Ways To Keep Entertained When Flying

I love flying (do you think I would name my blog, The Frequent-Flyer, if I didn't?), but sometimes the flight feels like it is draging on forever. This is why I always pack in my carryon a few things to keep me entertained. Some of these things on my list are not things you can pack, yet they are great ways to keep yourself amused.

1. Read a Magazine- I tend to bring one or two magazines in my carryon bag because they are lightweight (although not always, I mean some Vogue's weigh a ton of bricks!), and I love how easy they are to read. If you didn't pack a magazine ask the stewardess if they have any lying around. Once on a flight from Germany to America, I managed to occupy myself with a German edition of Elle magazine for about four hours of the flight. Although I couldn't read much of the articles, since it was all in German, I still was able to understand a few words which were similar to English. Most of my time was spent oogling all the clothes displayed in the magazine though.
2. Talk To Your Seatmate- Another good way to entertain yourself is to chat with the person sitting next to you. I must caution you though, don't strike up a converstation if the person looks uninterested, they are reading, listening to their IPod, or they are trying to sleep. Anyone who starts talking to someone doing any of these activites, has automatically labeled themselves the "annoying traveler," you know the one who talks too loud, or reclines their seat back too far. If the person is not doing any of these activites then feel free to talk to your seatmate, who knows the two of you could end up having a great conversation!
3. Sleep- If you are on a long haul flight, you are bound to get sleepy at some point right, unless of course you are a vampire. I try to sleep on most of my six or seven hour flights, although I am one of those people who have a difficult time doing this. So if I cannot fall asleep I tend to just lay in a state of daydream, trying to catch a few Z's.
4. Look Out The Window- Look at the clouds passing by or at the ground below, do you spot a swimming pool or two? This is a great way to amuse yourself when flying over land, I wouldn't recomend doing this over water though, it is not a pleasent feeling. I find it interesting to have a birds eye view of everything, the world looks so different from this angle.
5. Write- Journal about how excited you are for your trip, whether or not the guy sleeping next to you has a snoring problem, or anything else which interests you. I find that writing in my journal is one of the nicests ways to spend a plane ride. It is also very relaxing especially if you are a nervous traveler, it helps to clear your mind of all your worries.
6. Listen To Your IPod- Put your IPod on shuffle, and just listen to the music, or you could do this while.... day dreaming!
7. Day Dream- I like to dream up endless possiblities of what is in store for me (if I am heading to my destination). Sometimes these are insane dreams; such as seeing Daniel Radcliffe in London, others are just wondering what it will be like to relax on the beach with a good book and a drink on hand. I tend to think of day dreams as a movie playing out in my head, only something which I can watch, so don't worry if something seems outlandish, it is only for your enjoyment!

Do you have any other suggestions for keeping yourself entertained on a long flight?
Jem