Going on holiday may be exciting, but the flight there and back is usually a whole other story. No matter how fancy the inflight entertainment system may be, there are only so many repeats of Family Guy that you can put up with before you start grinding your teeth into bloody stumps. And that’s only if you’re lucky and your chosen airline does offer inflight entertainment! What do you do if you’re not one of those who can fall asleep anywhere, anytime, and you’re facing a cramped eight hour flight? Here are some suggestions on how to pass the time -

Finger-knitting – As many avid knitters will no doubt agree, security restrictions these days mean that it’s nigh on impossible for me to bring a pair of knitting needles on the plane. So finger-knitting seems to be the way to go. Bring a skein of yarn along, and simply watch the hours fly by as you loop bits of string around your fingers. This rudimentary form of knitting may seem childish, but it is strangely addictive. And an added perk is that you end up with a hand knit scarf at the end of your flight – great if you’re on your way to a cold destination!

Origami – Airlines provide a ton of free inflight magazine and catalogues for your entertainment, but once you’ve read one, you’ve probably read them all. So put them to good use instead, and improve your paper-folding skills. Rip pages out of the magazines, and start folding them into birds, boxes and even make a few paper planes. It’s also a very cheap way to entertain your kids if you don’t fancy buying them colouring books and pencils with the airline’s brand plastered all over.

Food Architecture – Even with the fancy chefs the airlines are bringing in these days, most inflight meals are still hardly stuff to write home about (unless you’re writing a letter of complaint). So if you can’t face chewing on another luridly yellow, strangely sweaty block of cheddar the next time mealtime comes around, why not play with your food instead. Join forces with your neighbours, and assemble the mini cheese version of Stonehenge. Try to build a bread roll version of the Coliseum. Indulge your geeky side and erect a water cracker and butter ode to the Millennium Falcon. The possibilities are endless (and slightly more entertaining than chowing down on that mysterious brown ‘beef Wellington’).