I was told that a great way to combat jet lag is to make sure that you are outside at Noon at your destination (Noon - your destination's time zone). Make sure you are outside and getting some sun for about 20 minutes or so. Even if it is cloudy going out can help. For some reason, I was told, being outside at noon and your body feeling the noonday sun at that time helps tell your body that "hey, it's noon" and helps to re-set your internal clock. It seems to help me.
I travel a lot to Asia, North and Central America, and my best tip is to try to get flights that land in the evening of your destination. I struggle to sleep on flights, so landing tired, getting to my hotel, and bed around 10pm at my destination, gets me in the time zone straight away without jet lag.
I travel a lot and this is all good advice. Here's another one that helped me: after you wake up on your first full day, get lot's of sunshine. It will help reset your body clock.
You and your family are so fortunate to be seeing the world! Your children are going to have the best memories! That is wonderful. I don't even have a freakin passport, lol. Been thinking its time though. Love ur vids!
Hey, I just want to give you a friendly piece of advice; why don't you give yourself a passport as a Christmas gift? Consider it as the first step on your next journey ;-)
I think you should apply for a passport now. I had never had one, so my husband and I decided a few years ago to go get them. About a year later, my husband got a job that required a lot of travel. Sometimes he was the only one on the team that had a passport so he got the foreign trips. I've actually had the chance to use mine several times now. I had no plans to travel when we got them, but I was sure happy we had them later. Go for it!
Getting a passport is pretty easy. All the info is online, but you can also just go down to your County Recorder's office to find out how to get one. Then, you can find cheap flights and/or a cheap cruise leaving your nearest port. I've traveled all over by plane, ship, boat, train, car, donkey, etc., and I love cruises because you just get on the ship, go to sleep and wake up in beautiful foreign lands. You can swim, eat, get a massage while you travel. It's comfortable.
Love your videos. I have watched many. Leaving for Italy with my husband and daughters in 6 days. Please keep up the videos. Wishing you and your family happy safe travels. 😁
One jet lag tip I do have is take a COLD shower when you arrive at your destination. My girlfriend and I checked into our hotel in Rome at about 3pm and we knew that if we took a nap, it wouldn't be a short nap like Mark mentioned. It felt incredible to just stand underneath the cold shower for five minutes. It refreshed us and a new set of clean clothes after being in airports/on a plane for 18 hours certainly helped us enjoy our first evening in Rome and we were able to go to bed at around 10pm that night.
the one thing I do is set my watch to the destination time. That usually tricks my brain and helps adjust to the time. It also helps because I know how long until I land
I agree with your tip of forcing yourself to keep going until the local bedtime. I just came back from Europe, but when I went over, I arrived at 6 am...and when we got to our holiday apartment I couldn't help myself, I had to have a nap. But it wasn't long. It was approximately an hour and a half as per your recommendation. And I was pretty much jet-lag free for my trip. I'm very glad I have still a couple of days off before I have to go back to work to 'recover' from my vacation. Thanks, Mark for your vids, they really do help.
Great video -- one thing I find is that jet lag gets worse with age. When I was in my teens and travelled from Vancouver to Hawaii and Australia and back, it just kinda sucked. Now I'm in my 50s and my last trip from Vancouver to Switzerland took about 5 days to get accustomed. Lesson? (on top of what you've said here) ... as you age, be gentle on yourself and allow a soft landing where you go and a bigger chance to catch your breath. But when you're in your 20s, take a short nap and get at it! Enjoy while you're young (and then enjoy again when you get older and can spend more $$ on comfort)
I'm travelling from Australia to Paris soon, and I am now thinking I've really planned it all wrong! haha. Leaving Brisbane 2:30pm, arrive Singapore midnight - I've got an airport hotel booked for 6 hours so we can shower and nap, then arrive in Paris 7am... how dumb is that! HAHA
That's normal from Aus and is the best option. The basic trick is to stay awake to Asia and sleep on the leg from Asia to Europe. In your situation I'd be fully prepared the night before so I can stay up late and just wake up, shower, and go to the airport. Have a short nap on the trip to Asia, use the hotel for its shower but don't sleep, then sleep on the 2nd leg. They'll wake you for breakfast on the plane at about 5am (Paris time, so 2 hours out) and just go from there. Be tired the first day, it sucks, you'll still feel grotty from flying but push through and get a full night that night. Going via Asia is always better as you have a longer 10-12 hour 2nd flight to sleep on. Mid east layovers are worst because you only have a short 2nd flight (about 7 hours but there are meals involved) and the airports are terrible (hot, extra security process, squat toilets, etc.) Coming back to Australia will be worse because you lose a day and end up awake all night. All you can really do is sleep if you can but wake up at the time you would normally wake up and start your day.
Thank you! Great tips. I'll definitely try to make that happen. Travelling with just my son (11 years old), so hopefully can get him on the same schedule. It will be his first long haul flight with two long legs. I agree, when I've come back from UK before I found coming home a LOT worse than arriving in UK/Europe. Last time we flew Etihad, so went via Abu Dhabi, and yes very hot and not an enjoyable stop. Just hung around the hot airport for 4 hours or so... We are flying home via Dubai, but will have another stop in the airport hotel, so that should be a bit nicer, and we still get the longer second leg, I think. My sister is meeting us in Paris, so she should be good at helping us stay awake all day! Thanks again :)
Great advice. Because we bring my 72 yr old mom with us , we learned that she needs a full day of literally doing NOTHING on the first day after we land. So the day we land we just go to the hotel and only go out for supper. Then the next day has to be an extremely light day. On this trip we are just driving from Gatwick to Windsor and maybe take a walk and maybe go out for tea. That is it.
Plus the chocolate will come in handy should you run afoul of Dementors and need to cast a Patronus! 😀😅 Heck, chocolate is just a good idea to have on hand anywhere! 🍫🍫
Haha. The driving into *water warning sign* followed by a pic of a *cemetery* made me chuckle. Well done. All great tips as usual. Yes, in the end the most important advice indeed is to *_force yourself back to a normal sleep pattern_* immediately. Landed Bangkok at midnight _wide awake,_ checked into hotel and after a bit of exploring (and a few beers) I forced myself to bed at 3AM and got up at 8AM ready to go. On the contrary landed Sydney at 7AM _dead tired,_ washed up in the lobby bathroom, checked my bag and immediately went sightseeing. Zero jet lag because I was active. When I do land mid-morning and am able to check in, I'm tempted to take a nap but always avoid because that messes with my sleep pattern even more. Just shower and go. So for me, I simply power through that first day/night and I'm good for the duration of my trip.
Great video! My three tips are: 1) Eat your meals at the normal time for your destination when you have arrived e.g. think of lunch as lunch even if it is breakfast time back home, eat dinner at dinner time, etc.. 2) Set your watch and your devices to the destination time zone when you get on the plane - and avoid thinking what time it is back home at any time during your trip as much as you can. 3) Try to be outside in the sunlight early or late in the day to help your body clock synchronise to the new time zone. If you've travelled eastwards try and get out in the sun early in the morning, if you've travelled west try and get out in the sunlight during the evening so that your body understands it's not bedtime yet.
Just don’t stress about the jet lag, just accept that it’s only for 2 or 3 days. Keep calm and carry on. But DON’T drive! Do NOT pick up a rental car the moment you arrive!
You're really right about staying awake when you get to your destination. When I traveled to London We went straight to Kew Gardens (after checking in to our hotel) when we got there and spent several hours walking around the beautiful gardens. We were then so tired we were able to fall asleep easily and wake up to London time and fall right in to the time difference more easily. Coming back from Paris was not so easy. We took the train from London to Paris and flew back from Paris and I seemed to be jet lagged for weeks after I came back. Go figure.
I agree with the overnight flights. Go to sleep and stay hydrated with water on the plane, once you arrive to your destination it should be morning time by then start your itinerary and go to sleep at night time. I think I’ve never experienced jet lagged before or I have just been so focus on running to go see everything that I can that my mind is else where 😂
Earlier this year when we went to Japan it was a 13 hour flight there and I could NOT sleep. But I'll tell you what's worse than not being able to sleep... watching your husband all comfortable drooling the whole way back home lol
I've flown directly from India to America a couple of times, and it was rough. Last time I scheduled a 24 hour stop in Europe between the two. In addition to being a fun day, dividing the time jump also helped take a little of the edge off the jet lag.
When I was 13 we made a trip to Canada for 3 weeks. I had a jet lag for at least a week, waking up around 4 o'clock in the morning. Since my cousin and I had nothing to do this early in the morning, we got dressed and started shoveling snow from the driveway....
Connal Maccon, your parents raised y'all right if (at 13!!) you shoveled snow in the wee hours. Well done! I pray our kids will do that but somehow I think they will be piddling around with a phone or whatnot. Waaaah.
I went to Singapore from Seattle via San Francisco in February-March this year. Was the longest non stop flight in the history of commercial aviation 17+ hours. SF-Singapore. My daughters mother in law is 66 , I’m 46. She wakes up at 7 and goes straight to the gym walking on a treadmill up for an hour. Drinks one bottle of H2O before during and after. Then we had an oatmeal for breakfast. And coffee made in the room. Got couple of apples and oranges and been for a lot of adventure. I was surprised when I felt so great and energetic all that time doing the same with her. I’m into fitness but moderately. Not every day. It worked tremendously. She looks so youthful and more energetic than me. I believe exercise is the key, still in disbelief that I felt that great with almost no eating (Marina Bay Sands has catastrophic prices for all inclusive breakfasts! And honestly not worthy. No, it’s delicious and all kitchens of the world, but u simply can’t eat so much! ) and walking a lot. Drink that water please
Drink ALOT of water helped me with jet lag going to Singapore from UK. But was really jetlagged when travelling back, didn't adjust to time zone a few days before because I was on my holidays. . So I would take these tips for going to your holiday destination but on the way back i'd just continue with your holiday make every minute count and deal with jet lag when you are back
The short nap has always worked for me. I usually end up in Europe somewhere about 8-9am. By the time the luggage is collected and I get to the hotel, which I always set up for an early arrival. Check with the hotel, most will allow an early check-in. I'll hit the rack for an hour or two. Then do exactly what you suggested in not planning too much the first day. Take that day to simply explore; reacquaint yourself or if you've not been to that particular city, just learn the lay of the land. I'll hit the rack at my normal time which then allows me to get up at my normal time. I'm good the rest of the time in country. Now for going home, I try to fly out of Europe around 10a-12p and I'm usually getting into ORD, then the bus back to Milwaukee. I will stay up as late as I can, then get up at my normal time the next morning. Using these tricks going and coming home, I've not had a problem with jet lag. The only hitch comes in when the airlines do airline stuff and I get in late....
I am planning a trip to Australia at the beginning of next year and I will not be able to sleep that much on the plane I already know, but I will be drinking water on the plane as much as possible and be wearing the compression socks so my ankles don't swell too much. Thanks for the tips on long haul flights, this will be my first long haul flight ever
Great tips! I would like to mention that I take things on the plane with me, to "get ready for bedtime." Like I wash off my make up. Take out my contacts, brush my teeth. To tell my body to stay in routine. Then sometimes I will even take a benadryl to make me sleepy, if I know i have at least 7 hours ahead of me to fly. Then when I wake up about an hour or so landing, I will wash my face, brush my teeth, put contacts in and make up on, eat breakfast and have COFFEE. :) It helps me to sleep in that tiny seat all night. And like you said, I stay awake all day, even if I think I'm just going to fall over. And usually go to sleep that first night around 7pm. Then next day..I'm ready to see the world! Also, jet lag always seems worse going west to east then east to west for some reason. Happy travels!
I’m surprised you didn’t mention a crucial one: DAYLIGHT! When you arrive, try to spend as much of the first day as possible in natural light. Your body will automatically do at least half the task of adjusting its circadian rhythm.
Two tips I’ve learned from my travels: Be cautious about relying too heavily on caffeine to stay awake during the day. It just makes it that much harder to fall asleep in the evening. Also, the best way I’ve found to reset my body clock is to eat proper meals on the new time zone. It really helps to get acclimated to a new diurnal routine.
I remember one jet lag in particular, returning from Alaska to Sweden, Europe. Woke up at 3 AM with a strong craving for bacon and eggs, so I made a very early breakfast. The family had no problem joining me.
Live High Vibe I’m 5’5 (so not very tall) and I was in a plane where my knees were presses against the chair in front of me and my handbag (which is a small purse) was the size of the leg room (thank god it was a 2 hour flight)
staying awake once you arrive at your hotel is great advice. the times ive flown to the states from the uk ive always arrived around mid-afternoon, 2pm ish, so i usually stay awake by occupying myself with finding a supermarket, somewhere to eat the first night etc, then wind down and settle for bed around 8-9pm
Be well rested before traveling. Adjusting the sleep schedule before departing may not be possible, but do your best to get 8 hours a night the final few nights before leaving home. Long flights and jetlag killed me the two times I left the country on short 5/6 hour nights of sleep. With more rest your body is better prepared for the upcoming challenges.
Thank you for your videos, I'm getting married in June and we are flying to london, and dublin, from NYC, and am a bit overwhelmed with prep, your videos are simple and fun.
Never had jet lag going Seattle to Rome multiple times. But the advice is helpful for an upcoming trip with 7 family members who have never made this long a trip.
This is the perfect video! I’m going to Chicago from England in 2 1/2 weeks, and jet lag was something I was a bit worried about (especially on the return). Never heard of the dark chocolate thing before, I’m definitely try that!
Good tips here. I am flying out of Vancouver at 14:55 and arriving in London at 8:25. When I would normally be going to bed I'll be starting a whole new day.
We have a 6.5 hr overnight flight which sounds decent. When we add in the connecting flights, and other things, we are told it will be more the 12+ to reach our hotel in the morning, ugh.............lol, worth every moment I'm sure. Thanks for the tips~
Deb InPEI In NS and flying to Germany in 2 weeks. Overnight flight + layover + connecting flight + get to hotel = 25+ hours. It will be all worth it once we get there!
Wow! Am I glad I found this video. Travelling to Europe this December with two under 3 years and was looking for something to help them and me fight jet lag (as much as possible) I will definitely be trying the 30 minutes technique. Thanks Mark!
Good advice. I tried the short nap idea (including setting an alarm) on my last trip to France and also took short naps every day i was there after lunch. It really helped with the jet lag. And I'm also tall and cannot and have never been able to sleep on planes. As a result, I have to stock up on rest before the trip.
I wish I could do the "change your sleep pattern slowly" thing but I'm probably gonna have to work the day before I leave for Ireland. I reckon just getting really good sleep a few days before so that I have some energy left over for when I stay up the whole time. MAYBE I'll take a nap on the plane. Just a little concerned about when to take my medication because it makes me sleepy.
Your tips work for me with jet lag affecting me only on the arrival day. I would also recommend that on arrival day you get outside and do a brisk walk or ride a bike. Bright sunlight and activity do wonders to reset your body clock.
As a frequent traveler between NYC and Beijing, I find that it's really helpful for you to take your meals accoridng to the local time. Though you may feel really hungry at 10 AM when you arrive in Beijing (10 PM in NYC), please wait until noon-ish for lunch and 6 or 7-ish for dinner. Eating irregularly = sleeping irregularly.
Totally thought I heard "dry sherry"... which will certainly help you sleep! Moderation of course. My method is the 2hr nap and a coffee for overnight TATL flight. Also paying for the exit row for the extra leg room can make a flight somewhat bearable. I do have problems falling asleep unfortunately.
Thanks for the travel tips. I needed to hear this sound advice last summer when my son and I traveled to Tokyo. We arrived at 4:00 p.m. and I slept until 10:00 p.m.. my jet lag was legendary. My husband and are looking forward to visiting China, which is a long haul flight as well. and will implement your travel hack to less our weariness. P. S. Love the videos!
I've heard that in Canada that you can't rent a campervan until you've had x amount of sleep. I imagine that only applies if you've just got off a long haul flight. That's a good thing, especially if you've come from country where you drive on the Left hand side of the road going to the right hand side.
My husband and always keep the first day after we arrive after a long haul flight to Asia- no “have to” plans with plenty of time to nap,rehydrate,eat and relax and rejuvenate.
Having been to Europe six times, I think flying overnight is better than flying during daylight (I did that the first time). the night is short and not very restful and the new days starts awfully early, but I don't suffer a lot from tiredness since that first day I am running on adrenalin. I set my watch to local time, and when I get to my hotel I go to bed very early. Usually around 6 p.m. Inevitably I wake up around 10 pm, go for a walk and go back to bed. By the next morning my sleep patterns are in sync. with local time. A +7 time difference has never been a major problem. When I make that first trip to Asia I guess I will discover how well I adjust to a +14 (ie. a -10 time difference.
Meletonin and coffee are some of the best things for trying to fight jet lag other then time. However the sleep masks some airlines give to you (like Qatat) really help, I would advise using these if you want to sleep on planes.
When we flew from Brisbane to New York a couple of years ago, we got a morning flight and arrived in NY in late afternoon/early evening. Hubby got some sleep but kept waking me up every time I managed to drop off...lol. We got food and ended up going to sleep about 8.30/9 pm and we left the next two days free to get over the jet lag. We walked around the city for those two days and had an amazing time!
Thanks for the video! I remember I didnʻt sleep for almost 55-60 hours, because of my first time experiencing jetlag and my inability to sleep on a plane. Thanks for the tips and the great video
Leaving germany at 21h to arrive the next day at 18h in thailand next month. I was prepared to be in a zombie like state for the journey but your tipps sound super helpful. I'll try them out, thank you :)
When I traveled to Japan from Chicago in 2016 I kind of lucked out. I had planned on sleeping on the 13 hour flight but even with some sleep meds I was unable to. Being in economy while being 6'2" and 200lbs made the width of the seat (shoulder room) very uncomfortable. I did learn on the trip there that drinking water (as you said) is not just recommended it is necessary. I didn't drink enough water and was absolutely miserable. Luckily my flight arrived in Tokyo around 8pm in Japan so after walking to my hotel I just went to bed for the night right away. As reluctant as I was to do that in an exciting new place it really did save me. It basically reset my clock by going to bed at the correct time in Japan after being awake for so long. When coming back to Illinois I made sure to buy 3 large sports drinks in the Tokyo airport and kept them in my personal bag to drink on the way home. I couldn't believe how much of a difference being well hydrated made. It was actually a manageable flight even crammed into an economy seat haha. Thank you for the great videos!
I had a week in Ireland for work back in 2008, flew from Dallas, smartly stopped in Boston (family visit too) each way and figured I'd be fine sleeping in "Business class". Yeah, didn't work, arrived in Shannon at 6 am local time and was BURNT. Arrived at the B&B and my room was not ready of course (still occupied). They were great in letting me stay in the common room (even provided an awesome Irish breakfast). I lost my "free" day to jet lag. Spent the rest of the week working, and while I don't regret going, it was a great trip in Cork, I really would have enjoyed more city time. Looking forward to returning someday soon. This info will help on my next trip to Europe/Asia/Australia...whenever that is.
On a holiday from Australia to the U.S. we planned a rest day, slept to about noon then did some quiet shopping in the afternoon. Also on a couple of long flights, flew on less-busy days, the plane wasn't full so we where able to stretch out taking two seats.
I had terrible jet lag for almost 3 days when flying from LA to Rome in February. I set alarms for short naps and would oversleep 2-3 alarms. I tried to wake up by 10am the first morning and instead woke up at 4pm. It was a terrible feeling. Really puts you in a bad mood and ruins the start of your vacation....at least for me. I like to be up early and on the go to explore.
We took a fantastic vacation to Edinburgh, York, London, Bath, and Liverpool UK for two weeks. I always heard horror stories about jetlag. We took off from Los Angeles to London nonstop at 8.00 PM and arrived at 2.50 PM the next day. We did take a 4 hour nap during the flight. Once landing we were not tired and made it to the hotel via the tube. Then we walked around for 5 hours exploring London. On the 16th we took off from London at 10.00AM and arrived in Los Angeles at 5.00 PM stayed awake the whole time this time around. Again we didn't suffer from jetlag at all whatsoever. I don't know if we have some freaky circadian rhythm or something. We really were expecting to get it.
One thing I would add in order to help to "reprogramm" ourselves for a new time zone is also the meal time :) Because, for my part, if I don't adjust the meal time, I won't be able to adjust my sleep/bed time (and I CAN'T sleep if I'm not laying flat, so, that means that I never can sleep in a plane (I don't have the budget to travel 1st class) or a train (night trains with "beds" have "disappeared" here in Europe) so it's sometimes hard, lol !
I have 2 flights close together mid next year, initially from Melbourne, Australia, to Hong Kong, then 3 days later, the big haul across to London. Both flights are overnight, but on the first flight I *could* be coming off a 12 hour shift (I'm a bus driver) at work. I've never flown overnight before so any tips anyone has would be welcomed! P.S Mark: your videos are very helpful!!!
You should look at jetlagrooster.com which generates a personal schedule of when to sleep, wake, and take melatonin... Melbourne and Hong Kong are relatively close in time zones (3 hours apart if you're going during Australian winter) so you could probably just calculate the HKG to LHR jet lag correction and not worry too much about the MEL to HKG leg. 3 days in HK you'll have easily adjusted to their time without much help.
Thanks for your advise. As you suggest, HKG shouldn't be much of an issue, but obviously the time jump to GMT from HKG time will be a bit of an issue, despite flying overnight. I last flew international to New Zealand 7 years ago - a mere 2 hours ahead of Australian East Coast time, and had no great issues, but this is my first proper long distance flight. :-)
Day we land in Europe from Central Time in the States is difficult for me, as I too, get little sleep on the plane. I will be trying to limit my caffeine intake prior to the flight and bringing snacks from home. If, miraculously, I could get 3 to 4 hours of uninterrupted sleep on the plane I would think I'd feel amazing! Thanks again for the videos!
Thanks for the tips! I am going on a trip from Scotland to Australia soon so I am collecting all the advice I can find to fight the jet lag. This is going to be my first travel with such big time difference.
What I always do is skip sleeping on the plane for as long as I can, and while I travel just watch the movies or whatever and don’t get some rest, so when I arrive the first night I’m sleep deprived and I can easily sleep
Just saw this. Instead of napping, we actually get our bags to the hotel, shower if we can get in the room, and then go walking and get a lunch if we arrive between 11 am and 2 pm local time. We'll stay up as late as we can local time (hope to stay awake to 10 pm local time), and in general, sleep really well that first night. Set an alarm for a late breakfast and as we roll into local time.
From my limited experience: When I travelled from Australia to the UK in 2017... I was still suffering from disrupted sleep patterns from working Midnight to Dawn for ten years previously, but I took an overnight flight to try and sleep (departure at 22:35 local) ... On the plane I drank LOTS of apple juice, if I was offered a choice between water/juice/alcohol I chose the juice EVERYTIME ... On arrival in the UK, (about noon) went to the Hotel, outside of London, and booked in, then went for a walk around the local area... The first day I'd scheduled "Do Nothing" but I went to the local shops to buy something (a new phone, I'd left mine home! [realised this in the departure lounge @ the airport "Ooops"!] ). Read the local paper, read a book and went to a pub for dinner (Lovely folks) about 18:30. In bed that evening at about 21:30... The next day (2nd day in the UK) started my sightseeing by catching a train to Paddington at 06:30 and was as fresh as a daisy, no sleep problems, no drowsiness, no jet lag!
One thing that I have found that does help is to get out in the sunlight to fight jet lag. This will help reset your natural circadian rhythm to the local time zone. A few years ago I went from Los Angeles to Singapore via Manilla. Both have a 16 hours difference from Los Angeles. The flight from Los Angeles to Manila left in the evening and arrived in the morning with the connecting flight that arrived at Noon in Singapore. I to do not sleep well on a flight. But I spent most of the time away from my hotel and that helped me considerably. My flight back left Singapore at 9:00 AM and arrived at 2:00 PM. The flight back to Los Angeles didn't leave until 10:00 PM. I had to stay up until I was on the plane and even then I didn't sleep. I arrived back in Los Angeles at 5:00 PM. Needless to say I did goto bed early for me that night at about 8:00 PM.
I find your advice spot on in most cases. I've been back and forth from Atlanta to various Asian destinations dozens of times, Seoul, Qingdao, HK, Shanghai, Bangkok, Beijing, Australia, and New Zealand. Although the time difference is around 12 hours, ( except fpr Australia and NZ) the transit time can exceed 20 hours. The curious thing is when I come from Asia to the west, the jet lag is significantly worse than when I go from West to East? Never figured that out.
I used to have big time jet lag. Before my most recent journey and did some research. Dehydration is the biggest factor of jet lag. The mouth and throat become so dry. And, I made the decision to drink only water on the flight and lots of it. The only beverage I drank, even with my pasta dinner. As I take medications for depressions with me, I kept one of the pills that doubles as a sleeping pill on my person and took it on my flight. Must have done the trick as I was headed for Athens and without even being aware, I conked out. Don't for how long but it must have bit quite a lot as I looked out of plane window and could see city lights below. I figured this couldn't have very well been the Atlantic. On my way to the bathroom as my drinking water also included several rounds of bathroom trips, there was a sign posted in the area of the steward's quarter and it read I was flying over Switzerland, which meant I didn't have that far to go. I strongly recommend drinking only water on flight, because when I reached my final destination - there was no jet lag.
I find that when flying from East Coast US to Europe that a good long nap in a day hotel upon arrival works great. I sleep from arrival at about 10 until 4 or 5 pm, then take a shower and eat a nice dinner, then return, read a book, and go to bed. Without that long nap, I’m a zombie for 2 days. I fought this strategy for several years but once I did it, I won’t go back.
depending on your itinerary you might be able to plan stop overs. I think I will fly from Phoenix, spend 1 day in new York visiting world trade center. 1 or 2 days in Reykjavik for aurora and 1 day in Amsterdam for a culinary tour around the city and then I will spend 1 month in Poland practicing language. on my return trip I will rough it and crash when I get home.
I went to Arizona from New Jersey last month and it was only a 3 hour difference but my entire family made the mistake of taking a nap at 3:00pm and we all woke up in the middle of the night. Luckily, that was the only sleep issue we had the whole week we were there
Thank you, great tips! Hey just one for you - try a caffeinated AXIO by Life Vantage for the kids instead of the Coke. It will help sooooo much more, and for you guys, too.
I get through long haul flights and jet lag by napping, staying hydrated, and munching on fruit and nuts like a squirrel. Absolutely second the hour and half rule for naps. It's not just missing out by oversleeping, but also because it makes it that much harder to adapt to the new time zone.
We went from Norway to Toronto Canada and stayed up until local bedtime after we arrived. The next morning we were fine. However on going home it was more difficult and it took a couple of days to adjust. So it seems that going from west to east is more difficult.
It is always harder on the trip home. When you get to destination you are excited and full of energy and go go go. When you get home it is like "I need a vacation from my vacation"
I agree with Hungry Bonsai. When I fly to Europe from Toronto I have very little problem with jet lag. After coming back, though, it takes me a couple of weeks to adjust fully. As HB says, when you go somewhere you've got things to do and you fight the jet lag to do them. Back home -- same old boring stuff that you're not all that keen on doing.
For me East to West is the hardest. But it might have something to do with flight times too. When I fly from Latin America to Europe, I usually get there in the morning, spend the whole day tired, go to bed around 9 pm and wake up brand new the next day. But the other way around is tougher because my flight usually arrives in Latin America close to midnight. I fall asleep immediately but then around 4 am I wake up and cannot sleep anymore, even though I am tired, and it takes me a whole week to be able to wake up at my usual time.
I was told that a great way to combat jet lag is to make sure that you are outside at Noon at your destination (Noon - your destination's time zone). Make sure you are outside and getting some sun for about 20 minutes or so. Even if it is cloudy going out can help. For some reason, I was told, being outside at noon and your body feeling the noonday sun at that time helps tell your body that "hey, it's noon" and helps to re-set your internal clock. It seems to help me.
And drink nothing but water.
I've heard and practiced that with good results.
I travel a lot to Asia, North and Central America, and my best tip is to try to get flights that land in the evening of your destination. I struggle to sleep on flights, so landing tired, getting to my hotel, and bed around 10pm at my destination, gets me in the time zone straight away without jet lag.
I travel a lot and this is all good advice. Here's another one that helped me: after you wake up on your first full day, get lot's of sunshine. It will help reset your body clock.
You and your family are so fortunate to be seeing the world! Your children are going to have the best memories! That is wonderful. I don't even have a freakin passport, lol. Been thinking its time though. Love ur vids!
Hey, I just want to give you a friendly piece of advice; why don't you give yourself a passport as a Christmas gift? Consider it as the first step on your next journey ;-)
I think you should apply for a passport now. I had never had one, so my husband and I decided a few years ago to go get them. About a year later, my husband got a job that required a lot of travel. Sometimes he was the only one on the team that had a passport so he got the foreign trips. I've actually had the chance to use mine several times now. I had no plans to travel when we got them, but I was sure happy we had them later. Go for it!
Getting a passport is pretty easy. All the info is online, but you can also just go down to your County Recorder's office to find out how to get one.
Then, you can find cheap flights and/or a cheap cruise leaving your nearest port. I've traveled all over by plane, ship, boat, train, car, donkey, etc., and I love cruises because you just get on the ship, go to sleep and wake up in beautiful foreign lands. You can swim, eat, get a massage while you travel. It's comfortable.
Love your videos. I have watched many. Leaving for Italy with my husband and daughters in 6 days. Please keep up the videos. Wishing you and your family happy safe travels. 😁
Matoisnala Luta mani the only loser here is you
One jet lag tip I do have is take a COLD shower when you arrive at your destination. My girlfriend and I checked into our hotel in Rome at about 3pm and we knew that if we took a nap, it wouldn't be a short nap like Mark mentioned.
It felt incredible to just stand underneath the cold shower for five minutes. It refreshed us and a new set of clean clothes after being in airports/on a plane for 18 hours certainly helped us enjoy our first evening in Rome and we were able to go to bed at around 10pm that night.
the one thing I do is set my watch to the destination time. That usually tricks my brain and helps adjust to the time. It also helps because I know how long until I land
I fell asleep in the Sistine Chapel because of jet lag. My husband never lets me forget it.
How did you fall asleep there it's so noisy
I agree with your tip of forcing yourself to keep going until the local bedtime. I just came back from Europe, but when I went over, I arrived at 6 am...and when we got to our holiday apartment I couldn't help myself, I had to have a nap. But it wasn't long. It was approximately an hour and a half as per your recommendation. And I was pretty much jet-lag free for my trip. I'm very glad I have still a couple of days off before I have to go back to work to 'recover' from my vacation. Thanks, Mark for your vids, they really do help.
Great video -- one thing I find is that jet lag gets worse with age. When I was in my teens and travelled from Vancouver to Hawaii and Australia and back, it just kinda sucked. Now I'm in my 50s and my last trip from Vancouver to Switzerland took about 5 days to get accustomed. Lesson? (on top of what you've said here) ... as you age, be gentle on yourself and allow a soft landing where you go and a bigger chance to catch your breath. But when you're in your 20s, take a short nap and get at it! Enjoy while you're young (and then enjoy again when you get older and can spend more $$ on comfort)
Perfect Timing for this video. I just booked a flight from Australia to Austria and I'm not excited for my sleeping patterns to be ruined lol.
yikes. good luck!!! We are flying Chicago to Sydney next year and wow oh wow... thats going to be a crazy one
HI, i am from Austria. wish you a great time here.
I'm travelling from Australia to Paris soon, and I am now thinking I've really planned it all wrong! haha. Leaving Brisbane 2:30pm, arrive Singapore midnight - I've got an airport hotel booked for 6 hours so we can shower and nap, then arrive in Paris 7am... how dumb is that! HAHA
That's normal from Aus and is the best option. The basic trick is to stay awake to Asia and sleep on the leg from Asia to Europe.
In your situation I'd be fully prepared the night before so I can stay up late and just wake up, shower, and go to the airport. Have a short nap on the trip to Asia, use the hotel for its shower but don't sleep, then sleep on the 2nd leg. They'll wake you for breakfast on the plane at about 5am (Paris time, so 2 hours out) and just go from there. Be tired the first day, it sucks, you'll still feel grotty from flying but push through and get a full night that night.
Going via Asia is always better as you have a longer 10-12 hour 2nd flight to sleep on. Mid east layovers are worst because you only have a short 2nd flight (about 7 hours but there are meals involved) and the airports are terrible (hot, extra security process, squat toilets, etc.)
Coming back to Australia will be worse because you lose a day and end up awake all night. All you can really do is sleep if you can but wake up at the time you would normally wake up and start your day.
Thank you! Great tips. I'll definitely try to make that happen. Travelling with just my son (11 years old), so hopefully can get him on the same schedule. It will be his first long haul flight with two long legs.
I agree, when I've come back from UK before I found coming home a LOT worse than arriving in UK/Europe. Last time we flew Etihad, so went via Abu Dhabi, and yes very hot and not an enjoyable stop. Just hung around the hot airport for 4 hours or so... We are flying home via Dubai, but will have another stop in the airport hotel, so that should be a bit nicer, and we still get the longer second leg, I think.
My sister is meeting us in Paris, so she should be good at helping us stay awake all day! Thanks again :)
Great advice. Because we bring my 72 yr old mom with us , we learned that she needs a full day of literally doing NOTHING on the first day after we land. So the day we land we just go to the hotel and only go out for supper. Then the next day has to be an extremely light day. On this trip we are just driving from Gatwick to Windsor and maybe take a walk and maybe go out for tea. That is it.
Plus the chocolate will come in handy should you run afoul of Dementors and need to cast a Patronus! 😀😅 Heck, chocolate is just a good idea to have on hand anywhere! 🍫🍫
@@leolin7367 lol
Lol YESSS!!!
Haha. The driving into *water warning sign* followed by a pic of a *cemetery* made me chuckle. Well done.
All great tips as usual. Yes, in the end the most important advice indeed is to *_force yourself back to a normal sleep pattern_* immediately. Landed Bangkok at midnight _wide awake,_ checked into hotel and after a bit of exploring (and a few beers) I forced myself to bed at 3AM and got up at 8AM ready to go. On the contrary landed Sydney at 7AM _dead tired,_ washed up in the lobby bathroom, checked my bag and immediately went sightseeing. Zero jet lag because I was active. When I do land mid-morning and am able to check in, I'm tempted to take a nap but always avoid because that messes with my sleep pattern even more. Just shower and go.
So for me, I simply power through that first day/night and I'm good for the duration of my trip.
+Tosh T power through is my motto. I'm glad you caught the subtle subtext of the cemetery picture ;)
That first day is SO important! If you start weird in your vacation it's harder to change than if you start normal and push through that first day
Great video!
My three tips are:
1) Eat your meals at the normal time for your destination when you have arrived e.g. think of lunch as lunch even if it is breakfast time back home, eat dinner at dinner time, etc..
2) Set your watch and your devices to the destination time zone when you get on the plane - and avoid thinking what time it is back home at any time during your trip as much as you can.
3) Try to be outside in the sunlight early or late in the day to help your body clock synchronise to the new time zone. If you've travelled eastwards try and get out in the sun early in the morning, if you've travelled west try and get out in the sunlight during the evening so that your body understands it's not bedtime yet.
I was at Kilkenny last week!
Fresh air and walking outside are the best ways to adjust and stay awake. Avoid driving!
+Diane Schenkelberg how did we miss each other. I was there last week too. :(
Cis luggage straps?
Just don’t stress about the jet lag, just accept that it’s only for 2 or 3 days. Keep calm and carry on.
But DON’T drive!
Do NOT pick up a rental car the moment you arrive!
You're really right about staying awake when you get to your destination. When I traveled to London We went straight to Kew Gardens (after checking in to our hotel) when we got there and spent several hours walking around the beautiful gardens. We were then so tired we were able to fall asleep easily and wake up to London time and fall right in to the time difference more easily. Coming back from Paris was not so easy. We took the train from London to Paris and flew back from Paris and I seemed to be jet lagged for weeks after I came back. Go figure.
I agree with the overnight flights. Go to sleep and stay hydrated with water on the plane, once you arrive to your destination it should be morning time by then start your itinerary and go to sleep at night time. I think I’ve never experienced jet lagged before or I have just been so focus on running to go see everything that I can that my mind is else where 😂
Earlier this year when we went to Japan it was a 13 hour flight there and I could NOT sleep. But I'll tell you what's worse than not being able to sleep... watching your husband all comfortable drooling the whole way back home lol
+Murrayed Life that is evil :)
Haha.. this made me laugh.. probably coz I can relate to it so much ;)
Murrayed Life hahaha
Murrayed Life sane here except it’s my wife that sleeps and drools. (Snores too!)
hahah
I've flown directly from India to America a couple of times, and it was rough. Last time I scheduled a 24 hour stop in Europe between the two. In addition to being a fun day, dividing the time jump also helped take a little of the edge off the jet lag.
When I was 13 we made a trip to Canada for 3 weeks. I had a jet lag for at least a week, waking up around 4 o'clock in the morning. Since my cousin and I had nothing to do this early in the morning, we got dressed and started shoveling snow from the driveway....
Connal Maccon, your parents raised y'all right if (at 13!!) you shoveled snow in the wee hours. Well done! I pray our kids will do that but somehow I think they will be piddling around with a phone or whatnot. Waaaah.
just an average day in Canada!
I went to Singapore from Seattle via San Francisco in February-March this year. Was the longest non stop flight in the history of commercial aviation 17+ hours. SF-Singapore. My daughters mother in law is 66 , I’m 46. She wakes up at 7 and goes straight to the gym walking on a treadmill up for an hour. Drinks one bottle of H2O before during and after. Then we had an oatmeal for breakfast. And coffee made in the room. Got couple of apples and oranges and been for a lot of adventure. I was surprised when I felt so great and energetic all that time doing the same with her. I’m into fitness but moderately. Not every day. It worked tremendously. She looks so youthful and more energetic than me. I believe exercise is the key, still in disbelief that I felt that great with almost no eating
(Marina Bay Sands has catastrophic prices for all inclusive breakfasts! And honestly not worthy. No, it’s delicious and all kitchens of the world, but u simply can’t eat so much! )
and walking a lot. Drink that water please
I can't sleep in a sitting position. Plus I'm tall. The only time I'm able to sleep on a plane is when I have empty seats next to me and can lie down.
CNVideos Me to !
Drink ALOT of water helped me with jet lag going to Singapore from UK. But was really jetlagged when travelling back, didn't adjust to time zone a few days before because I was on my holidays. . So I would take these tips for going to your holiday destination but on the way back i'd just continue with your holiday make every minute count and deal with jet lag when you are back
The short nap has always worked for me. I usually end up in Europe somewhere about 8-9am. By the time the luggage is collected and I get to the hotel, which I always set up for an early arrival. Check with the hotel, most will allow an early check-in. I'll hit the rack for an hour or two. Then do exactly what you suggested in not planning too much the first day. Take that day to simply explore; reacquaint yourself or if you've not been to that particular city, just learn the lay of the land. I'll hit the rack at my normal time which then allows me to get up at my normal time. I'm good the rest of the time in country.
Now for going home, I try to fly out of Europe around 10a-12p and I'm usually getting into ORD, then the bus back to Milwaukee. I will stay up as late as I can, then get up at my normal time the next morning. Using these tricks going and coming home, I've not had a problem with jet lag. The only hitch comes in when the airlines do airline stuff and I get in late....
I am planning a trip to Australia at the beginning of next year and I will not be able to sleep that much on the plane I already know, but I will be drinking water on the plane as much as possible and be wearing the compression socks so my ankles don't swell too much.
Thanks for the tips on long haul flights, this will be my first long haul flight ever
Great tips! I would like to mention that I take things on the plane with me, to "get ready for bedtime." Like I wash off my make up. Take out my contacts, brush my teeth. To tell my body to stay in routine. Then sometimes I will even take a benadryl to make me sleepy, if I know i have at least 7 hours ahead of me to fly. Then when I wake up about an hour or so landing, I will wash my face, brush my teeth, put contacts in and make up on, eat breakfast and have COFFEE. :) It helps me to sleep in that tiny seat all night. And like you said, I stay awake all day, even if I think I'm just going to fall over. And usually go to sleep that first night around 7pm. Then next day..I'm ready to see the world! Also, jet lag always seems worse going west to east then east to west for some reason. Happy travels!
I’m surprised you didn’t mention a crucial one: DAYLIGHT! When you arrive, try to spend as much of the first day as possible in natural light. Your body will automatically do at least half the task of adjusting its circadian rhythm.
Two tips I’ve learned from my travels: Be cautious about relying too heavily on caffeine to stay awake during the day. It just makes it that much harder to fall asleep in the evening. Also, the best way I’ve found to reset my body clock is to eat proper meals on the new time zone. It really helps to get acclimated to a new diurnal routine.
I remember one jet lag in particular, returning from Alaska to Sweden, Europe.
Woke up at 3 AM with a strong craving for bacon and eggs, so I made a very early breakfast.
The family had no problem joining me.
Great advice! Ty going to Barcelona for the first time!! Taking my mom for her 60th birthday 🥳!! This is going to really help!! Ty
Ugh neither of us sleep very well on a plane because we're TOO TALL! Planes are getting smaller I think....
Live High Vibe I’m 5’1” 😂
Live High Vibe I’m 5’5 (so not very tall) and I was in a plane where my knees were presses against the chair in front of me and my handbag (which is a small purse) was the size of the leg room (thank god it was a 2 hour flight)
Fly business
I'm tall and my husband and daughter are tall. It's not fair, but yeah, you just have to fly business or economy plus.
Planes are actually just getting a shitton bigger. But they're adding more seats so leg room is probably getting shorter.
staying awake once you arrive at your hotel is great advice. the times ive flown to the states from the uk ive always arrived around mid-afternoon, 2pm ish, so i usually stay awake by occupying myself with finding a supermarket, somewhere to eat the first night etc, then wind down and settle for bed around 8-9pm
Be well rested before traveling. Adjusting the sleep schedule before departing may not be possible, but do your best to get 8 hours a night the final few nights before leaving home. Long flights and jetlag killed me the two times I left the country on short 5/6 hour nights of sleep. With more rest your body is better prepared for the upcoming challenges.
Thank you for your videos, I'm getting married in June and we are flying to london, and dublin, from NYC, and am a bit overwhelmed with prep, your videos are simple and fun.
Never had jet lag going Seattle to Rome multiple times.
But the advice is helpful for an upcoming trip with 7 family members who have never made this long a trip.
This is the perfect video! I’m going to Chicago from England in 2 1/2 weeks, and jet lag was something I was a bit worried about (especially on the return). Never heard of the dark chocolate thing before, I’m definitely try that!
Traveling East: Go to bed early for several days before you go is a really smart tip.
Good tips here. I am flying out of Vancouver at 14:55 and arriving in London at 8:25. When I would normally be going to bed I'll be starting a whole new day.
We have a 6.5 hr overnight flight which sounds decent. When we add in the connecting flights, and other things, we are told it will be more the 12+ to reach our hotel in the morning, ugh.............lol, worth every moment I'm sure. Thanks for the tips~
Get that hotel booked for the night before so you cam get in asap! It is so helpful.
Deb InPEI yup. Leaving from the Maritimes is no fun. I'm in Shediac. 😂
lol right? after you add the time and money just to get from point A to point B is a little more~~~~ happy travels.
Deb InPEI In NS and flying to Germany in 2 weeks. Overnight flight + layover + connecting flight + get to hotel = 25+ hours. It will be all worth it once we get there!
Happy travels~ enjoy the ride. ; )
Great idea to adjust one’s sleep. This way one’s first day is not a total write-off. Thanks.
Very good tips. On long flights, I always make sure to get a black coffee and a water when the flight attendant goes by. Really helps.
Wow! Am I glad I found this video. Travelling to Europe this December with two under 3 years and was looking for something to help them and me fight jet lag (as much as possible) I will definitely be trying the 30 minutes technique. Thanks Mark!
Good advice. I tried the short nap idea (including setting an alarm) on my last trip to France and also took short naps every day i was there after lunch. It really helped with the jet lag. And I'm also tall and cannot and have never been able to sleep on planes. As a result, I have to stock up on rest before the trip.
I wish I could do the "change your sleep pattern slowly" thing but I'm probably gonna have to work the day before I leave for Ireland. I reckon just getting really good sleep a few days before so that I have some energy left over for when I stay up the whole time. MAYBE I'll take a nap on the plane.
Just a little concerned about when to take my medication because it makes me sleepy.
Great info and great video -the background is literally perfect in this, so beautiful!
What I did when I went to Spain was I arrived at noon and we stayed awake till around 8pm then fell asleep. Was good for the rest of the trip.
+Tempo4200 that's a perfect way to do it
Your tips work for me with jet lag affecting me only on the arrival day. I would also recommend that on arrival day you get outside and do a brisk walk or ride a bike. Bright sunlight and activity do wonders to reset your body clock.
For me, landing and holding on until around 6pm or 7pm local time has been very helpful in getting acclimated.
As a frequent traveler between NYC and Beijing, I find that it's really helpful for you to take your meals accoridng to the local time. Though you may feel really hungry at 10 AM when you arrive in Beijing (10 PM in NYC), please wait until noon-ish for lunch and 6 or 7-ish for dinner. Eating irregularly = sleeping irregularly.
Totally thought I heard "dry sherry"... which will certainly help you sleep! Moderation of course.
My method is the 2hr nap and a coffee for overnight TATL flight. Also paying for the exit row for the extra leg room can make a flight somewhat bearable. I do have problems falling asleep unfortunately.
Thanks for the travel tips. I needed to hear this sound advice last summer when my son and I traveled to Tokyo. We arrived at 4:00 p.m. and I slept until 10:00 p.m..
my jet lag was legendary. My husband and are looking forward to visiting China, which is a long haul flight as well. and will implement your travel hack to less our weariness. P. S. Love the videos!
'I am a doctor, I have a PHD- but I'm not that kind of doctor' - ooooo I didn't know you have a PHD ! Impressive !
I've heard that in Canada that you can't rent a campervan until you've had x amount of sleep. I imagine that only applies if you've just got off a long haul flight. That's a good thing, especially if you've come from country where you drive on the Left hand side of the road going to the right hand side.
thanks for this video. I am going to NYC next Friday, I am so excited. I hope the jetlag will not affect my trip too much
My husband and always keep the first day after we arrive after a long haul flight to Asia- no “have to” plans with plenty of time to nap,rehydrate,eat and relax and rejuvenate.
In December i am flying from Tasmania, Australia to Venice, Italy. First time doing international travel so these tips are going to help me a lot.
+newmanscott60 have a great trip. We have another video on surviving long haul flights too.
Melatonin works, but gives me "car sick" feeling next day. And yes, staying hydrated makes a big difference.
Having been to Europe six times, I think flying overnight is better than flying during daylight (I did that the first time). the night is short and not very restful and the new days starts awfully early, but I don't suffer a lot from tiredness since that first day I am running on adrenalin. I set my watch to local time, and when I get to my hotel I go to bed very early. Usually around 6 p.m. Inevitably I wake up around 10 pm, go for a walk and go back to bed. By the next morning my sleep patterns are in sync. with local time. A +7 time difference has never been a major problem. When I make that first trip to Asia I guess I will discover how well I adjust to a +14 (ie. a -10 time difference.
It was hell from hawaii to lax to turkey, Istanbul to Roma, Italia!
Aloha. ....
Meletonin and coffee are some of the best things for trying to fight jet lag other then time. However the sleep masks some airlines give to you (like Qatat) really help, I would advise using these if you want to sleep on planes.
When we flew from Brisbane to New York a couple of years ago, we got a morning flight and arrived in NY in late afternoon/early evening. Hubby got some sleep but kept waking me up every time I managed to drop off...lol. We got food and ended up going to sleep about 8.30/9 pm and we left the next two days free to get over the jet lag. We walked around the city for those two days and had an amazing time!
The increase/decrease :30min each day has worked wonders for me. When I arrive to my destination, my brain is already adjusted!
Thanks for the video! I remember I didnʻt sleep for almost 55-60 hours, because of my first time experiencing jetlag and my inability to sleep on a plane. Thanks for the tips and the great video
Leaving germany at 21h to arrive the next day at 18h in thailand next month. I was prepared to be in a zombie like state for the journey but your tipps sound super helpful. I'll try them out, thank you :)
When I traveled to Japan from Chicago in 2016 I kind of lucked out. I had planned on sleeping on the 13 hour flight but even with some sleep meds I was unable to. Being in economy while being 6'2" and 200lbs made the width of the seat (shoulder room) very uncomfortable. I did learn on the trip there that drinking water (as you said) is not just recommended it is necessary. I didn't drink enough water and was absolutely miserable. Luckily my flight arrived in Tokyo around 8pm in Japan so after walking to my hotel I just went to bed for the night right away. As reluctant as I was to do that in an exciting new place it really did save me. It basically reset my clock by going to bed at the correct time in Japan after being awake for so long. When coming back to Illinois I made sure to buy 3 large sports drinks in the Tokyo airport and kept them in my personal bag to drink on the way home. I couldn't believe how much of a difference being well hydrated made. It was actually a manageable flight even crammed into an economy seat haha. Thank you for the great videos!
Mark, your videos are always fun to watch. Your upbeat attitude and travel tips are great!
+KibblesnBitts thanks kibbles!
Hi Wolter! Please you need to be careful my friend!! You need to loss weight!!!! What wrong with you!
I had a week in Ireland for work back in 2008, flew from Dallas, smartly stopped in Boston (family visit too) each way and figured I'd be fine sleeping in "Business class". Yeah, didn't work, arrived in Shannon at 6 am local time and was BURNT. Arrived at the B&B and my room was not ready of course (still occupied). They were great in letting me stay in the common room (even provided an awesome Irish breakfast). I lost my "free" day to jet lag. Spent the rest of the week working, and while I don't regret going, it was a great trip in Cork, I really would have enjoyed more city time. Looking forward to returning someday soon.
This info will help on my next trip to Europe/Asia/Australia...whenever that is.
On a holiday from Australia to the U.S. we planned a rest day, slept to about noon then did some quiet shopping in the afternoon. Also on a couple of long flights, flew on less-busy days, the plane wasn't full so we where able to stretch out taking two seats.
Thank you this really helps me!
+Sicco De Groot glad to hear we could help!
I had terrible jet lag for almost 3 days when flying from LA to Rome in February. I set alarms for short naps and would oversleep 2-3 alarms. I tried to wake up by 10am the first morning and instead woke up at 4pm. It was a terrible feeling. Really puts you in a bad mood and ruins the start of your vacation....at least for me. I like to be up early and on the go to explore.
You're looking better, Mark! A lot.
+Aquarian Christianity I've been slipping up lately. Need to get back on it. The summer travels destroyed me this year. About 11 weeks out of 13.
You'll get back to it, I imagine. I'm being honest. Have fun!
We took a fantastic vacation to Edinburgh, York, London, Bath, and Liverpool UK for two weeks. I always heard horror stories about jetlag. We took off from Los Angeles to London nonstop at 8.00 PM and arrived at 2.50 PM the next day. We did take a 4 hour nap during the flight. Once landing we were not tired and made it to the hotel via the tube. Then we walked around for 5 hours exploring London.
On the 16th we took off from London at 10.00AM and arrived in Los Angeles at 5.00 PM stayed awake the whole time this time around. Again we didn't suffer from jetlag at all whatsoever. I don't know if we have some freaky circadian rhythm or something. We really were expecting to get it.
One thing I would add in order to help to "reprogramm" ourselves for a new time zone is also the meal time :) Because, for my part, if I don't adjust the meal time, I won't be able to adjust my sleep/bed time (and I CAN'T sleep if I'm not laying flat, so, that means that I never can sleep in a plane (I don't have the budget to travel 1st class) or a train (night trains with "beds" have "disappeared" here in Europe) so it's sometimes hard, lol !
Yay! I’m glad I found your video! I’m going to Europe next week!
Flying First/Business has done wonders for me.
I have 2 flights close together mid next year, initially from Melbourne, Australia, to Hong Kong, then 3 days later, the big haul across to London. Both flights are overnight, but on the first flight I *could* be coming off a 12 hour shift (I'm a bus driver) at work. I've never flown overnight before so any tips anyone has would be welcomed! P.S Mark: your videos are very helpful!!!
You should look at jetlagrooster.com which generates a personal schedule of when to sleep, wake, and take melatonin... Melbourne and Hong Kong are relatively close in time zones (3 hours apart if you're going during Australian winter) so you could probably just calculate the HKG to LHR jet lag correction and not worry too much about the MEL to HKG leg. 3 days in HK you'll have easily adjusted to their time without much help.
Thanks for your advise. As you suggest, HKG shouldn't be much of an issue, but obviously the time jump to GMT from HKG time will be a bit of an issue, despite flying overnight. I last flew international to New Zealand 7 years ago - a mere 2 hours ahead of Australian East Coast time, and had no great issues, but this is my first proper long distance flight. :-)
Day we land in Europe from Central Time in the States is difficult for me, as I too, get little sleep on the plane. I will be trying to limit my caffeine intake prior to the flight and bringing snacks from home. If, miraculously, I could get 3 to 4 hours of uninterrupted sleep on the plane I would think I'd feel amazing! Thanks again for the videos!
Thanks for the tips! I am going on a trip from Scotland to Australia soon so I am collecting all the advice I can find to fight the jet lag. This is going to be my first travel with such big time difference.
Marina Uzunova Not only will you have a massive time difference but you will a massive climate difference between Scotland and Australia.
Yes, it would be a kind of a challenge. It's gonna be difficult the first days, but I think it is absolutely worth it :)
+Marina Uzunova you will do fine and have a great trip!
What I always do is skip sleeping on the plane for as long as I can, and while I travel just watch the movies or whatever and don’t get some rest, so when I arrive the first night I’m sleep deprived and I can easily sleep
Yeah thats me sleep deprive prior to flight then sleep on flight, ready to go when i get there.
Just saw this. Instead of napping, we actually get our bags to the hotel, shower if we can get in the room, and then go walking and get a lunch if we arrive between 11 am and 2 pm local time. We'll stay up as late as we can local time (hope to stay awake to 10 pm local time), and in general, sleep really well that first night. Set an alarm for a late breakfast and as we roll into local time.
From my limited experience:
When I travelled from Australia to the UK in 2017...
I was still suffering from disrupted sleep patterns from working Midnight to Dawn for ten years previously, but I took an overnight flight to try and sleep (departure at 22:35 local) ...
On the plane I drank LOTS of apple juice, if I was offered a choice between water/juice/alcohol I chose the juice EVERYTIME ...
On arrival in the UK, (about noon) went to the Hotel, outside of London, and booked in, then went for a walk around the local area...
The first day I'd scheduled "Do Nothing" but I went to the local shops to buy something (a new phone, I'd left mine home! [realised this in the departure lounge @ the airport "Ooops"!] ). Read the local paper, read a book and went to a pub for dinner (Lovely folks) about 18:30. In bed that evening at about 21:30...
The next day (2nd day in the UK) started my sightseeing by catching a train to Paddington at 06:30 and was as fresh as a daisy, no sleep problems, no drowsiness, no jet lag!
One thing that I have found that does help is to get out in the sunlight to fight jet lag. This will help reset your natural circadian rhythm to the local time zone. A few years ago I went from Los Angeles to Singapore via Manilla. Both have a 16 hours difference from Los Angeles. The flight from Los Angeles to Manila left in the evening and arrived in the morning with the connecting flight that arrived at Noon in Singapore. I to do not sleep well on a flight. But I spent most of the time away from my hotel and that helped me considerably. My flight back left Singapore at 9:00 AM and arrived at 2:00 PM. The flight back to Los Angeles didn't leave until 10:00 PM. I had to stay up until I was on the plane and even then I didn't sleep. I arrived back in Los Angeles at 5:00 PM. Needless to say I did goto bed early for me that night at about 8:00 PM.
Just subscribed. Been through a few of your videos this morning and all have really good tips. Thank you 😊
I'm going to Hong Kong very soon and these tips really helped me big time....Thank you!!
I find your advice spot on in most cases. I've been back and forth from Atlanta to various Asian destinations dozens of times, Seoul, Qingdao, HK, Shanghai, Bangkok, Beijing, Australia, and New Zealand. Although the time difference is around 12 hours, ( except fpr Australia and NZ) the transit time can exceed 20 hours. The curious thing is when I come from Asia to the west, the jet lag is significantly worse than when I go from West to East? Never figured that out.
I used to have big time jet lag. Before my most recent journey and did some research.
Dehydration is the biggest factor of jet lag. The mouth and throat become so dry.
And, I made the decision to drink only water on the flight and lots of it. The only beverage I drank, even with my pasta dinner. As I take medications for depressions with me, I kept one of the pills that doubles as a sleeping pill on my person and took it on my flight. Must have done the trick as I was headed for Athens and without even being aware, I conked out.
Don't for how long but it must have bit quite a lot as I looked out of plane window and could see city lights below. I figured this couldn't have very well been the Atlantic. On my way to the bathroom as my drinking water also included several rounds of bathroom trips, there was a sign posted in the area of the steward's quarter and it read I was flying over Switzerland, which meant I didn't have that far to go. I strongly recommend drinking only water on flight, because when I reached my final destination - there was no jet lag.
Your videos are very helpful and have a sense of humor
I do night shifts as well as travel. I feel like I'm always jetlagged! I find Nytol tablets help sleep on flights
I find that when flying from East Coast US to Europe that a good long nap in a day hotel upon arrival works great. I sleep from arrival at about 10 until 4 or 5 pm, then take a shower and eat a nice dinner, then return, read a book, and go to bed. Without that long nap, I’m a zombie for 2 days. I fought this strategy for several years but once I did it, I won’t go back.
great tips, I use that evrytime and the first day is awfull, but the nexts days you doint even feel the jet lag
All great advice, thanks! Love your videos!!
Some great points made, always interesting video Wolter
+Seven PointFive thanks 7p5
His name is Mark.🙄
I’ve always found the red eye trip to Europe to be worse than the daytime trip back west.
depending on your itinerary you might be able to plan stop overs. I think I will fly from Phoenix, spend 1 day in new York visiting world trade center. 1 or 2 days in Reykjavik for aurora and 1 day in Amsterdam for a culinary tour around the city and then I will spend 1 month in Poland practicing language. on my return trip I will rough it and crash when I get home.
I went to Arizona from New Jersey last month and it was only a 3 hour difference but my entire family made the mistake of taking a nap at 3:00pm and we all woke up in the middle of the night. Luckily, that was the only sleep issue we had the whole week we were there
Thank you, travel friend! (Can I call you travel friend?)
Thank you, great tips! Hey just one for you - try a caffeinated AXIO by Life Vantage for the kids instead of the Coke. It will help sooooo much more, and for you guys, too.
I get through long haul flights and jet lag by napping, staying hydrated, and munching on fruit and nuts like a squirrel. Absolutely second the hour and half rule for naps. It's not just missing out by oversleeping, but also because it makes it that much harder to adapt to the new time zone.
We went from Norway to Toronto Canada and stayed up until local bedtime after we arrived. The next morning we were fine. However on going home it was more difficult and it took a couple of days to adjust. So it seems that going from west to east is more difficult.
snubbedpeer agreed! Its much easier to stay awake than force yourself to sleep
I agree. West to east is much harder. Even the 3 hour difference from LA to NY can be tough.
It is always harder on the trip home. When you get to destination you are excited and full of energy and go go go. When you get home it is like "I need a vacation from my vacation"
I agree with Hungry Bonsai. When I fly to Europe from Toronto I have very little problem with jet lag. After coming back, though, it takes me a couple of weeks to adjust fully. As HB says, when you go somewhere you've got things to do and you fight the jet lag to do them. Back home -- same old boring stuff that you're not all that keen on doing.
For me East to West is the hardest. But it might have something to do with flight times too. When I fly from Latin America to Europe, I usually get there in the morning, spend the whole day tired, go to bed around 9 pm and wake up brand new the next day. But the other way around is tougher because my flight usually arrives in Latin America close to midnight. I fall asleep immediately but then around 4 am I wake up and cannot sleep anymore, even though I am tired, and it takes me a whole week to be able to wake up at my usual time.