Backpacking in the Clouds: Top 5 Ways to Survive a Long Flight

Backpacking in the clouds might seem a crazy thing to do but as a long term traveller, my backpack has certainly spent enough time above planet earth on flights down the years. Long flights can get boring and although the buzz of travel never leaves me, we need to find new ways to occupy ourselves in the sky. By being offline for 12 hours plus on a long flight and being squeezed into a tiny seat, I’m used to finding things to occupy my time. Here are the five main things to do on a long haul flight.

1.Read a Book
Whether it’s an e-Book on my computer or an actual physical book, on a flight is the best time to do this – no distractions and I find I can read really fast on a flight.

Read a book

2.Play Games
In the 90s I was big into computer games but when backpacking took over, the idea completely left me. These days the only real time I do it is when on a long haul flight, trying to beat the computer at chess, or playing games on Poki.

Playing Games on Poki

3.Write a Blog
As a professional travel blogger, I usually bang my laptop out and write a load of blog posts offline. I find this way, I have no distractions because there is no internet and nowhere to go. It’s a great way to save time for a travel blogger.

Blogging on a plane

4.Have a Beer
While blogging, I love to crack open a tin of beer. While it’s never the same as a pint of Guinness on tap, it’s nice to have a beer at 30,000 feet above planet earth on route to another new country.

Cheers from 30,000 feet above planet earth!

5.Watch TV
I’m not a TV or film freak and could count on both hands how many times I’ve watched a film in a cinema, however I do tend to watch films, comedies, documentaries and football when I’m on long haul flights. An easy way to pass the time, washed down with a textbook in flight beer of course.