ON A business trip last month, Gulliver spent nearly 36 hours straight (minus sleep time) side by side with someone she had just met—sitting next to him in a car on a six-hour drive, eating meals together, conducting the work our mutual employer had sent us to complete, then driving another six hours and, finally, flying back home in adjacent seats.

While the stranger in question was as nice a person as one could hope to meet, by the time Gulliver boarded that last flight, she was all talked out. He probably was too. Yet, as everyone knows, avoiding conversation in the close quarters of an airplane can be difficult, especially when you don’t want to risk appearing rude.

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Egencia (Expedia’s corporate-travel wing) recently surveyed more than 400 business travellers on this very subject. Interestingly, a quarter of the respondents said they usually enjoy talking to people on planes. When conversation is not desired, though, 50% of the respondents said they pick up a book, while 38% said they listen to music and 15% pretend to sleep to avoid an unwanted chat.

Shutting out a stranger is one thing, but it’s trickier when you're elbow-to-elbow with a colleague. For her own flight, Gulliver tried a different strategy: breaking out a crossword puzzle. It worked like a charm. Doing a puzzle feels less exclusionary than reading—theoretically you might ask your neighbour for help with a tricky clue—and allows you to stare into space as if you’re pondering potential answers when you’re really just daydreaming. Has anyone else found a conversation-stopper that succeeds without giving offence? If so, please share, but maybe not with the person in the next seat.

(Photo credit: Alamy)