Avoid conversations by wearing headphones – Airplane tip

by Gadling Staff on

Sick of hearing about a stranger’s dysfunctional family or odd medical conditions? Avoid conversations all-together by doing a simple thing: wear headphones.

This works best if you also avoid eye contact (and it may be necessary to pretend that you don’t hear you fellow passengers the first time they speak). Pull your headphones off when speaking to them and then put the headphones back on when the chit-chat is over.

In reality, it doesn’t even matter if the headphones are plugged in. The other passengers just need to believe they are.

11 tips for sleeping on planes

by Mike Barish on

I have been blessed with the gift of being able to sleep on virtually any moving vehicle. I’ve slept in large airplanes, small propeller planes, trucks on unsealed roads, cars, trains and boats. I sleep without the help of drugs, herbal supplements or any other gimmicks. I find my seat and my brain seems to decide, “Hey, this is going to be boring; let’s just skip it.” Several hours later, I wake up as my plane is on final approach.

My personal record for continuous sleep on a plane is 11.5 hours on a flight from Sydney to Los Angeles. Granted, that was in first class on V Australia, so the conditions were optimal. But my coach class record is 8.5 hours of uninterrupted sleep on a flight from Detroit to Tokyo. I followed that up with a 2.5 hour nap later in the flight. I would say that, on average, I spend 85% of my time on airplanes in an unconscious state. And I wouldn’t have it any other way.

So, how do I do it? Well, if I could guarantee a solid slumber on a flight, I’d be hosting an infomercial right now selling the Mike Method for two easy payments of $49.95. Sadly, I think I am just lucky that I can sleep anywhere. However, there certainly are a few things that you can do to create an environment more conducive to sleeping on a plane (or any mode of transportation, really).1. Relax
Whether you’re on your way to an important meeting for work, visiting your in-laws or just going on vacation, the act of transporting yourself from one place to another can, in and of itself, be stressful. The same things that keep you awake at home – stress, anxiety, pressure – will keep you awake on the plane. Clear your mind and sleep is more likely to come.

2. Remove Contact Lenses
I always fly with my contacts out and my glasses on. Plane air is dry and sleeping with your contact lenses in is never fun. I’m much more apt to fall asleep if my contacts are out and my eyes are comfortable. In fact, when I’m ready to go to sleep, I take my glasses off and clip them on my shirt. They’re close by for when I wake up, but without them my body knows that it’s time power down.

3. Familiar Music
An iPod (or other portable music device) is a great way to block out the noise around you. But for optimal results, create a playlist purely for sleeping. Fill it with music that is soothing (for you) and, most importantly, very familiar to you. If you listen to music that is new to you, your brain will stay active trying to pay attention to the unfamiliar stimuli. Find some comfort music that you know backwards and forwards so that your brain can listen to it on autopilot. I have a playlist on my iPod entitled “Sleep.” I’ve listened to that 400+ song playlist on countless flights over the years. It has changed minimally and the moment it starts, my mind begins to shut off.

4. Earplugs/Noise-Canceling Headphones
If music isn’t your thing, simply block out the noise with good old-fashioned foam earplugs or new-fangled noise canceling headphones. Whatever you need to block out the crying babies, sniffling germ-carriers and endless announcements from the flight crew about how the in-flight entertainment system needs to be reset.

5. Dress Comfortably
THIS DOES NOT MEAN THAT SWEATPANTS IN PUBLIC ARE SOCIALLY ACCEPTABLE! However, packing a change of clothes for long flights can be very helpful. If you don’t want to carry around a pair of pajama pants, wear an outfit that is comfortable and breathable. Bring layers so that you can handle whatever the plane’s climate control system throws at you. And take off your shoes when nap time comes. But trust me, put them back on when you visit the toilet.

6. Have a Drink
Notice that I said a drink. Drink too much and you’ll only guarantee yourself numerous trips to the lavatory and some fitful half-sleep followed by dehydration and a headache. If one glass of wine makes you drowsy, don’t feel bad. Just don’t let that one drink turn into a party at 35,000 feet.

7. Travel Pillows
This is going to shock many of you, but I do not use a travel pillow. At least not on planes. But I know more than a few people who swear by them. If you’re one of those people, find one that works for you and stick with it. The more you make it a part of your routine, the more likely you are to get comfortable with it.

8. Sit With Friends
Every little creature comfort can help when you’re not used to sleeping on planes. Having friends around you rather than strangers may help you relax and get comfortable. Plus, you won’t feel bad if your snoring keeps your husband awake. He probably deserves it.

9. Sleep Masks
Again, this one isn’t in my toolkit, but it may work for you if you are easily distracted or are a very light sleeper. Sure, you’re going to look like a moron, but if you need to block out everything in order to sleep, then you need to make sensory deprivation your top priority. What’s more important to you: Looking cool in front of people you will never see again or arriving at your destination well-rested?

10. Pack Snacks
Many people eschew sleep out of fear that they will miss the in-flight meal. While microwaved chicken is pretty underwhelming, it is often the only substantial meal you’ll receive on a long-haul flight. Pack a few filling snacks (ie, trail mix, dried fruit, a sandwich or Handi-Snacks) and you can eat whenever you stomach desires. Once you’re not held hostage by the flight’s feeding schedule, you’ll be able to relax, sleep and wake up to a treat of your own choosing.

11. Sleeping Pills
Call me a purist, but I consider sleeping pills and herbal supplements to be cheating. However, if you genuinely cannot fall asleep naturally and truly need to sleep on a flight, then I suppose I can understand going the pill-popping route. But I will put an asterisk next to your name in the record books.

It’s not rocket science, but falling asleep on planes can be challenging for some people. Hopefully these tips help you drift off to your happy place rather than enduring the mundanity of air travel. Your mileage may vary, and I can’t guarantee that you’ll be a plane sleeping machine like me, but utilizing some or all of these suggestions should help you get comfortable and sleep through almost any flight.

Do you have your own method for falling asleep on planes? Any tricks worth sharing? Drop us a line in the comments.

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Stand out in a crowd — design your own headphones with iFrogz

by Scott Carmichael on

Tired of the same old bland headphones? iFrogz may have just what you need – especially if you have a bit of creativity. Their EarPollution earbuds and headphones can be configured exactly the way you want them. The process is both simple and fun, and once done, you’ll actually have a pair of headphones that you won’t find anywhere else.

To design the $34.99 NervePipe headphones, you pick a headband, sidepieces, hinges, speakers, ear cushions and artwork. When designing the headphones, you may want things color coordinated, or you may just want to go insane with gold hinges and fuzzy earpieces.

A similar design process is available for the Flow earphones (in-ear). These $19.95 earphones let you pick the base color, rim and artwork.

My very own custom designed NervePipes! As you can tell, I went the “obnoxious” route with red, blue, gold and yellow. The headphones fold up nicely and the entire design feels very sturdy.

What goes well with gold, red, blue and yellow? That’s right – purple! Of course, as with any pair of headphones, audio is important, and the NervePipes don’t disappoint. They feature large drivers, with plenty of bass.

I had a ton of fun designing my own headphones – the final product may not win me any prizes from the art community, but they are mine – and that just feels pretty damn cool.

The price of the headphones is very reasonable, audio is great, and best of all – you end up with something you can really call your own.

Bring headphones – Airplane tip

by Gadling Staff on

Headphones are an absolute “must-have” when traveling on an airplane, for several reasons —

  1. On longer flights, it’s common to show a movie, and you probably want to hear it well.
  2. On other flights, the plane may have on-board games or on-demand music.
  3. Of course, you may bring your own pre-recorded music to help get away.
  4. The largest benefit, though, is simply to help cancel out “airplane noise.”

Airplanes can be very loud — for example, engines, crying babies, or a snoring aisle-mate can all make a flight more stressful. Headphones are an important accessory to help you relax, tune out the sounds, and pass the time.

An a pinch, you can always put headphones on to avoid a chatty seatmate (you don’t even need to turn on music to silence your talkative neighbor).

[Ed’s note: See all Gadling’s posts about headphones here.]

CitySounds.fm: the sound of the world

by Jeremy Kressmann on

Travelers often think of destinations in terms of what they see: the Eiffel Tower lit up at night, the gaudy neon of the Las Vegas Strip or the fiery pink of a sunset in Tahiti. Yet it’s our other senses – the smells, tastes and particularly for music fans, the sounds that can truly stick in our subconscious, evoking vivid memories of our journey. Those in search of some “sonic wanderlust” need look no further than CitySounds.fm. The new site promises an ever-changing catalog of the world’s constantly moving global beat.

On any given day, people in cities all over the world are listening and making all kinds of music. CitySounds pulls in this music from some of the world’s most populous capitals like Tokyo, New York, Sao Paulo and London, categorizing the tracks based on where they were uploaded. The result is a constantly evolving (and surprising) snapshot of what’s hot in what places. In Berlin, for instance, it might be some techno. Meanwhile in Buenos Aires, they’re bouncing around to ska (?!). Down in Atlanta though, they’re all about the newest hip hop remix.

While there are plenty of services that help you find new music, CitySounds is probably among the first to categorize based on location. And if you think about it, geography is the perfect way to organize for a generation of highly mobile, travel-hungry, music fans. Check out the site the next time you’re eager to hear the latest and greatest sounds from around the globe.

[Via PSFK]