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I’ve made my living by sharing the travel tips I’ve gathered from the over three million miles I’ve flown. I’ve learned a lot along the way but the great thing about the internet is that you can always learn more without even stepping foot on a plane. RELATED: Brilliant Travel Hack: Why You Should Pack a European Plug Adapter Even When You’re Not Traveling to Europe
It’s no secret that many airlines are doing away with in-flight entertainment systems because they’re expensive to buy, they weigh a lot (which burns more fuel) and then, there’s the cost of maintenance. This is why you most likely won’t find a TV screen in the seatback in front of you on most flights, especially on low fare carriers.
The good news is that some airlines offer customers their own apps full of movies, TV shows, music, video games, podcasts and more. If you listen to the pre-flight announcements, you will most likely hear the flight attendants encouraging passengers to download the app while boarding so they can access the free programming.
Of course, savvy travelers have already downloaded all of their favorite movies and shows on their laptop, iPad or their smartphone. Hopefully, they didn’t forget their headphones because that’s one of my biggest pet peeves while flying (here are my others).
Fortunately, most flight attendants don’t allow passengers to watch videos or talk on the phone without earbuds or headphones. I mean, if my little kids can watch their shows and wear headphones all flight, so can anyone. BTW: Every time we travel, fellow passengers come up to us after the flight and tell us how well-behaved our kids (ages four and seven) are. They are well behaved and it’s because of the rule my wife and I have implemented. We don’t let them use their iPads at home. That’s it. When we fly, or have a meeting or sometimes at a restaurant if we need them to just chill, then we let them use their iPads. But as soon as we get home, the iPads are packed away until the next trip. They’re so excited to use them that they are quiet for the duration of the flight. TIP: These are the kid-friendly headphones we use; they’re compact, fold in half for easy packing and are volume limiting so they don’t blast little ears.
Because many airlines don’t have in-flight entertainment systems, I’ve seen all kinds of tricks and gadgets that passengers use to watch their movies on their phones without having to hold the phone up for the duration of the flight or trying to keep it from falling while propped up on the tray table.
The most ingenious (and cheapest) method is one I just came across this week. Someone on Instagram posted a short video of a man using his paper ticket, putting a third of it in the middle of the tray table then fastening it back up. He then partially took his phone cover off, slid the other end of the ticket through and refastened his cover. The phone was then in the perfect position for viewing and he was hands-free. See the embedded video below to see what I’m talking about:
View this post on Instagram
In the comments, some people ask, “Who uses a paper boarding pass anymore?” and while many do, if you don’t, here’s an alternative but equally effective method:
@laxtoluxury Phone holder hack for personal entertainment on planes! #traveltips #plane #learnontiktok #tiktokpartner IC @joyceverwaaijen ♬ EDM FESTIVAL – Aleksey Zaykov
BTW: If you are using the plane’s entertainment system, many travelers love using this device that allows you to use your own AirPods or other wireless earbuds instead of the cheap headphones the flight attendants hand out.
KEEP READING
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