too. If you have a tablet, it's a great travel item. 

Kindle

Maybe you just like to read. I do. I seem to always be reading something and I find it relaxing on my trips when I can just sit back and not be bothered just to read. i know a lot of people have now graduated to the Kindle Fire, but I love the original Kindle – and it still works fine – and like that I can't get distracted by apps. The paperwhite background can't give me a headache or annoy my neighbor and has no glare. The battery lasts for days, too, which means it isn't going to run down, even on the longest flights.

Watch movies

You don't always have the choice of watching movies unless you're on an international flight or a long domestic flight, but if you're lucky enough to be on a plane with a TV screen, you have the option of watching something for the majority of the flight. I'm not sure how many flights still offer overhead screens, but more often than not there are individual screens in the seatback, so you can watch different things. Sometimes you have to give a credit card to watch certain (or all) programming, which I'm not willing to spend money on, because I have my own entertainment. 

I read a hack not too long ago that I haven't tried yet. In order to get free watching time on flights where they require you to pay, you can use any card with a magnetic strip (your Target card or a gift card of some sort) before takeoff. It seems that the system needs an internet connection to charge your card, which means it doesn't try until you land again. If this actually works, you can get totally free movies and games! If it works, you're welcome. If it doesn't, I'm just passing along information I found from another traveler, so please don't yell at me if you weren't able to game the system. Make sure to bring your own headphones, too, so you aren't forced to pay $3 for those crap ones they sell onboard.

Magazines!
You can't always rely on electronics...and sometimes you just want to flip the pages of a magazine in real life. This is my chance to catch up on my Entertainment Weekly editions as well as other magazines I've picked up with interesting articles. You don't have to bring a lot. Two or three is perfect. If you do it right, you can pass them around your travel partners (and possibly your seatmates would be glad to have new reading material). Once you're finished with them, Either leave them in the seatback or hand them off to the flight attendants as you're leaving the plane. They enjoy some free reading as well. Look at you doing good deeds! My goal is to be done with all my magazine reads by the end of my vacation, so I'm only bringing home new stuff, like the in-flight magazine.

It's not hard to pack your carry-on with things to keep you busy on the plane. It's just something you have to think about and add to your packing list so you don't forget. Packing a notepad and a pen is always a smart idea, too. I like to jot down ideas, write down my thoughts on things or even play a game of dots, hangman or tic-tac-toe. Once at my destination, it's handy for writing directions down or getting phone number and email addresses of businesses or people you meet. 

What are some of your favorite ways to entertain yourself on the plane?

Get Ready for Your International Trip

So, you're getting ready to leave the country? I've had some experience with international travel. I'd like more, even though it's always a little daunting trying to remember just what I need to do and what to take. Sometimes you can buy things you need at your destination, but sometimes you can't. In the past, it's been difficult or totally impossible to buy: socks, an iPod charging cable, batteries and contact solution. While these are less important than underwear or a passport, I still stress out a bit when packing. Other problems when traveling internationally, and sometimes even domestically, can be jet lag and influenza. Don't freak out when you have a big trip planned. Make sure to be organized and prepare correctly. How? Well, this infographic from Off To See The World is really helpful in getting you off on the right foot.

How do you prepare for your international trips? Share you tips below!

How to Amuse Yourself During a Layover

Flying is not always fun. I know, shocking. Sometimes you end up flying for the better part of a day. Sometimes you're so excited to get home - or to your destination - only to be thwarted by a long delay. Whatever the case may be, you always want to make sure you are prepared to beat boredom and not just with electronic devices, because your batteries might die and then you'll be stuck sitting around staring at a wall. When the unforeseen happens, or even when things go totally as planned, you want to be ready.

With more people traveling solo and with kids, airports have finally realized that they need to be more of a destination than a pit stop. Lucky for us, that means they are adding things to do, places you actually want to eat and giving us things we need like free WiFi, more outlets and places for our dogs to pee that aren't a hundred miles from the gates.

Do your research. Researching your airports before you leave and even downloading the app can make all the difference in saving time knowing what is available if you have a long time to wait for your flight to take off. I like to know what each airport has to offer for food, entertainment and services and view it as a destination rather than an inconvenience.

Get some culture. A lot of airports now have art galleries or terminal art of some kind. At the Vegas airport (McCarran - LAS), in addition to slot machines in every open space, there is a small aviation museum where you can view vintage airline memorabilia as well as the small plane that set the flight endurance record (64 days with twice-daily fuelings from a truck below). It may not be big, but it has quite a bit to look at and read. At Phoenix's airport (Sky Harbor - PHX) they have a fine art gallery and companion pieces throughout the terminal.

Browse the specialty shops. Almost all airports have at least one shop that sells items you can only get in that state/city/region. Portland (Portland International - PDX) has several shops that are specifically Oregon, including The Real Mother Goose for handmade decor and trinkets and Made in Oregon for foods, wine and gifts.

Relax. Travel can be stressful, but you can combat that with a stop in at a spa or salon in the terminal. Why not pamper yourself a little bit with a massage or a pedicure. Seattle (Sea-Tac - SEA) has a Butter London salon where you can grab a quick manicure or polish change.

Get some exercise. Maybe you've been flying all day and just need to stretch out. Wear your walking shoes or pack them so they're easy to get to and make use of airport walking trails and gyms. A few airports are going even further and offering yoga classes. San Francisco (SFO) opened the first airport yoga room so you can salute the sun and curl up in child's pose without having to do it on the dirty floor and get weird looks from other travelers.

Let the kids run wild. Well, within a confined area. If you're traveling with your little ones, they are bound to want to run and yell and throw stuff. This isn't acceptable on the plane. In fact, people pretty much have that more than the totally cramped seats and no legroom. If an airport has a kid's play area, take them there and let them run out their energy for as long as possible. Maybe they'll sleep the rest of the way to wherever.

Try the local food. Portland is also famous for this. With our million microbreweries and wineries, PDX is full of restaurants that offer for those and regional cuisines made with locally-sourced ingredients.

Bring stuff you like to do. Traveling in the early morning or in the evening might be easier and cheaper, but you may find that a lot of things aren't open while you're there. No problem, remember to pack fun activities. We bring card games like Fluxx (our personal fave) or magazines or puzzle books. I've also seen people bring knitting and crochet projects to fill their time. Might as well be productive.

Sit in first class. If you really have a lot of time to fill and have work you could be doing or just need to get away from the crowds and chaos, spring for a day pass to your airline's lounge. You'll have Wi-Fi, snacks, workspace and more at your disposal. If you are an elite member of any airlines, you may already get access to the lounge for free. Take advantage of such perks!

How do you like to fill time at the airport?