The other day (or a long time ago - i.e. when this was written) I was on Twitter chatting with a few other people talking about their travel preferences (from favourite seat on a plane to food and drinks) and also, what they do to entertain themselves whilst on a long flight.
A lot of people said they mostly spend their time sleeping. Sadly, as much as I'd love to be able to sleep on long journeys, I'm one of those people who find it difficult to sleep when my body is sitting upright. I need to be in an inclined position or laying flat down to actually fall asleep. I hate drifting in and out of sleep: you know the ones where your eyelids are too heavy to open but your brain is still functioning and you get awaken by every small movement or noise? Yeah, those are the worst (my long flights never constitute hours of sleep).
Anyway, I've decided to write this post, after a year of multiple train and plane rides, to hopefully give you some ideas on what to do when you're unable to sleep on a long journey (my definition of long is anything above 3 hours by the way, if you're wondering!)
From train journeys that last a couple of hours to 13 hour long plane journeys, here's what I'd do to keep myself occupied.
1 | M O V I E S / Y O U T U B E
Starting out with the obvious, when I have wifi on the train/plane, I use it. But half the time, it's too crappy for me to watch anything. So on long journeys I catch up on movies (if available on planes), or watch YT Videos when the wifi holds up on trains.
However, we all know the wifi never really holds up, and there is only so many times you can watch Masterchef Junior Season 2 Episode 4, so when I don't have a connection, I turn to the next few activities.
Remember: Always preload your computer/ipad/etc. with movies you never know when the trains will delay, so if you're going on a long journey and it gets even longer, a movie will definitely take the time and edge off!
2 | A U D I B L E
Most of the time (especially on train rides) wifi barely holds up, and budget airlines don't offer any movies. So this brings me to my next form of entertainment, and that is Audible. I don't own a kindle or iPad and I've tried reading on my phone (gives me a headache all the time) so audible has become my new favourite app.
I preload the books I want to listen to, and there you have a storyteller for company.
During my long train ride from Kraków to Vienna, I listened to half of girl on the train. An interesting choice, and I the story was so gripping I just couldn't stop listening!
Another app I use is Zinio. I pre-download my magazines like Vogue and Nylon, and just read them on the train. Although, I much prefer audible because then I can close my eyes and pretend someone's telling me a bed time story as I attempt to sleep.
3 | T A K E P H O T O S
And I don't mean selfies, but of course you can do that if you want to. This is especially useful when I'm on longer train rides. Train rides pass through really scenic small towns, you even get stunning views (especially those through Switzerland!) sometimes the view is so good you drain your phone battery snapping photo after photo - case in point when I took pictures for my blog post "The Best Plane Take Off Ever".
Make sure you have your camera batteries all powered up, or you have a portable charger for your phone so you don't miss that special shot when the train / plane zooms past it.
Number 2&3 go really well together I must say. By well together, I mean you can do both activities at the same time. Multitasking will make time pass so much quicker!
4 | E D I T P H O T O S / B L O G P O S T S
Most of the time I edit my photos when in on longer rides (more than 5-7 hours). If you blog, own a blog or edit photos in general, you'll know that takes quite some time. So whilst on a long journey, it's the perfect way to kill time.
I must say, however, there are times when I just don't feel like getting my laptop out because the table is too small and its just so uncomfortable.
But most of the times for long journeys, my Mac Air would be out and i'd be doing some form of editing or planning a post (like what I'm doing as of now!)
5 | R E F L E C T I O N S
I like taking the time on planes or trains, well basically any traveling journey, to reflect on life, and my experiences. Maybe it has something to do with travelling alone, and not having to entertain another person or be part of any conversation, I find I get the most "me time" when I'm on a long journey. Even if Im on a long journey with a friend, I feel like it's my own time, because who talks for 5 hour straight am I right?
During travelling journeys, I am able to think about life, have a "discussion" in my head, look back at my experiences with the trip - or anything for that matter - and kind of figure out what I've learned from the various experiences.
I'm one of those people who can easily slip into reflection mode and be lost in that world of reflection, so thinking gets me through long journeys EASILY!
I know sometimes we find these methods extremely simple and idiot proof, but what I want to emphasize is, HAVE AT LEAST 2 MODES OF ENTERTAINMENT.
There were so many times I felt so restless or uncomfortable because of all that time I was wasting on long journeys.
If you're one of those lucky lucky ones who can easily fall asleep in uncomfortable sitting positions, good for you! Otherwise, I hope you found this post useful ;) If all else fails, remember the importance of a PORTABLE CHARGER!
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