Long lay overs and long flights. How do you deal with it?

[LatinSwede]

Being the seasoned traveler, one thing I dread most is being bored out of my mind.  I've been back and forth over the Atlantic since I was a kid.  On this board I'm preaching to the choir when I say it gets boring up there, being 8 hours or more up in the air and locked in a tube until you get the the other side.  The movies (atleast in my opinion) usually suck.  If the movie is something I like, it's edited to mush.  Usually I travel alone.  I'm rather reserved about striking up conversations with total strangers (unless it's a European hottie!).

This is my usual flight survival.  My carry on has my CD player with my own special music, new audio books (these really save my sanity), novels, music magazines, and comics.  It seems like I only get comics when I'm traveling.  A day or so before my flight I go into the bookstore and get the nice thick ones. A good example are the big volumes put out by Marvel and Darkhorse.

I'm still hesitant about getting a portable DVD, because the battery only lasts a couple hours.  Maybe I'll just watch it during the most boring part of the flight, the middle.  Ofcourse I can have an adapter for the otherside of the ocean.

Long layovers between flights is a secondary concern.  I usually don't stay more than 2, maybe 3 hours max.  If I get a bit antsy, I can strecht my legs, walk around the terminal, and poke around the shops.

My Longest flights were in 1999 when I went with my dad to South Africa and (before Mugabe went on a rampage) Zimbabwe.  After crossing from Newyork, it took 10 hours from London to Capetown (or was it Johanesburg?).  Thick volume comics saved my life. One the way back, it was just as dreary playing the same exact movies and Brit Comedies going to South Africa.  If I endure another journey like this, I'll need a nice thick 19th Century Russian novel.  This is when works of Tolstoy and Dostayevski start looking very good to me.  Books have always saved my life on long trips.

[BillyB]

I usually take a newspaper to read and some paper to write down notes of what to do on vacation or at work when I get back. I keep photos of my sweetheart in my wallet and one in my pocket watch to help me focus on why travelling half way around the world is worth it. My trips to Uzbekistan takes, on average, 24 hours to complete, layovers included.

I used to read comics too. I've got 3000 in boxes but I haven't read any in years. The most valuable comics I own are Amazing Fantasy #15 (first Spiderman), Hulk #181 (first Wolverine), and X-Men #94 (first X-men in their current costumes).

[LatinSwede]

The good thing about the big volume comic editions, is they make great gifts after I'm finished reading through them.  One of my best freinds in Holland loves the Marvel characters.  By now my fiance's nephew has a little library from me.  He takes them to school to show his classmates.  If I bring a protable DVD player, we'll probably Watch the animated Ultimate Avengers 1 & 2 together.

[Sohkay]

Swede,
Re: portable DVD players. Just bought a Toshiba 1850 for my girls. Full battery charge lasts 4 hours. Great picture on 8" screen. Should be $200 or less. If buying in America, you only need plug adapter as it automatically switches between 110 and 240 volts. Also, it plays MP3, WMA, CD-R, DVD-R, and has played all of the little one's Russian cartoon DVD's without a problem.

[groovlstk]

Swede,
Re: portable DVD players. Just bought a Toshiba 1850 for my girls. Full battery charge lasts 4 hours. Great picture on 8" screen. Should be $200 or less. If buying in America, you only need plug adapter as it automatically switches between 110 and 240 volts. Also, it plays MP3, WMA, CD-R, DVD-R, and has played all of the little one's Russian cartoon DVD's without a problem.

Depending on how the new security rules shake out, flights to Europe in economy might be unbearable. Can you imagine if you can't take a carry-on or mp3 player?

For me, the only way to get through a long flight is with a novel, an mp3 player with lots of soft jazz, and Ambien. Once I pop an Ambien I plug in my earphones, turn the volume up on my mp3 player so that it drowns out all ambient noise, and then wait for sleep.

[Bruce]

I'm flying to Russia this Friday.  I'll let you know how miserable Delta airlines is for me at Terminal 3 on this flight. 

Sleeping, daydreaming, getting into whatever movie, reading, eating...............thats about it on the plane.

[Muj]

Bruce,

Delta stranded me in JFK coming and going.  Many stranded without hotel...
Progress on reading "War and Peace".
No time so far to finish.
Found pay access on the internet.  By the way, for the price and convenience, FSU provides the best internet access.  Amsterdam airport next. Then Tokyo.  JFK last.
Amsterdam rail quick and convenient from the airport.  Didn't try the Paris rail though.
Cmon guys, only the museums, ok maybe the trip was a biiiiiiiiig failure.

[Bruce]

Engaged, was you connecting flight on Delta?  Any reason it was late?  Sorry to hear that.  I'm going to shoot for getting to Terminal 3 about 3 1/2 hours early.

[Son of Clyde]

I am usually not too bored in the air. The movies offered are not the best but there are usually several movie channels, a news channel and many music channels. The fact they give us the headsets and take them back has always bothered me.

I usually bring a book, usually tour guides. It seems the stewards and stewardesses are constantly walking up and down the aisles with food and drink. When I go to UK there is a sleep time of usually 2 or 3 hours then they start serving breakfast. All my international flights have been at night.

If the airport is large with a layover of 2 or 3 hours I do a lot of walking, eating and shopping.

[ConnerVT]

I'm going to shoot for getting to Terminal 3 about 3 1/2 hours early.

Don't shoot for much earlier than that.  If you get there before you can check in and get a boarding pass, you can't get into the departure gate area behind the TSA security screening.  I got stuck in that situation last summer (with wife and 6 yo son).  Flying on Aeroflot (same terminal as Delta) with a 4 1/2 hour layover.  Wouldn't you know, but the flight got delayed another 4 hours!

Worst part is Aeroflot wouldn't start checking people in until 2 hours before the (new) departure time.  There are only about 2 dozen chairs for a whole 767's worth of people waiting.  Man, that was not a happy time.   

Fortunately, Homeland Security is still allowing for laptops to be brought on to the airplane.  If not, not only will you lose use of it on the airplane, but it won't even be allowed in the gate areas past security (where the majority of waiting takes place).  Let's hope terrorists don't figure out how to make explosives from books.   

Also a traveler's tip:  If you fly JetBlue in/out of JFK to make your Delta/Aeroflot non-stop connection to Moscow, there is free wireless Internet access in the JetBlue terminal gate areas.  It doesn't work very well in the food court, but is pretty good near the circular gate seating areas.  There are also a number of AC outlets available to charge back up.

[LatinSwede]

One airport I want to avoid is London Heathrow.  Even without the terror alert it's a pain.  Unless you are specifically going to visit London, it's worth avoiding.  Gatewick is much better though.  The upside is the service on British Airways.  They seemed helpful

When I leave for Europe, I'd prefer to be on a European Airliner like Austrian Iar or Lufhansa.  Besides the fact that I don't have to pay for beer, the service is better.  The American airliners these days have been reduced to being a bus with wings.  The only time I want to take American or United, is to meet my connection.

[prince_alfie]

I have 3 iPods that I bring on plane flights. Just in case I want to learn Russian, listen to my podcasts, and then have my encyclo/psychopedia of knowledge/music (20000 tracks).

[catzenmouse]

Isn't that was airport bars are for? 

[LatinSwede]

Last year I drank 2 tall ones in the airport Sam Adam's bar in Norfolk, VA.  This was right before my connecting flight to Dulles.  It was like the shortest flight in my life.  I closed my eyes in Norfolk taking off, and when I opened them, the plane already hit the runway on the other end.

Wow, all I need is the final word that she has her visa.  Then I get our tickets and you know the rest.

[Muj]

Engaged, was you connecting flight on Delta?  Any reason it was late?  Sorry to hear that.  I'm going to shoot for getting to Terminal 3 about 3 1/2 hours early.

Thanks Bruce, quite an ordeal and kept my fiancee wondering also.  Yes, Delta connection .  Well the first day was due to weather, stranding all incoming passengers with connections.  So no convenient hotel rooms.  Delta cancelled the flight for the next day!!  So I convinced them to provide me an alternative flight.  However many non English speakers stranded for two days. 
On the return trip they were late due to their own delays!
The lines were long at terminal 3 but 3 hours early should do it.

[ronin308]

Books, lots and lots of books.  I've read 2 Tolstoy books now as well as contemporary stuff.  I've thought about the DVD player idea, after all if you get one with a removable battery you should be able to carry 2-3 batteries to last the entire flight.

I'm pretty much down on flying with any US airline as it doesn't compare to Lufthansa or KLM in terms of services.  I also refuse to fly from west coast to east coast and on to europe.  This is after flying United and missing a connecting flight in Dulles (overnight paid for by me).  LOT Polish missing my connection in Chicago on the way back from another trip (hotel paid for by LOT) and Delta's crappy JFK-KBP service.

JFK can be a hard airport to fly though (lightening in the summer, snow in the winter) so I avoid it at all costs.

[LatinSwede]

No argument here!  the top 2 airports to avoid IMO are NYC/JFK and Newark New Jersey.  Everytime I've been to Newark they always change the departure gates at the last 20 minutes and I have to run to another gate.

[ConnerVT]

CDG (Paris, France) is the airport to avoid at all cost.  JFK is a walk in the park compared to that place.

[LatinSwede]

I want to avoid the whole country of France at all costs.

[SANDRO43]

I want to avoid the whole country of France at all costs.

Consider yourself lucky that there is no French Elen here !

[Louie]

LMAO Sandro! that was to funny

[LatinSwede]

On the way back, I want to make sure there isn't an overnight layover.  Her passport isn't as privilaged as mine.  So I don't want to have to spring for a transit visa.  Spending the night in any US city is an acceptable option though.  She's already in my country, and we can kick back and relax until the next day flight.  Although, I'd prefer to be in my own home the first night all together.

[ronin308]

I asked my fiance if she wanted to have a stopover or fly all the way through to the west coast.  She answered that she would do the all the way through so we didn't have to prolong the journey.

After hearing all the bad things about Air France and Paris, I don't think I'll consider that a valid route.

[LatinSwede]

I wouldn't mind stopping in London on the way back.  Depending on who we fly with, we could possibly stop in the UK.  The upside, is I don't have to get her a transit visa.  As long as she she a US visa, and onward bound ticket, she can stay up to 24 hours.  Heathrow airports sucks, but London is a fun town.  I might phone up one of my crazy musician freinds for a whirlwind tour for the lady.