plane entertainment

one time i flew to spain, and i only brought a pair of bluetooth earbuds. they fit great and i figured that i could charge them while i was on the flight too.

when i finally got to the 10+ hour flight, well, then i was stuck with a pair of earbuds that did not pair, no book, and an inflight magazine where the crossword had already been completed (incorrectly) by a previous seat tenant.

you should value redundancy. here's my list now:

wired earbuds - small and if you get good sizing they are noise isolating too. more importantly, no pairing issues and endless power.
wireless keyboard - writing with a wireless keyboard is so much better than writing with anything on the screen. you can entertain yourself writing.
cell phone - download podcasts, download netflix episodes. download youtube videos as well, so you have options. bring a charger for your phone. you may also need a backup battery, but i have never used one.
magazine - bring an old magazine that you haven't read. when you're done with it, then leave it in the lounge, on a table, or recycle it.
kindle - after the phone, the standby of electronics for plane travel. a battery that lasts weeks. a library that won't fill up. i download books and then that is gravy.
a step further? i've never done it, but:
nintendo switch - or a ninetendo ds, if you like games, it is fantastic.
laptop with a bluetooth controller and play video games.

will you have a good flight? i don't know, but you'll avoid an inadvertent 10+ hour meditation session. by the end of the flight, i had slept and few hours, listened to a marital outbreak, and concluded that the only place for bluetooth earbuds was working out.

note: this same thing happened again years later, and despite having all the stuff, i still brought wired earbuds for $2 when i landed.

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