The one thing they don’t tell you about being a cabin crew member is how much down time you’ll have when you get this job. I get bored very easily and for that reason alone I always make sure I’m pulled in tons of different directions in order to keep myself busy. Between mechanical and weather delays, long layovers with crews that are slam clickers (myself included), standby assignments, cancellations, and commuting, there is so much hurry up and wait involved in this career. I have listed some thing I do in order to keep myself preoccupied on these situations.
Netflix & Chill:
Compared to your average person I don’t watch a lot of television and I find it hard to keep up with most shows as they come on because of my hectic schedule. Being able to download Netflix was definitely a game changer and I strongly suggest getting an iPad or laptop and keeping it loaded with your favorites just make sure you watch them before they expire and have enough memory on your device to watch. The amount of genres and options is endless and now there are so many other streaming services trying to compete, so you usually can shop around and see which one has better options for the things you prefer to watch. I love binge watching a good series from time to time so I plan on uploading a video with my lists and recommendations for shows that I have found to be very good.
Reading:
I personally prefer actually books to reading on a device, but I did get a kindle a few years back. Unfortunately, it is collecting dust at my house but I think I may get it back out this summer since I started a reading challenge on GoodReads. I know reading isn’t for everybody, but I have always loved it and I made a profile on there that I find very satisfyingly to have for the simple fact when you type the page number that you are on, it shows the percentage of the book you have completed reading. For whatever reason I really love that, so I made a pledge to read 2 books every month in 2019 an so far I’m only 1 book off 1/2 way through the year. Science Fiction, Dystopian Societies, Vampire Series and mysteries are my favorite, but anything with a really crazy plot twist that I didn’t see coming at the end is also very satisfying to finish. Magazines are left in a lot of the jumpseats by other flight attendants and passengers so you can catch up on the latest celebrity gossip as well if you’re on the right plane. I know audio books are a popular option but I personally haven’t been able to get into them for the simple face I love visiting libraries and Barnes & Noble too much.
Foreign Language Apps:
This is one option that I absolutely need to get better about an haven’t managed to make the habit stick quite yet. I downloaded Babbel and Duolingo and haven’t made the effort to stay consistent with learning a foreign language. I would love to learn French, Spanish, & Mandarin, but it takes some serious discipline which I haven’t had much of at the moment…..😬 I can understand a lot of Spanish that is spoken to me, but am not fluent enough to speak it back other than the very basic phrases. I know if I would just put more effort into learning I would be good at it. Knowing multiple languages is such an amazing, highly sought after skill and an advantage so this is always something I heavily recommend to people.
Social Media: Having a social media platform is actually really time consuming and can be costly if you get a lot of equipment but it is another really good hobby. There is a countless amount of profiles that are dedicated to the travel lifestyle but there are always people out there that like to hear a different view or opinion. Starting a blog is so easy these days and for people that love videography there are Youtube channels with millions of views that are all shot from a smart phone. Building a brand and staying consistent is more difficult with everything being extremely saturated, but it definitely can be done especially if you’re passionate about what you’re talking about. I love a good themed Instagram or Blog with good quality photos & have been finding lots of random gems lately.
Playing catch up:
Random delays and sits are actually when I finally get around to doing several of the little tasks that I put off otherwise, but I keep a list on my phone for when that happens. Rescheduling appointments, paying bills, editing thumbnails, or cleaning out my cluttered tote bag are all things that I do when I have this little spots of time with nothing but my phone. Time is so precious and so many people waste it so filling up your day with important things an mundane ones is a good balance. Life is short but it’s the longest thing we do and with a job with such a hectic schedule making it all fit is a thing of beauty.
(I typed this little blog post up on a lovely weather delay so my productive thing for this afternoon is official done)
XOXO ASHLEY 🖤
🛫 The Pretty Passenger 🛬 