+1 for the noise-cancelling headphones. The killer-feauture for me, however, is on airplanes. They will filter out most of the ambient noise, but more interesti

+1 for the noise-cancelling headphones. The killer-feauture for me, however, is on airplanes. They will filter out most of the ambient noise, but more interestingly, they allow you to listen to music/movies/whatever without cranking the volume to 11, which in itself is excruciating. If you fly just somewhat frequently, get a set of PXC-350s. (or something similar, but I haven't found anything else in the same or lower price range with decent reviews).