Travel is often sold through its highlights: incredible meals, beautiful views, memorable road trips, and those moments when you finally arrive somewhere you have wanted to visit for years. What gets considerably less attention is all the waiting required to get there.
I have spent more hours than I care to count sitting at airport gates, waiting for delayed flights, killing time before hotel check-in, riding trains between destinations, and unwinding in hotel rooms after long travel days. It comes with the territory.
Over the years, I have found that a little preparation can make these otherwise wasted hours considerably more enjoyable. I am not talking about planning every minute of a trip. In fact, I prefer leaving room for spontaneity. Instead, I like having a handful of entertainment options ready for those inevitable stretches when there isn’t much else to do.
From offline entertainment and mobile games to organizing trip photos, here are some of my favourite ways to make travel downtime more enjoyable without letting a screen take over the trip.
Download Entertainment Before You Leave
One of the easiest travel mistakes to avoid is assuming you will always have a reliable internet connection.
Airport Wi-Fi can be painfully slow, planes don’t always have functioning Wi-Fi, and cellular service can disappear quickly on road trips and train journeys. International roaming can also make mindlessly streaming content an expensive way to pass an hour.
Because of that, I try to download entertainment before leaving home.
Netflix and other streaming services make it possible to save many movies and shows for offline viewing. Spotify and podcast apps offer similar functionality for music and episodes. An e-reader can hold enough books to get you through several trips while taking up virtually no luggage space.
I particularly like having different types of entertainment available. Watching another two-hour movie isn’t always appealing after already spending several hours staring at an airplane seatback screen. Sometimes a podcast, game, book, or playlist is a much better change of pace.
Just remember to actually open your downloaded apps before departure. Some services periodically require an internet connection to verify an account, which is an annoying discovery to make at 35,000 feet.
Keep a Few Mobile Games Ready for Short Breaks
Games work particularly well for travel because they don’t necessarily require a large block of uninterrupted time.
That matters more than you might think. Airport downtime can disappear instantly when boarding starts, a gate changes, or your rideshare arrives. I prefer games that I can play for five or ten minutes and then put away without losing my place or feeling committed to finishing something.
There are plenty of choices depending on your interests. Puzzle and word games are obvious options, as are card games and strategy titles. Travelers looking for something more casual can also explore browser-based entertainment such as social casino games, which use virtual coins and offer another quick-play option for filling a little downtime.
Whatever you choose, the important part for travel is convenience. I look for games that are easy to open, simple to pause, and don’t demand my attention when I should be listening for a boarding announcement.
If a game requires a connection, check that before leaving. For flights in particular, offline games are much more dependable.
Make Your Phone Work for You While Traveling
My phone is probably the single most important piece of travel gear I carry.
It is my camera, map, boarding pass, translator, entertainment system, restaurant finder, wallet, and connection home. That makes travel downtime a good opportunity to get some practical tasks out of the way.
One thing I frequently do is organize photos.
Travel photos pile up ridiculously quickly, especially when I am shooting both for myself and for This Life in Trips. A train ride or airport wait is an ideal opportunity to delete duplicates, favourite the shots I want to keep, and organize photos while the places and experiences are still fresh in my mind.
You can also use downtime to check the next day’s itinerary, download offline maps, save restaurants, confirm reservations, or research something you didn’t have time to plan before leaving.
It might not sound as entertaining as watching a movie, but knocking out those small tasks while you are already waiting means less time staring at your phone once you reach the destination.
Pack a Power Bank
All this mobile entertainment creates one obvious problem: battery life.
There are few things more frustrating than arriving somewhere unfamiliar with a nearly dead phone, particularly when your hotel address, transportation details, boarding pass, and maps are all stored on it.
A portable power bank is therefore one of the travel accessories I use the most.
Even though airports increasingly provide charging outlets, I don’t count on finding one. Available plugs tend to attract crowds during delays, some don’t work, and others are inconveniently located.
A power bank lets you charge while sitting at the gate, riding a train, or even walking around with your phone tucked into a bag.
Before heading out, make sure the power bank itself is charged. I have carried a dead battery pack around for an entire travel day before, and it makes an excellent paperweight but a terrible travel accessory.
Also check current airline rules before packing one. Spare lithium batteries and power banks generally belong in carry-on baggage rather than checked luggage, and airlines may impose additional restrictions based on battery capacity.
Use Long Flights to Mix Up Your Entertainment
Long-haul flights require a different strategy.
On a short flight, I can usually listen to music, read, or stare out the window and be perfectly happy. On an eight-, ten-, or fourteen-hour journey, variety becomes essential.
I tend to rotate through activities instead of expecting one thing to carry me through the entire flight.
I might watch a movie after takeoff, listen to a podcast while eating, read for a while, play something on my phone, attempt to sleep, and then repeat some version of that routine until landing.
This is also why I don’t rely entirely on the airline’s entertainment system. Most long-haul carriers have extensive libraries these days, but screens malfunction and the movie selection isn’t always what you want.
Having your own backup entertainment can make a huge difference.
For more ideas, check out my guide to the best ways to stay entertained while traveling. A little preparation before departure can make a very long flight feel considerably shorter.
Turn a Long Layover Into Part of the Trip
Not every layover has to be something you endure.
If I have enough time between flights, I would much rather leave the airport and explore than spend six or eight hours sitting beside a departure board.
Whether that is realistic depends heavily on the airport, immigration requirements, transportation time, and how much buffer you need before your connecting flight. Don’t turn a boring layover into a missed connection just to squeeze in another attraction.
When leaving isn’t practical, I try to make the airport itself more comfortable.
Airport lounges can be worthwhile during particularly long connections, especially when they include food, drinks, comfortable seating, showers, or quieter places to work. Some airports also have surprisingly good restaurants, observation areas, art installations, gardens, and other attractions.
Before traveling, take a few minutes to see what is actually available at your connecting airport. You might find something much better than sitting at your gate for five hours.
Use Travel Downtime to Get Some Work Done
Travel and work frequently overlap for me, which means airport and hotel downtime can also become productive time.
The trick is choosing work that fits the situation.
I don’t want to start something complicated when my flight could begin boarding in 15 minutes. Instead, I save smaller jobs for these windows: answering emails, sorting photos, making notes, outlining an article, reviewing an itinerary, or handling administrative tasks.
Downloading documents beforehand is helpful here too. Depending on your connection, airport Wi-Fi isn’t always something you want to rely on for getting meaningful work done.
I also try to separate productive travel downtime from the actual trip. Getting an hour of work done while sitting at an airport can be useful precisely because it means I don’t have to spend that same hour working once I arrive.
That is especially valuable on shorter trips.
Don’t Forget Low-Tech Entertainment
Not everything needs an app.
A book remains one of the best pieces of travel entertainment ever invented. It doesn’t need Wi-Fi, doesn’t have notifications, and won’t run out of battery.
I also like having something available that gives my eyes a break from screens. After working on a laptop, checking my phone, and watching a movie on a flight, another glowing rectangle isn’t necessarily what I want.
Crossword books, journals, sketchbooks, magazines, and even a simple deck of cards are easy additions depending on how you travel.
If you are traveling with someone else, cards can be particularly useful during train rides or quiet evenings. They weigh almost nothing and provide entertainment without requiring everyone to retreat to their own device.
Make Hotel Downtime Part of the Experience
There is sometimes pressure when traveling to maximize every waking hour.
I used to feel more of that. If I had traveled all the way to a destination, shouldn’t I be out seeing something?
Experience has taught me otherwise.
Some days you walk 20,000 steps, spend hours driving, battle jet lag, or simply run out of energy. Going back to the hotel and doing absolutely nothing for an hour can be exactly what you need.
That might mean watching something, playing a game, editing photos, reading, enjoying the hotel pool, or having a drink while looking out the window.
If you intentionally choose a great hotel, downtime can actually become one of the pleasures of the trip rather than wasted time. A property with a good view, rooftop terrace, pool, spa, or comfortable common area gives you somewhere enjoyable to recharge between activities.
This is one reason I think location and amenities deserve more consideration when booking accommodations. The cheapest room isn’t necessarily the best value if you end up spending meaningful time at the property.
Be Smart About Public Wi-Fi
Free Wi-Fi is convenient, but travelers should think about security before automatically connecting to every network labelled “Free Airport WiFi.”
Confirm the network name with the airport, hotel, café, or lounge rather than assuming the strongest-looking connection is legitimate. Keep your devices updated, use secure websites, and avoid accessing sensitive accounts over networks you don’t trust.
A travel eSIM or local cellular connection can be a convenient alternative, particularly if you are going to be online frequently.
I also download anything large while connected to trusted Wi-Fi. There is little reason to burn through mobile data downloading a movie or game at the airport when it could have been done at home.
Know When to Put the Phone Away
There is a balance to all of this.
I love having entertainment ready for a delayed flight or a long train journey, but I don’t want it to become the trip.
Some of my favourite travel memories have come from looking out a train window, talking to somebody at a bar, wandering around without a plan, or simply sitting somewhere and taking in where I am.
The purpose of travel entertainment is to improve the unavoidable downtime.
Use it when you’re stuck at a gate. Use it when you’re awake at 3:00 a.m. because jet lag has destroyed your sleep schedule. Use it when there is nothing outside the train window but darkness.
When you arrive somewhere worth experiencing, put it away.
Final Thoughts on Making Travel Downtime Better
Waiting is part of travel. Flights get delayed, connections require layovers, hotel rooms aren’t always ready, and long journeys contain hours when there simply isn’t much happening.
Rather than being frustrated by those gaps, I try to prepare for them.
Download a few shows and podcasts, keep a book handy, have some quick mobile games available, carry a charged power bank, and use quieter moments to organize photos or take care of simple travel tasks.
Most importantly, choose entertainment that fits around the trip rather than competing with it.
Travel downtime doesn’t have to be wasted time. Sometimes it is productive, sometimes it is entertaining, and sometimes it is simply an opportunity to switch off before the next adventure begins.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best entertainment for a long flight?
Variety works best for me. Download a combination of movies, podcasts, music, books, and games before leaving home rather than relying exclusively on the airline’s entertainment system. Noise-cancelling headphones and a fully charged device also make a big difference.
What can I do during a long airport layover?
First, check whether the layover is long enough to safely leave the airport and explore. If it isn’t, look into airport lounges, restaurants, observation areas, shopping, or other amenities. You can also download entertainment beforehand, catch up on work, organize travel photos, or simply find somewhere comfortable to relax.
What games are good for traveling?
Games that work offline or in short sessions are particularly useful. Puzzle, word, strategy, card, and casual mobile games are easy to stop when your flight begins boarding. Check whether a game requires an internet connection before departure.
How can I stay productive while traveling?
Use unavoidable waiting periods for small, easily interrupted tasks. Answering emails, sorting photos, reviewing your itinerary, making notes, and downloading information for your destination can all work well during airport or train downtime.
What should I download before a trip?
I recommend downloading offline maps, airline and hotel apps, boarding passes, music, podcasts, shows or movies, books, and any games you plan to use. If you expect to work, save important documents for offline access as well.
What say you?
Thoughts on How to Make Travel Downtime More Enjoyable?
Let’s hear it!
