With the holidays in full swing, people are taking planes all over the world. I, myself, have taken 26 hours’ worth of flights over the last two weeks. With all of this flying comes the long wait for takeoff, the no WIFI situation, crowded seats, and pure boredom. So, while I was on a flight, I decided to come up with the top things to do while on a plane to avoid going into a drool-inducing boredom.

1.Sleeping

Sleeping is without a doubt at the top of the list for things to do while on a flight. Yeah, you can name other things but when you really think about it wouldn’t you rather be sleeping then doing any of those activities. There’s been so many times where I would’ve paid exorbitant amounts of money just to catch some z’s while on a long or early flight. Sleeping on a flight serves multiple purposes: can help you get ready for the trip you’re about to go on, helps you catch up on sleep you missed during your trip, allows you to ignore any crying babies or obnoxious seat guests, and allows you to forget about any anxieties about the plane crashing or maybe a connecting flight coming up. Sleep is what you should be aiming for on any flight, it is king.

2. Audiobook, Podcast, Music, TV Show, Movie –

I’m looping all of these in together because they’re similar enough. Nothing like finding a good movie on the in-flight entertainment or an audiobook that keeps you engaged, although I do think audiobook and podcast have an ultimate goal of falling asleep. On my last few flights alone, I watched about 6 movies. Downside of movies is watching an uncensored part or some weird sex scene and the old lady or young child next to you gives you some weird looks, but other than that it’s a safe bet.

3. Getting Drunk or Violently High –

You’ve had 4 terminal beers, you’re stumbling to your gate, so excited to pass out or listen to music, then comes the edible. You’re feeling loose and ready to sit still for four hours straight. No moving, no thoughts. You order a few mini liquor bottles throw them in your Coke, you chat up the guy next to you as if you’re going to remember a single word (you won’t), then all of a sudden, you’ve arrived and you’re hitting your closest bar. Even the scary parts of flights like the take-off, landing, and turbulence make you feel like you’re on a ride and not any second away from a catastrophic death. Now there are multiple downsides to hitting the substances including getting a felony charge for being unruly on an airplane. There’s also the possibility of taking too much of an edible, going nonverbal and thinking the guy next to you is an alien and wants to eat your flesh. Can go either way with the eddy’s. Play it safe and take half the edible folks and maybe stick to beer once on the flight or say fuck it and do whatever you want.

4. Reading a paperback book

There are not many times when you have the ability to shut everything off and pick up an actual book; a flight is the one time you can. You buy a nice book in the airport shop and you can get lost in it for the duration of your flight. I find it very calming and resetting to take it back a few years and read an actual book again. No staring at screens, just paper. The big downside here is if you’re flying at night or very early in the morning, don’t be the guy who turns on the overhead light. We all hate that guy.

5. Working on Projects (Editing videos, writing blogs, making music, whatever you like to do)

This one is one of my favorites but there’s a lot of times where it’s difficult to do. I love nothing more than catching up on some of my favorite hobbies whether that be my YouTube videos (Roadgametv if you’re wondering) or working on my novels, I find flights to be a great time to catch up on things that you’ve neglected during your busy life. The drawback here is you have a narrow window on the flight to do it. You can’t do it during takeoff or when landing. Then comes the logistical drawbacks: You have a tiny little desk to work on and if you’re a big guy like me not a lot of elbow space to type or move your arms around. If you go first class, I can see this being a lot more manageable, but when you’re stuck an economy like me, doing these tasks can be difficult.

6. Stretching/Walking Around

Growing up this never even would’ve made the list, but as I’ve gotten older and so has my back, little stretch and bathroom breaks are necessary. This is huge on a frontier or budget airline as their seats are legitimately just plastic covered with pleather. A long flight takes a toll on the old back so I like to get up and do some stretches in the back, take a piss and take my time getting back. Use the overhead cabinets as a tool for stretching. Need an aisle seat these days or else you run the risk of being the “Can everyone get out so I can get up 3 times during this flight” guy. Stretching and walking around can eat up some time and it gives you some thoughts on what movie you might want to watch next.

7. Talking to your seat mate

Ok, were getting to the nitty gritty. If you’re down here looking for something to do, you’re in trouble. Usually, I’d rather get thrown from the plane then talk to the guy next to me, but on rare occasions you can have some fun and useful conversations. On my last flight to Prague, I struck up a conversation with some kid who gave us recommendations for a restaurant that I never would’ve thought to eat at. Turned out to be one of the best restaurants I’ve ever eaten at. So, while it is not something I want to do, sometimes conversations with strangers you’ll never see again can be of use.

8. Deleting Old Pictures and Text Messages

This is the absolute bottom of the barrel for me. Some people might like it, but this is a sure indicator that I am bored out of my mind. I scroll through endless pictures and just think “Why the hell did I keep this photo?” It does feel good for a second, but after about 5 minutes I’ve had enough and try to go back to sleep. Might conjure up bad memories or good memories but usually just boredom.

A lot of these pieces can be shuffled around on a given flight but for me on any flight this is how I’m ranking them. Download this blog so if you’re ever bored on a flight with no internet, you can go right down the list until you’re stuck deleting pictures like the rest of us weary travelers. Happy Holidays.