Need ideas to keep me sane on a long flight!

Totality

Totality

Totality

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Joined
5 Jul 2007
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NZ
I haven't been travelling since I was 21 and am now I'm in my late twenties and off to New Zealand tonight for a year! Never been there before but friends from uni moved there 6 years ago and say it's great and the promise of skiing and snowy adventures leading into the summer over there was too much to say no to!

I was stuck in an IT job I hated, found myself single again and had savings from living away from home working all the time so thought bugger it life is for adventures not going to work Mon - Fri at a place I hated. I felt a little sick handing in my notice knowing I wouldn't have a stable job anymore but not having a mortgage, kids, etc I thought I may as well do something adventurous again before I hit 30.

The flight is, however, horrendous which I'm not looking forward to and consists of the following:

3 hour train journey to Gatwick
3 hour check in waiting time
7 hours to Dubai
3 hour wait in Dubai for the connection
18 hours to Auckland
5 hour wait in Auckland for connecting internal flight to airport near mates house

I decided to do it all in one go to get it out of the way, but would other people cope with such a long flight? Any tips? I was thinking of porn and whiskey but the people next to me may not be too pleased about it...

The only other concern I have is that I'm possibly too old to do the backpacking/travelling thing! Travelling seems to be the 21 year old age range thing to do? Anyone been travelling later than that and had a great time?!
 
I do most of my movie watching on flights. It seriously can occupy me completely. Also as above, strike up random conversations with people.
 
meghatronic said:
I do most of my movie watching on flights. It seriously can occupy me completely. Also as above, strike up random conversations with people.
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assuming he is flying with Emirates then the movie selection on the 777-200s is superb, the 777-300s and A3x0 are ok but nowhere near as good
 
Some long distance flights have WI-FI on now. Or there could be in flight entertainment built into each seat with a variety of TV shows, films & games to help pass the time.
 
I'd recommend a book for the waiting and train bits.

The plane bit though will have more entertainment than you can shake a stick at. Just watch films or tv series until you fall asleep.
 
Noise cancelling headphones and listen to music, audio books. Do some puzzles/crosswords. Reading really does pass the time.
 
You could also be boring and read a book or watch a movie but here is an alternative:

3 hour train journey to Gatwick (Find a seat with a lovely looking lass and strike up a conversation, buy her sandwiches etc. A mini date!)

3 hour check in waiting time (Find some seats where you can watch aircraft taking off and try to guess where they come from on the livery on their tail fins)

7 hours to Dubai (See if you can chat up an air-hostess and get her number but avoid ****ing them off or else they will do a Steven Slater)

3 hour wait in Dubai for the connection (Catch up on sleep?)

18 hours to Auckland (Invite all the girls for a mini party on the plane. If it has a bar on the plane then you might as well enjoy it BUT NO TO EXCESS!)

5 hour wait in Auckland for connecting internal flight to airport near mates house (Try chatting up more air-hostesses and any women you fancy and see how you get on?)
 
Totality said:
The only other concern I have is that I'm possibly too old to do the backpacking/travelling thing! Travelling seems to be the 21 year old age range thing to do? Anyone been travelling later than that and had a great time?!
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Not myself but my friend is about to turn 30 in a few months and he went travelling for a year last year by himself and he had an amazing time - so I would say it's never too late :)
 
Long haul flights for me usually consist of movies, games and sleep! (Or if there's a hot guy on the flight, lots of perving ;$)

Also, I was travelling in Oz and NZ a while back and met plenty of older travellers who were having an awesome time, so I don't think age matters so much when it comes to the whole backpacking thing. Also, while you're out there, if you get a chance to go skydiving over Foz Glacier, do it- it's amazing! =)
 
That time frame should allow you to read - Bill Bryson - "A short history of nearly everything" from cover to cover. you wouldn't regret it!
 
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