Travelling is fun. No doubt about it. But, getting to your dream destination is not always a great experience. Long flights can be a boring and difficult to endure. Here are a few things that you can do to pass time while travelling for long hours. 

1. Reading - You might not enjoy the magazines that you get inside the flight. It’s always good to carry your own book or magazines on long flights.

2. Listen to Music: Carry an iPod or mp3 player. It will not only keep you relaxed and entertained, but also drown out the surrounding noise, if you have an annoyingly chatty neighbor.

3. Sleep: One of the best things to do to pass time on long flights. You’ll wonder where those hours you were worried about went.

4. Daydream: Gaze out of the window and enjoy the view outside. This is one of my favorite activities to do on the aircraft.

5. Talk: Travelling is all about meeting new people and having interesting conversations. Flights are great places to meet new people. Strike a conversation with the person sitting next to you and you might just end up chatting and laughing away those long hours.  

6. Write: The best time to write and record your travel experiences is in the flight. You might forget about the things you did and the places your checked out after reaching your destination. So, keep a pen and notebook in your purse where you can jot down your thoughts and ideas.

I am taking a trip to Hong Kong in the month of April and I am hoping to make the most of my time in the flight. Have any suggestions for hotels? Do share it with me. 

Although travel lovers don’t need a reason to go travelling. Now, there is a scientific proof that travelling makes us happy. Not just that even planning for a travel boosts our happiness. So, if your plan for that international trip doesn’t work out, you will still be benefited in a small way by all trip planning activities.

This study conducted by Dr. Jeroen Nawijn, a senior lecturer in Tourism at the NHTV Breda University of Applied Sciences in the Netherlands, shows that vacationers have a higher degree of pre-trip happiness, compared to non-vacationers, possibly because they are anticipating their holiday. Interestingly, the study also reveals that only a very relaxed holiday trip boosts vacationers’ happiness further after return. Generally, there is no difference between vacationers’ and non-vacationers’ post-trip happiness.

Travelling does make us happy, and it also teaches us a great deal about the subject of happiness in general. I love this post on Tiny Buddha about the lessons that travelling can teach us about happiness.

Here are few lessons that blogger Ehren claims to have learned from his travels.
1. Great things can happen when you are flexible
2. Life is a lot more beautiful and manageable when you proactively create moments of awe.
3. You have to let go of where you were to get where you can be.

What is it that makes you happy? This infographic has some interesting revelation about the science of happiness.

Here are some insights worth keeping in mind:

20 minutes a day outside in a good weather boosts happiness
America is the 16th happiest country in the world
Exercise releases endorphins that make our brain feel happier
Sleep-deprived people have a harder time remembering positive ideas and an easier time remembering negative ideas
The two biggest factors that contribute to happiness around the world are a sense of community and community celebrations.