When people board a plane, they expect their flight to go smoothly. They expect to arrive safely at their destination at the time that their itinerary says that they are scheduled to arrive there. Sometimes, however, the airline makes a mistake. Mistakes can cause problems for passengers. Passengers might miss important family functions, such as a graduation, for example. If you are a passenger on a plane, and the pilot flies in the wrong direction and lengthens your trip, here are some ways that you can cope with the situation.

First, make a phone call. If you were on your way to meet your family, tell them that because of what happened, you will be arriving later than expected. That way, they will know that you are alright, they will not spend hours waiting for you at the airport, and they will be able to attend to their duties, rather than making other arrangements. They will be able to pick up their children from summer activities, for example. They will also be able to go to the important meeting at work, rather than missing it and risking getting in trouble. If you were on your way to a job interview, explain to your interviewer what happened, and reschedule the interview. That way, you will not miss out on a great opportunity. Once you make the call to explain what is going on, you can breathe a little easier. The next step is to find a way to stay occupied until you reach your destination.

One way to distract yourself is to listen to music. You might have a portable CD player and headphones in your carry-on bag, for example. You can pull out these items and listen to your favorite songs. The time will seem to pass faster if you have music occupying your attention. Music is not the only way to cope with an unexpected situation like this, however.

If you have a blog, you might pull out a notebook and pen and write articles as you travel. You might write about your longer-than-usual flight, for example, or about some of the passengers that you met on your trip. Then, after reaching your destination and getting settled, you can then publish your articles and look forward to earning more money.

I have never flown, but there are some flights that I hope to take in the future. I would like to go to New York City to be a contestant on "Who Wants to be a Millionaire?", for example. I would also like to be asked to speak at schools. Finally, my husband is needing to do some research so that he can write and publish more books. Hopefully, all of these flights will happen without incident. I will then have very positive experiences to write about in my blog.