8 ways to survive a long flight without Wi-Fi

In a perfect world, we’d all be able to teleport (Tesla, hello) or at least fly in private planes. But, alas, flying is still far from being a pleasant experience. Even Wi-Fi is still considered a luxury on board. But there is an upside to it.

We tell you how to spend hours in the airplane with benefit.

Watch movies

A flight is a great opportunity to catch up on your favorite movies and watch at least a few high-profile releases. Conscientious airlines usually take a responsible approach to the multimedia entertainment system on board – it often includes hundreds of movies, including new releases. Of course, you may get an older model airplane and there will be no personal TV on board. But this happens rarely and mostly on domestic flights.

On the website of the airline and airport you can find out the type of plane in advance and in case of what you need to download movies to your tablet/laptop/smartphone.

Watch other people

An airplane board is a concentration of different people with their own habits and oddities. You can meet celebrities, creative personalities and people who just like to scandalize. During a few hours of flight, you can witness several exciting events at once.

Learn foreign words

Why not spend your flight time productively? Especially since it’s never too late to learn foreign languages. Knowing a few phrases in the language of the country you’re traveling to is a good way to make the locals feel at ease and show their interest. You can start with the simplest of greetings and necessary questions like “how much does it cost?”, “will you give me a discount?”, “where is the toilet?”. Take a small phrasebook with you and use it when you get bored.

Finally get some sleep

Seriously, when else is there going to be so much free time? Considering that most of the time the last few days before a flight are spent packing and there’s hardly any time to sleep. What to speak about those who suffer from aerophobia and spend the night before the flight in fear. And there are a lot of such people – about 15% of the adult population.

The atmosphere on board is lulling, the main thing is to take care of yourself in advance and buy a comfortable travel pillow, earplugs or headphones with good soundproofing and a sleeping mask. You can always ask flight attendants for a blanket.

Clean your phone

Getting rid of thousands of identical pictures, many of which are blurred, is not an easy task. Rarely does anyone feel like cleaning up the mess at home. It’s no wonder that the favorite pastime of all airline passengers is to delete unwanted photos from their film. In addition to freeing up space on your phone, cleaning up your film gives you a chance to stumble across archival photos and get nostalgic about past events.

Listen to podcasts

If books and TV shows already make your eyes sore, switch to podcasts. All you need is a smartphone, headphones and pre-downloaded audio clips. Inspiring stories of successful people, travel flyhacks, technology, humor – there is enough material for the whole flight.

For example, the podcast “Unbothered” will appeal to those who love flying. The author of the project, pilot Alexei Kochemasov, talks to aviation specialists. 6 Minute English will suit those who want to learn a few foreign words. There is a good podcast “NORM” about how to change your lifestyle for the better.

Finish the book

Didn’t have the free time to focus on War and Peace? Still haven’t gotten to the list of must-read self-development books? Well, now is the time to do it. A long flight without Wi-Fi is the perfect time to finish that book you started six months ago. In order not to overload your hand luggage with excess weight, you can take an e-book – for example, with E-Ink-display and anti-glare screen (the load on your eyes will be much less).

Plan your travel itinerary

There’s always a special inspiring atmosphere on board an airplane. And it doesn’t matter if someone is kicking the back of your seat or eating a “fragrant” sausage sandwich – according to a study, this is Russians’ favorite snack on a trip. Take your focus away to pleasant thoughts about your upcoming trip. Make an itinerary and a plan for the trip so you don’t have to keep everything in your head. Think about what you want to visit first, where to go and where to eat good food.

Plus on board you can almost always find an entertainment magazine with useful tourist information about a particular destination – it’s in the pocket of the seat in front of you.