Let’s face it, flying is an ingrained part of humanity at this point. We can fly between continents and even between neighboring states within a single country. Airplane travel is something that we are used to and respect for its innovation and efficiency (sometimes). With summer break sneaking up on us, flying is in high demand to get us to our next destination.

But flights can be insanely long. Between Virginia and France, the trip ranges from five to eight hours depending on if you have any layovers. International flights usually have in-flight entertainment, but that can sometimes be shoddy. What makes for good airplane movies and music?

A good airplane movie should be on the long side. Not “Hamlet”-long (seven hours), but two and a half hours is a good length. A long movie will give you time to settle in and focus on something other than the fact that you are going 200 miles per hour in the sky. The movies should have depth to an extent. Chick flicks and action movies have just the right amount; there is plot but you mostly watch for the kissing or the explosions. This allows for you to not get too engrossed in the film, lest you don’t finish it or need to use the plane’s little boys’ room. They also shouldn’t be too sad; “The Fault in our Stars” or “Marley and Me” would have me bawling at the opening credits, and attracting that kind of attention on a seven hour flight is not ideal. The films need to be up to date, again only to a certain degree. I like some “Titanic,” but also hit me up with the “Theory of Everything” and “Hunger Games.” Now at least I might want to watch the movies instead of begrudgingly sit in silence.

Now music is a great choice if you want to get some shut eye. I usually would use Spotify to get the latest jams, but because I don’t have Premium, I can’t get them on Airplane mode. So I suggest making a solid two playlists, a sleeping songs one and an “about to land in an exotic locale” one, because you need one to get rest and one to get pumped up after a long flight. The sleeping playlist should be songs that have a very soft bass and a sweet melody, someone like Sam Smith or Ed Sheeran. To get pumped up, nothing is better than anything with a loud and rapid beat (I’m going to suggest One Direction “Change my Ticket,” but that’s my preference). If you aren’t feeling like sleep or getting hyped, maybe find an audio book or some white noise to tie you over. With these two playlists, you can have every flight song you ever wanted for all your moods.

I hate thinking about school on vacation, but a great place to get work done is in transit. On a plane, without too much turbulence, you can read and even do some work! Plug in your headphones and get ready to buckle down (pun intended) to get some serious work done.

What do you do on planes? When you’re in transit, what is your cure to the stationary blues? Contact the Outlook and we will post your answers!