Flying at 35,000 feet without any gadgets can be unnerving. I’ve recently did that on a 2 hour flight. I thought it would be okay to travel light since it was a day trip and did not bring along anything except my mobile phone. It was horrible !

I’ve come to realize I’ve been relying on gadgets to entertain me while I’m absolutely bored and didn’t know how much it can affect me. I would recommend the following items that can be critical to a pleasant flight (inclusive of business class travelers). I called it my Top 5 must have on planes :-

5. Computer – A great item because it can be your work machine, your entertainment device (if you have DVDs handy) or even a gaming device. The only drawback is it only last a max of 3 hours so on a long haul, you need more than a computer. As a note, in some planes, they do have electricity outlet but then again the wattage is low so your charger might not be able to provide enough juice.

4. Bose Quiet Comfort 3 – Never really fond of the ambient noise in a plane. It disturbs a lot when you’re trying to get a nap. I’ve tried many but this one is probably one of the most comfortable ear piece that provide a good noise reduction. Moreover, it has an adapter that can be plugged to some planes that uses a two prong format.

3. Sony Playstation Portable – This is a very handy device for gaming, movies or even listening to music. You can easily spend a few hours on one charge and if you bring along another spare battery, it will probably be able to stretch you a few more. By then, you’ll probably be bored and looking for other entertainment.

2. iPod – Now, this device can also be used to watch video and listening to music. I’m biased to Apple products though there are probably a few other good ones out there that meet this requirement too. Nevertheless, it’s a necessary item in your arsenal for traveling because without music, you’ll just continue to twitch your thumbs till it come off.

1. Book or magazine – The number one most important material for traveling. Remember during the last 15 minutes of take-off and landing, you’re not allowed to use any device. This is where a book or magazine comes in handy. It even helps to overcome boredom if you ran out of juice on everything else. I suggest a good book to help you past time.

Some may argue that we can speak to our neighbour but then again, you’re leaving everything to chance that you will have a decent neighbour.

Last Modified : April 14th, 2008 Filed under : Digital Navigate : Previous post / Next post