Reading on Planes

[kstockard]

Reading and traveling are two of my favorite things. I always make sure I bring a book with me to the airport to read while waiting and while on the plane. I find immersing myself in a good book helps distract from the awful conditions of busy airports and crowded airplanes. My family, however, refuses to read on the plane, even my mother who loves to read. Instead, everyone I know would rather sleep on the plane instead of reading. I happen to find this quite peculiar and I wonder why they do this.

Do you read on airplanes? Why, or why not? If you do read on planes, what is your favorite reading method? Paper, or e-reader?

[zeldas_lullaby]

I rarely take planes, but I don't read unless I'm alone at home. I can't unwind anywhere else enough to read--doctor's office, visiting family, passenger in a car, etc. My mind won't relax enough for it to happen. So if I were on a plane, I'd pack books (paperbacks, by the way), but I seriously doubt they'd get read.

[Artiste8]

I read on planes, it helps pass the time. I can't sleep on a plane. I don't watch much TV at home so I don't watch it on a plane either. Last time I almost finished a book on a 6 hour flight.

[gali]

I didn't fly lately, but I have no problems reading on them and usually take paper books with me.

[Ealasaid]

I love reading on planes. Generally I am flying to a vacation, so I am too excited to sleep. Funnily enough, I get severe carsickness and can hardly do ANYTHING in a car except drive. However, reading on planes has never made me motion sick.

But reading passes the time of a long flight. There is usually not much else to do.

[kstockard]

Thanks for all the insight. I agree, reading will make flights go by quicker and when on the way to vacation reading is a good way to start relaxing.

The biggest reason I read on planes is to relax, especially with all of the people. I usually fly with my younger brother and I find reading helps me ignore his antics (sorry, kid) and those of the people around us.

[KitKat_Reader]

I can 'sleep' on a plane, but it only ever end up being short naps or nap depending on now long the flight is. When I did travel more it was while I was in school and therefore didn't have as much time to read at home, so when we went on vacation the plane ended up being my place to read. I've been out of high school for two years now and while I have a lot more time to read the few times I have gone on a plane I still find myself reading a lot (flying from Oregon to Germany gives you plenty of time to get plenty of things done )

[pwichner]

I love reading on planes- it's always a great excuse to get a new book and devour as much as possible in one sitting. The motion of the plane will make me sleepy, so I will usually shift back and forth, depending on the length of the flight. I used to travel for work and got to read a lot during that time.

[GreenBookworm]

With having a book the travelling feels less long and boring for me. I always read on a plane and generally meantime travelling.

[Meg0169]

I try to read where ever I go, waiting rooms, planes, etc., but I do not always get that pleasure. I would say 9 times out of 10 someone sees me reading but still tries to talk to me. I don't know what more I could do to say "see this book? This means leave me alone. Go away", but they apparently do not get that.

I am not trying to be rude, but sometimes reading in a waiting room or a plane is the only time I have to read and I would rather get some reading done than talk to a stranger. I am not antisocial, I swear. And the people that want to talk to me always talk to me about something I care nothing about or have no interest in. It even happens when I have headphones in and a book out. Go away people. Let me read!

[Artiste8]

I try to read where ever I go, waiting rooms, planes, etc., but I do not always get that pleasure. I would say 9 times out of 10 someone sees me reading but still tries to talk to me. I don't know what more I could do to say "see this book? This means leave me alone. Go away", but they apparently do not get that.

I am not trying to be rude, but sometimes reading in a waiting room or a plane is the only time I have to read and I would rather get some reading done than talk to a stranger. I am not antisocial, I swear. And the people that want to talk to me always talk to me about something I care nothing about or have no interest in. It even happens when I have headphones in and a book out. Go away people. Let me read!

I know what you mean, the same thing happens to me. They think if I am reading, that it means they have to save me from my book.

[hdunham]

RT
I have flown out of the country and sometimes the flight lasts over 20 hours. So I definitely read on airplanes. I have to admit, I am old school and probably always will be; I read paperback only, no matter where I go. E-books make me sleepy.

[Joeobrien1]

In my early career I used to fly a lot. I would sleep for most of the flight and usually get shaken awake when the plane started its descent. For the last twenty years I have flown infrequently but have not been able to sleep. Maybe it is because I was packed in with a multitude of people like a can sardines. I have found that a book lets me escape the crush and sit in the seat with an overweight character on each side.
Flying is no longer fun but reading makes it tolerable.

[Scerakor]

It all depends on the flight for me. I will ABSOLUTELY always have a book with me on a flight and really, really want to plow through it. Unfortunately, many of the flights that I take are "red-eye" flights and hard as I try I can't keep my eyes open. Daytime flights see me reading almost all the way, or alternating between reading and the in-flight entertainment.

[bookfre]

I love traveling but i can't go out of my town