Spring Break
PFEFFER: Attention: You have now reached snoozing altitude
How to stay sane on a seven-hour flight
by Rachel Pfeffer
Features | 3/6/07
Posted online at 10:37 PM EST on 3/5/07
/ Last updated at 4:12 AM EST on 3/5/07
Over February break, I was lucky enough to take a 10-day trip to Europe with four friends. I'm not an experienced flyer, and the slightest turbulence can set me into a hyperventilating state of panic. Needless to say, sleep doesn't come easily to me, which can pose a problem on seven-hour flight over the Atlantic, especially when your travel partners are sound asleep for the majority of it.
I was left to my own devices for the long and tenuous journey. Even the man who selected me for a random luggage search before boarding the plane commented on how I bored I would be on such a long flight. I reassured him that I was flying with an arsenal of friends, who would surely provide ample entertainment. Cut to an hour later, when I'm counting the amount of zigzags on the seat in front of me. Here are a few other suggestions on how to keep yourself from shaking your neighbors awake in a plea for conversation.
One fun activity is to write short stories about awkward interactions between strangers you observe and feel weird watching but can't stop. An excerpt from one of mine: "The boy stood in the narrow passage leading from first class to coach. The lavatory was occupied and so he waited, mouth slightly agape, upper lit jutting out over his nearly bucked teeth. His resemblance to the young boy in Bad Santa was uncanny. A flight attendant, male, stood with a beverage cart around the corner of the doorway, looking slightly perturbed at the completely oblivious child, who had taken to swaying slightly from foot to foot, perhaps in an effort to keep from urinating on himself. The flight attendant didn't say a thing, but his expression spoke volumes."
Another fun game is to read all of the ingredients on the measly snack packs that are given out, and make up definitions for the ones you've never heard of. This activity is very easy and time-consuming on foods such as yogurt-covered "raisins." Or you can make puppets out of the vomit bags and put on puppet shows for small children sitting behind you. A foolproof activity is to take unattractive pictures of your friends sleeping. Or, depending your level of skill, draw portraits and sign each one. Place them on the tables in front of each friend to see when they wake up.
I was left to my own devices for the long and tenuous journey. Even the man who selected me for a random luggage search before boarding the plane commented on how I bored I would be on such a long flight. I reassured him that I was flying with an arsenal of friends, who would surely provide ample entertainment. Cut to an hour later, when I'm counting the amount of zigzags on the seat in front of me. Here are a few other suggestions on how to keep yourself from shaking your neighbors awake in a plea for conversation.
One fun activity is to write short stories about awkward interactions between strangers you observe and feel weird watching but can't stop. An excerpt from one of mine: "The boy stood in the narrow passage leading from first class to coach. The lavatory was occupied and so he waited, mouth slightly agape, upper lit jutting out over his nearly bucked teeth. His resemblance to the young boy in Bad Santa was uncanny. A flight attendant, male, stood with a beverage cart around the corner of the doorway, looking slightly perturbed at the completely oblivious child, who had taken to swaying slightly from foot to foot, perhaps in an effort to keep from urinating on himself. The flight attendant didn't say a thing, but his expression spoke volumes."
Another fun game is to read all of the ingredients on the measly snack packs that are given out, and make up definitions for the ones you've never heard of. This activity is very easy and time-consuming on foods such as yogurt-covered "raisins." Or you can make puppets out of the vomit bags and put on puppet shows for small children sitting behind you. A foolproof activity is to take unattractive pictures of your friends sleeping. Or, depending your level of skill, draw portraits and sign each one. Place them on the tables in front of each friend to see when they wake up.
Viewing Comments 1 - 1 of 1
Rachel J
posted 3/06/07 @ 3:23 PM EST
and if you do choose to take embarassing photos of your friends, I think readers should be informed of the "how to not make immediate enemies" by posting them all over the internet. (Continued…)
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