7 delightful things to do on a plane

Have you ever been stuck with no internet and absolutely zero things to do on a plane? It’s a level of torture I would never wish on my worst enemies.

I travel a lot, and I literally cannot sleep on planes. You put me on a 12-hour red-eye flight, I will be awake and annoyed for 12 hours. Because I know this about myself, I have created an onboard ritual of things to do on a plane to pass the time when the boredom and discomfort set in. Here are my top suggestions of things to do on a plane, and how to prepare for them in advance to make sure you never have to read the onboard safety guide more than once ever again.

Things to do on a plane #1: Organize your phone & devices

Okay, hear me out. This is one of my absolute favorite things to do on a plane without wifi when I’m bored. In fact, I actually relish this time of not being able to go anywhere and not having any Internet, so I can truly take the time to go through all of my pictures and organize them, go through unused apps, rearrange my home screen, and basically do a big refresh of my phone.

Usually, I’ll put on a podcast or movie to listen to while I deep clean my electronics. I can’t stand clutter, digital or otherwise, but I usually don’t have several uninterrupted hours of time to just do nothing before I get distracted, so I take this unproductive time and make it vaguely productive.

This is particularly great when you’re coming home from vacation and need to go through 7,000 random pictures you took on your trip, the majority of which are poorly cropped duplicates. I often forgo posting any photos until I’ve had my “plane time” to filter, edit, and create my trip posts.

Things to do on a plane #2: Watch downloaded content

I’ve mentioned this before, but I will typically download an absolutely bonkers amount of content to keep me entertained while flying. With YouTube Premium, Netflix, and Spotify, you can download books, videos, shows, and all manners of content to watch online. Typically I will download a range of different kinds of content because I tend to get bored after a few hours. Not to mention, my trusty Kindle will have more books than I have hours to read them.

Things to do on a plane #3: Clean out your purse & wallet

Maybe it’s not the most exciting thing in the world, but hey, you don’t have the Internet, so it’s basically the 90s, and you have to make your own fun. I really like using plane time to be vaguely productive, so the idea of cleaning my receipts and wrappers out of the bottom of my bag is just a joy. I try and compile everything so that I can take it off the plane with me and not bother the airline stewards.

Plus, there’s nothing better than starting out on a trip or coming home from a trip with a nice, fresh bag devoid of various garbage bits. A bonus is cleaning out your wallet of old expired coupons, random business cards, and other things that tend to accumulate in wallets.

Things to do on a plane #4: Journaling & list-making

I’m personally not much of a journaler. Can’t stick with it, never really have. I am, however, a list-maker. And a plane trip is a great time to go through and organize lists. Lists for what, you might ask? Well, that depends on your list needs.

I tend to keep all of my ongoing lists in my Reminders app, which works for me. But sometimes even the best list needs a purge, and bored plane time is the perfect time to do it.

Things to do on a plane #5: Knitting & crafting

I once saw a lady on a plane, and she was crocheting her heart out. Truly vibing, living her best life, not a care in the world as various plane things went on around her and she was in the zone. I’m pretty sure she made at least 75% of a pair of gloves on that plane. I was absolutely in awe.

I am not a crafter, per se, because I lack all manner of artistic skill. But if you are somebody who’s crafty, there’s legally nothing stopping you from bringing some pencils and sketchbooks, crochet hooks, or all manner of low-key crafting tools. They may draw the line at a sewing machine, but that’s between you and your TSA agent.

My friend Ashley actually wrote a whole guide on the art of knitting while flying, so check out her comprehensive guide for more information!

Things to do on a plane #6: Write a letter or email to people you haven’t spoken with in a while

I know this sounds weird, but hear me out. We all have those people we mean to email or text or call, but we just lose track of life. What’s a better time to write out a “catching up” email than on a plane when you have literally nowhere else to go and nothing else to do? Obviously, you can’t hit send until you’re descended, but taking the time to write a nice email or letter to catch up with someone is always a great idea. (Just don’t forget to actually send it.)

Things to do on a plane #7: Sleep

I mean, I can’t. But if you can, more power to you. I have endless jealousy for people who can sleep on noisy, cramped, uncomfortable, stinky airplanes. I do know that a better way to relax during a flight is to walk or exercise before the trip. Nothing is worse than being cramped, uncomfortable, and completely wired from caffeine or lack of movement.

What are your favorite things to do on a plane with no Wifi? Let us know 👇