If you're a nervous flyer, having a plan for how you'll spend your time can make a huge difference. Whether you experience mild flight anxiety or consider yourself afraid of flying, giving your brain something meaningful to focus on can help prevent worry from taking over.

If you've ever found yourself staring at the seatback in front of you, counting down the minutes until landing, you already know that boredom and anxiety make for a challenging combination.

When you're sitting on a plane with nothing else to focus on, it's easy for your mind to start scanning for danger. You might find yourself paying attention to every sound the plane makes, checking how much time is left in the flight, monitoring every sensation in your body, or replaying worst-case scenarios over and over again.

If this sounds familiar, you may enjoy reading my article on how anxiety pulls us into imagined problems and convinces us they need our immediate attention.

The problem is that the more attention you give those thoughts, the bigger and more important they tend to feel.

That doesn't mean you can simply tell yourself to stop worrying.

If you've ever struggled with flight anxiety, you already know it doesn't work that way.

But you can choose where to direct your attention.

And while that sounds simple, it isn't always easy.

Sometimes you'll be able to get completely absorbed in a movie or a good book. Other times, anxiety might make it difficult to focus. You may read the same paragraph five times or realize you've missed half the movie because your mind wandered back to worrying.

That's okay.

The goal isn't to eliminate anxiety before you allow yourself to enjoy something. The goal is to continue engaging with life even if some anxiety comes along for the ride.

As a therapist who specializes in flight anxiety, I also think it's important to acknowledge something that often comes up when we talk about activities and flight anxiety: people sometimes worry that keeping themselves busy is the same thing as avoiding anxiety.

In reality, airplanes are one of the few places where you truly need to plan how you're going to spend your time. Whether you're a nervous flyer or not, you're probably going to read, watch something, listen to music, work, sleep, or chat with a travel companion.

The difference isn't whether you're doing activities.

The difference is why you're doing them.

If you're desperately trying to make anxiety disappear, that's different than accepting that some anxiety may be present while you continue doing things that matter to you.

So instead of spending the entire flight monitoring every bump, checking the clock, or replaying worst-case scenarios, let's give your brain something else to do.

Relaxing Things to Do on a Plane

Watch an in-flight movie.
Listen to music.
Listen to an audiobook.
Listen to a podcast.
Listen to white noise or calming sounds.
Listen to a guided relaxation audio exercise.
Watch your favorite show (America’s Funniest Home Videos is a great antithesis to anxiety!)
Practice mindfulness and stay present with your surroundings instead of focusing on anxious thoughts about flying. (One of my favorite tools for anxious flyers is called Dropping Anchor. Learn how it works here.)
Meditate.
Do a few deep breathing exercises.
Take a short nap if you're able.

Things to Do on a Plane to Keep Your Hands Busy

Solve Sudoku puzzles.
Complete crossword puzzles.
Try a word search.
Solve riddles or brain teasers.
Work on a jigsaw puzzle app.
Solve a Rubik's Cube.
Color in an adult coloring book.
Sketch or draw. (Link to drawing ideas blog if applicable)
Knit or crochet.
Try origami with an airline napkin.

Educational Things to Do While Flying

Learn a new language using an app.
Read a book.
Explore a new topic on YouTube such as photography, personal finance, history, or travel.
Learn about the history and culture of your destination.
Learn about constellations and stargazing.
Read travel magazines.
Read articles you've saved but never had time to finish.
Learn about the airline you're flying and how commercial aviation works.

Things to Do on a Plane Before Your Vacation

Plan your itinerary.
Research restaurants you'd like to try.
Create a travel bucket list.
Make a list of experiences you're most excited about.
Write down the top 10 moments you hope to remember from this trip.
Create a photography shot list for your destination.
Plan a special activity for your first day.
Create a to-do list for when you arrive.
Plan your return trip.
Meal prep ideas for the week after you get home. (And maybe even schedule them to be delivered!)

Creative Things to Do on a Flight

Write in a travel journal.
Draft a postcard to someone you care about.
Create a playlist for your trip.
Create and listen to a "pump-up playlist" for when you fly.
Write about what you're looking forward to six months from now.
Brainstorm future travel destinations.
Create a vision board on your phone.
Practice photography editing.

Productive Things to Do on a Plane

Chat with your seatmate.
Strike up a conversation with a flight attendant.
Travel with a deck of cards and play a game with the person you are traveling with
People-watch and make observations about the world around you.
Catch up on emails you've been putting off.
Organize your camera roll
Clean up your phone or digital files.
Catch up on work or studying.
Explore the airline's entertainment system.
Read the news.

Build Your Flight Plan Before You Leave

It can help to be proactive about the activities you will engage with on the flight. Think about the length of your flight and plan accordingly.

If you're taking a one-hour flight, you probably don't need a backpack full of activities. But if you're taking a five-hour flight, it can be helpful to have several options ready to go.

As a general rule, I like having roughly one activity for each hour of flight time.

For example:

✅ A podcast during boarding

✅ A movie during cruise

✅ A travel-planning activity before landing

The goal isn't to create the perfect distraction plan.

It's simply to make sure you have enough options so that if one activity isn't holding your attention, you can easily switch to something else.

Remember: you don't have to enjoy every activity perfectly for it to be helpful. If anxiety shows up and makes it harder to focus, that's okay. Keep gently redirecting your attention back to what you're doing and allow the anxiety to come along for the ride.

Final Thoughts

You don't need to spend your flight monitoring every sensation, checking turbulence apps, or counting down the minutes until landing.

A little preparation can go a long way. In fact, many nervous flyers tell me that simply having a plan for how they'll spend their time reduces a lot of pre-flight stress.

Before your next flight, choose a handful of activities that genuinely interest you. Having a plan for your attention can make the experience feel more manageable (and maybe even enjoyable!)

And remember: the goal isn't to eliminate anxiety completely. It's to keep moving toward what matters, even if some anxiety comes along for the ride.

If you're looking for additional support with flight anxiety, check out the Fearful Flyers Blueprint, where I teach the same strategies I use with clients to help them stop letting fear dictate their travel plans.

You don't have to wait until anxiety disappears to start traveling again.

Join the Blueprint Here