What to do on a flight with no wifi

Download before you leave for the airport

Do the downloading at home on a fast connection. Airport wifi is slow and busy, and a series of films can take longer than your wait at the gate.

Netflix and Spotify both let you download for offline use in their mobile apps, as do most streaming, podcast and audiobook apps. Not every title is available to download, and some downloads expire or need the app to go online now and again, so do not rely on something you saved months ago.

Then test it. Switch on Airplane Mode at home and open each app. If a film asks you to sign in, or a playlist shows greyed-out tracks, you have found the problem while you can still fix it. Download more than you think you need, since a delay on the ground eats through a queue quickly.

Check your storage before you start. Films take far more space than music or podcasts, and many apps let you choose a lower download quality, which is perfectly watchable on a phone and leaves room for more.

Things that work fully offline

E-books and saved articles are the lightest option on storage and battery. Most reading apps keep downloaded books on the device; open one in Airplane Mode to check.

Games that need no connection are worth hunting for. Many mobile games want to go online for adverts or sign-in and will not start without it. Puzzles, card games, chess against the computer and crosswords are usually safe. Again, test in Airplane Mode.

Language lessons, notes and writing apps that store work locally are good on long flights. So is sorting your photos, which needs nothing but time.

Podcasts and audiobooks are the best choice when you want to close your eyes or look out of the window at the same time. Download whole series rather than single episodes, and set them to play in order so you are not reaching for the phone every half hour.

Use the window

A window seat is entertainment in its own right if you know what you are looking at. Coastlines, rivers, lakes and mountain ranges are easy to pick out from cruising altitude on a clear day, and cities at night are easier still.

Pick your side before you book if the light matters to you. On a northbound flight the sunrise is out of the right-hand windows and the sunset out of the left; southbound, it flips.

Your phone can tell you what is below with no connection at all. GPS works in Airplane Mode because it only receives, so with a map downloaded before departure you can follow your position, altitude and speed for the whole flight. SkyDot does this: you start tracking when you board, and it names the nearest town, or the sea and the distance to the nearest city when you are over water. It also counts down to sunrise or sunset and says which side to look out of.

At night the window changes character. Cities show up as patterns of light, and on high-latitude routes in winter the northern lights are sometimes visible. Dim your screen and cup your hands against the glass to cut the cabin reflections.

Cloud is the main limit on any window view. If the ground disappears, the map on your phone still shows what is under it.

Pack for sleep

On an overnight or long flight, sleep is the best use of the time and the thing people prepare for least. An eye mask and earplugs or noise-cancelling headphones make more difference than any app. A neck pillow helps some people and not others; try it at home first.

Layers matter because cabins swing between warm and cold. Keep a jumper and socks in your bag rather than the overhead locker. A window seat gives you something to lean against and nobody climbing over you.

If you plan to sleep, download a playlist or a sleep sound before you fly, and set your phone to dim so it is not lighting up the row.

On a flight that crosses several time zones, think about when to sleep before you board. Setting your watch to the destination time and sleeping or staying awake to match it is a common way to soften the jet lag.

Write, plan or do nothing

A flight is one of the few times nobody can reach you. A notebook or a notes app is a good place to plan the trip ahead, write up the one behind you, or clear a backlog of thoughts.

Keeping a travel journal is easier on board than anywhere else. Note where you were going, what you saw from the window and anything memorable about the day. If you track the flight with a GPS app, much of the record is written for you: SkyDot saves the distance, duration, maximum altitude and the countries you crossed when it detects the landing.

Doing nothing is allowed. Watch the clouds and let the flight be a gap in the day.

If you are travelling with someone, a pack of cards or a small travel game needs no battery and no download at all.

Look after yourself on a long flight

Cabin air is dry, so drink water through the flight and go easy on alcohol and caffeine. Bring a refillable bottle and fill it after security, or ask the crew.

Move when you can. When the seatbelt sign is off, a walk to the galley and back and a few stretches help with stiffness. In your seat, flex your ankles and shift position from time to time.

Lip balm, moisturiser and eye drops make a long, dry flight more comfortable, and a toothbrush in your bag makes arriving feel less grim.

If you have a medical condition that could be affected by a long flight, ask your doctor for advice before you travel.

Keep the battery going

With the radios off, most phones last a long flight comfortably, but screens and games still drain the battery. Carry a power bank in your cabin bag, not the hold; airlines do not allow spare lithium batteries in checked luggage. Check whether your seat has a power socket, and bring a short cable.

Airplane Mode helps the battery too, because the phone stops searching for mobile signal, which is one of the bigger drains on a flight.

Download everything at full brightness at home, then turn the brightness down on board. Follow crew instructions on when devices can be used, particularly during taxi, takeoff and landing.