How to survive and possibly enjoy a long, international flight

Hi my partenar and I flew from New Zealand to LAX, then across to Tennessee ,onto Amtrak ,transferred to a Greyhound and ended up at our destination 24 hrs later!!...

Happy to say we didnt get bored during the flights ,they were awesome. The train was surprisely relaxing too and great to stretch our legs out fully.

By all means take a good book ,something light ,maybe comedy since I found everytime I would start reading something interesting would distract me.

Definately writing material ,even if its to jot down any ideas you get. Postcards to write.

An Ipod might be useful for down time waiting too.

Enjoy !! youll get tired ,but it will all be worth the scenery , the new people, the experiences.

There are many ways to enjoy the time of long journey. Time may be rightly enjoyed by discussing any topic of interest with the adjacent passenger of his liking or by reading interesting topics or playing with the children of a liking family.

I'm always a chatter.

Its just me. I can't help it. My close friends from my childhood say that if I start up a conversation, by the time the interaction has ended I can tell you who you and that person are related to.

I've always enjoyed talking to people from different places. Its interesting, and for the most part I learn something new. This is an important thing for me. I seek out to learn something new every day. Generally speaking, I learn more about myself than anyone I speak to.

Outside of the chats, a good book, and some good music. I doodle and write as well. So there's really no down time on a flight. I prefer mystery to comedy, but, that's a personal thing.

I often get ideas for stories through watching the interactions of those in my environment. Its the same as photographing strangers.. although photography is a bit finite. You can make a guess at what happens next after a pic has been taken, but with taking a comment or interaction you actually make it your own.

It sure can be a drag. There are several things that we try to do.

First- Join the airlines frequent flyer club. This makes it easier to get upgrades. When checking in ask if you can upgrade if there are empty seats. This has worked twice for us putting us into business class which is much more comfortable.( the foods better too). You can also use frequent flyer miles to upgrade.

2nd- Choose flights with stops if you have the time. Being able to get off the plane, even for a few minutes and grab a bite really helps. We live in the western US and try to stop in Canada or at least the East Coast before we cross the ocean.

Third- My trusty iPod. I can close my eyes and get lost in the music. It seems to cut the time by half.

Stuart

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On any flight take a set of Bose Nose Cancelling Headsets and an iPod.

Past experience has shown me that there will always be a screaming child close by on the plane. In fact, I think that when a family with a baby or small child checks in, they ask if I am on the plane, and request to sit as close to me as possible. Just paranoid maybe.

iPod - music and videos. Get relaxed as much as possible.