Contributed by Info Guru Aurora LaJambre

Flying is the perfect opportunity to disconnect from phone apps and endless email.

If this were the 1960s, you could kick back perhaps mingle with fellow passengers decked out in their best flying clothes. But we’re living in a new century and things can get a little crowded up there. That doesn’t mean you can’t tick a few things off the to-do list, or disconnect entirely.

These top ten things to do on the airplane will keep you happily occupied until arrival.

10. Shop

Could there be a more perfect place to browse upcoming fashion trends and modern home goods? While that broken wheel on your carry-on is top of mind, check out travel accessories like rolling duffle bags and under seat rolling carry-ons. Feeling a touch home sick? Retail therapy will perk you up and give you even more to look forward to upon return.

9. Watch a movie

Sadly, not many domestic airlines offer screens for watching movies on the back of the seat in front of you. Those that do may charge a fee. Skirt the fee and still enjoy a fun flick by downloading a movie on your smart phone, tablet or other gadget. Don’t forget to bring headphones.

8. Sleep

Napping hardly counts as thrilling, but it passes the time and ensures you land well rested and ready for whatever lies ahead. Getting comfortable enough to fall asleep in a coach seat takes practice, but you can do it. Travel pillows help, as do sleep masks. Wear layers to comfortably adjust to the temperature in the cabin and drink a small cup of chamomile tea before boarding.

7. Rock out

Load the iPod or sync your Spotify library and listen offline for the whole flight. Include a range of playlists as one note is bound to get old fast. You can’t go wrong with some Bruce Springsteen, Gaslight Anthem and My Morning Jacket. Fall down the rabbit hole with some Johnny Cash and Wilco.

6. Join the club

Don’t scoff. You know you were thinking it, too. Joining the mile high club is a rite of passage for honeymooners and frequent fliers alike. Alas, this is not legal. Breaking the law would likely dampen the trip. So pick up The Mile High Club BOOK by Kinky Friedman and avoid the slammer.

5. Puzzle it out

Brain teasers and puzzles sharpen the mind, but they don’t feel like work and that’s key. Whether you’re traveling with a child or simply in need of an outlet for restless energy, challenging puzzles are fantastic things to do on the airplane.

4. Write

Start a story, brainstorm blog posts or fill the pages of a beautiful journal. You may be surprised to find how much more the mind is inclined to roads less taken when it’s physically removed from familiar ground. The next great American novel may not be penned in the clouds, but it’s hard to imagine a more heightened place to start banging out that first draft.

3. Draw

Bring a few pencils and sketch book and truly disconnect from electronics and, more importantly, that annoying urge to always be productive. Sometimes the best thing a person can do to recharge is get hands-on creative. Remember the pleasing scratch of a thick pencil moving across paper?

2. Play matchmaker

Planes are packed with strangers who are all coming and going to the same place you are. You may have nothing else in common with them, but for the time being they are perfect fodder. Observe the people around you (don’t be creepy) and try to figure out who their best match on the plane would be. In your head or on paper profile them with a name, odd past and glamorous future.

1. Read

Indulging in guilty pleasure reading is one of the most luxurious things to do on the airplane. Whatever your genres of choice – horror, science fiction, fantasy or romance novels – dive in and don’t come up for air until the flight attendants wave au revoir. As you may have trouble with an e-reader, play it safe and scoop up a paperback before you take off.