Ever get the feeling on those really long flights that you're trapped in a cylindrical coffin and it'll never end? Tired of the monotony? You can follow these five easy tips, and you'll be fine.


First, take a moment to peruse the offered games on the back of the seat in front of you. In July of 2009, a popular airline had both super violent Doom and Tower Toppler ready for all those people flying in an aircraft. Not too soon anymore huh?


Bring a large variety of reading material. Everyone brings a book. Some people like to bring large, brick sized mass market paperbacks that look like they'll take several plane rides to read. But this is not enough. You should bring several books, for the flight alone. Don't worry about whether or not you'll finish them. That's not the point. The point is, when you get tired of fantasy, maybe you'll be in the mood for history. When you get tired of romance, maybe you'll be in the mood for some psychology. When you get tired of science fiction, maybe you'll be in the mood for some real science.


Music is the same deal. Don't just bring one kind of thing. Hip Hop will be old after 8 hours of nothing to look at since you don't have a window seat. These days this shouldn't be an issue with iPods and mp3 players, but you should still make sure your playlist is long flight appropriate. Preferably one that flows logically from one song to the next.


And of course, make sure you have some kind of movie player, be it a small portable DVD player with screen or a full-fledged laptop. A few seasons of a TV show can be awesome for part of the flight, but also at least one really mellow movie, and one really exciting one.


The most important of all, however, is saved for last. The correct seat is extremely important on long plane rides. Make sure you book early enough. Of course you should get the best deal, but the place that offers that is not necessarily going to have a seating chart with what's been taken and what hasn't. You'll need to view the Airline's website for that.


It's always a good idea to book in advance, and seat choice is the most important reason why. If you like the bulkhead, book in advance. If you want a good window seat, book in advance. Most airline diagrams will display whether or not it's right over the wing, but not always. You can avoid this if you avoid any window seats in the middle of the plane. If you will be flying down the coast, make sure you know which side of the plane the ocean is going to be on. It will make a difference after 12 hours.


Keep your options open on long flights. You're going to be spending a long time in a cramped space. You have to keep your mind occupied. When you get to wherever it is that you're going, you probably won't need any of it. But it will be worth lugging it all around Europe, if you didn't lose your mind on the way there.