You're at 20,000 feet, and you realize your flight doesn’t have WiFi — which wouldn't be a big deal, except you forgot your book at home, and none of your Spotify playlists are available offline. The summer travel season is upon us, and we just can't let this nightmare happen to you: Here's how to prep your phone so your next cross-country jaunt is time well-spent.
A couple days before your flight (or better yet, right now!), take an inventory to see what you’re missing. Perhaps it’s time for some new podcasts to tickle your brainwaves, or maybe you need a new, addictive puzzle game that will make your hours in the air simply fly by.
We’ve rounded up a handful of the best new apps, games, podcasts, and more that you should pre-load onto your phone before you step through security. These options will help you kill time in transit and plan what's ahead once you land. Armed with these options, you’ll be able to handle any layover — even a (god forbid) unexpected extra three hours at Newark.
This article first ran June 2, 2015, but has since been updated.
GAMES
Tease your brain and delight your eyes with some beautiful new mobile games. You’ll get sucked in and before you know it, you’ll be landing. We’ve got three options worth checking out, whether you’re looking for something simple and free or aiming to drum up all sorts of childhood nostalgia.
Pictured, the Frogger-style Crossy Road. A classic(free on iOS, Android, and Windows Phone).
Photo: Courtesy Cross Road.
Badland 2
This beautifully illustrated game is one of Apple's Editors' Choice apps. Badland 2 ($4 on iOS) is an imaginative side-scrolling game in which you have to navigate obstacles such as frost, magma, and water — and race to safety.
Photo: Courtesy Frogmind.
Candy Crush
Candy Crush (free on iOS and Android) is our go-to time-killer. If your flight's more of a quick jaunt than a transcontinental trek, you may even land before you run out of lives. For something a little different, there's the new Jelly saga to play, too.
Photo: Courtesy King.
Swamp Attack
This game is a little ridiculous...but what game isn't, on some level? In Swamp Attack (free on iOS and Android), you must defend your swamp home against all manner of attackers, from giant swamp mosquitos to chainsaw-wielding zombie beavers.
Photo: Courtesy Outfit7 Limited.
APPS
No worries if games aren’t your thing: There are plenty of other offline apps to help you plan activities at your destination or learn something new. Just remember to download these apps before your trip, so you can access the information anywhere, at any time, without worrying about data rates or Wi-Fi access.
TripAdvisor Offline City Guides
It’s exciting to explore a new city, but your adventures may be more fruitful if you have some idea of the hot spots you want to hit. Use TripAdvisor’s Offline City Guides app (free on iOS) to peruse the restaurants, attractions, and hotels at your destination. You can plan your days while you’re crammed in seat 24E, and once you land, you can use the app’s guided audio tours to learn the history of neighborhoods and landmarks as you walk around. Plus, it has a huge library of national and international cities — from Tel Aviv to Stockholm to Portland.
Photo: Courtesy TripAdvisor.
We’re constantly favoriting tweets, saving articles on Facebook, and bookmarking websites to go back and read later…but we hardly ever do. If you use an app like Pocket (free on iOS and Android), you can save all those links you’re meaning to read in one handy location. Download articles before your trip (or set the app to only download them when you’re on a Wi-Fi network) and you’re ready to go. The app lays out webpages into a clean, distraction-free interface with adjustable brightness, and you can organize what you save using tags or by favoriting items. This app is handy for catching up on reading while you’re traveling, but it may end up helping you read more during your daily commute, too.
Photo: Courtesy Pocket.
Triposo
Triposo (free on iOS and Android) is another way to start scoping out your destination before you get there. You can explore interesting sights and activities, including restaurants, nightlife, and even local festivals and wildlife. Use it to track down the best street food in Thailand or pinpoint secret beaches in Majorca. It has a helpful, easy-to-use search feature, and many reviewers found its restaurant recommendations “spot-on.”
Photo: Courtesy Triposo.
PODCASTS
Travel days are the perfect time to catch up on all those podcasts you’ve been meaning to listen to. You can use an app like Overcast (which dynamically boosts and normalizes volume for consistent listening) or Apple’s built-in Podcasts app, among other services. Here are three shows that you can learn from, laugh at, and be inspired by.
Photo: Courtesy Overcast.
Strong Opinions Loosely Held
If you're looking for something brand new to listen to, try our own new podcast, Strong Opinions Loosely Held. New episodes come out on Mondays, and it covers topics ranging from what it's like being woman on death row, to why the Kardashians are important to modern culture.
Photo: Courtesy Refinery29.
99% Invisible
The premise of this podcast is thinking about the things that we never think about. What's the deal with the inflatable men at used car lots? Where did the fortune cookie come from? It covers a vast variety of topics, from architecture to history to technology. Its latest episode explores the "Wonders of the Urban Wilderness."
Photo: Courtesy Radiotopia.
Reply All
Reply All is a "show about the internet," which is delightfully vague. In actuality, hosts PJ Vogt and Alex Goldman explore all sorts of interesting issues in the digital verse, from the explanation behind hundreds of people driving to an Atlanta house in search of their lost phones to the real story behind "pizza rat" and "selfie rat." Are they a hoax? You'll have to listen and find out.
Photo: Courtesy Gimlet Media.
BOOKS
If you’re one of those people who doesn't get motion sickness reading on flights (don’t mind us while we dose up on Dramamine), immerse yourself in another world with a digital download of some fresh literature. Don’t have an e-reader? You can use the Kindle app to buy and read titles on your phone. It offers a number of convenient features, including the option to turn the background dark (or a more natural sepia) and adjust the font, its size, and the screen brightness.
You can also buy books through Google Play if you’re on an Android device, or through iBooks on iOS.
Photo: Courtesy Amazon.
You're Never Weird On The Internet (Almost) by Felicia Day
Felicia Day's hilarious and insightful personal memoir is an easy, entertaining read. You'll come away feeling more confident in yourself, inspired to make your dreams come true, and like you and Day could totally be BFFs. For more details about the book and Day herself, check out our interview here.
Photo: Courtesy Simon & Schuster.
Nowhere to Be Found by Bae Suah, translated by Sora Kim-Russell
This 1998 Korean coming-of-age novella is finally available in English. In it, we follow the nameless narrator's unceremonious path into the disappointments of adulthood and search for a greater significance in life. (Hold on, just checking that we didn't actually write this ourselves.)
And for more great books worth downloading, you can check out our list of new April releases here.
Photo: Courtesy AmazonCrossing.
MUSIC
Spotify and other streaming music services won't work on your flight unless you've downloaded items or synced them to your phone for online listening. To do this on Spotify, make sure you're on a WiFi network. Then, at the top of a playlist, switch on "Available Offline." A downward-facing green arrow will pop up when that playlist is ready for offline listening. Choose playlists that will get you hyped for your destination, or help you relax into a deep slumber.
Or, download a new album or two. It's a little more spendy, but you'll own that album forever. A few picks, up ahead.
Photo: Courtesy Spotify.
Lemonade
You wouldn't want to leave without Beyoncé's latest. You can download it on Amazon or iTunes.
Photo: Courtesy Parkwood Entertainment/Columbia.
Human Performance
If you're looking for something on the rock side of the spectrum, check out Parquet Courts' new album Human Performance. Available on iTunes, Amazon, and Google Play.
Photo: Courtesy
TV & MOVIES
Unfortunately, you can’t stream Netflix or HBO Now (or pretty much any other video service) on flights. If you’re unimpressed by the in-flight movie selection, or you just prefer watching something on your phone or tablet at your leisure, you’ll want to download some shows on Google Play and iTunes before your trip.
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