So You're Ready to Fly Across "The Pond"

Flying to different time zones is always difficult, and draining to say the least. Jet lag can pretty much ruin your first day, or more, in your destination due to feeling mentally & physically exhausted from the flight. And who really wants that? I've come up with some great ways to reduce OR PREVENT jet lag all together when flying. One last thing before I get into the nitty-gritty, I've again labeled this as a post about international flying but America's a HUGE country compared to most so these tips I'm giving aren't just for international flights but for traveling within the country as well.

Up at 6am for the Royal Baby Announcement!

I was CONVINCED our trip to England was going to leave us exhausted, and hating our first couple days in London, but I'm a stubborn little brat when it comes to getting my way. There was no way I was going to succumb to the awful term travelers use all too much "jet lag." Once I realized we would be leaving Portland International Airport in Oregon at 2:00PM on a Wednesday and getting into London Heathrow at 11:00AM on Thursday, it was like a challenge I was convinced I would come out notorious over. I WOULD NOT BE JET LAGGED. Well, let's just say I almost conquered this beast, I didn't deliver the fatal blow, but man did I put it in the ICU for our trip. So here's what I did...

First off, I knew there is no way my body could adjust to the 8 hour time difference from Oregon to London when it came time to sleep once we were over there. Thankfully, our hotel had the perfect solution! No, it wasn't light blocking window shades (which don't really cut it completely now do they?), but they actually had rooms without windows! Okay, I can see all of the eye rolling from here but I realize not everyone is going to love this idea. Mike and I were completely okay with not getting a 4 star hotel as we were just sleeping and showering there so not having windows wasn't a big deal as we stayed out in the city until we were exhausted and got up as soon as we were recharged and ready to beat the streets again. I have to say this is the best way to help adjust to the time. We just shut off all the lights when we needed to go to bed and within a couple minutes Mike was snoring away and I wasn't far behind...and it was only 2:00 PM back home!
So the next tip was HARD, especially with our work schedules. Our plan was to try to adjust our sleep schedules by a couple hours at home before leaving, to make it a bit easier on us once we were there. The plan for a couple weeks before leaving included going to bed and waking up 1 hour earlier for a week and then earlier by another hour, and another. Mike was working until 10:00-11:00PM most nights for the month prior so he really couldn't do this, and I tried to stay away to welcome him home most nights, so I wasn't great at doing this either. When it came down to it, the last week I was able to change my schedule by about an hour and a half. Not the most successful story, I know, but a tip all the same.

St Pancras Station outside of Kings Cross

The next couple tips all need to be implemented about 1-2 weeks before leaving. First...PACK! EARLY! The last thing you want to be doing is stay up late the night before you leave for your flight doing laundry and packing. I started packing 2 weeks prior to our trip (since Mike wouldn't let me pack any sooner) and by the Sunday before our Wednesday flight, our bags were all ready to go except my makeup and some other little things that had to be packed the day of. It was so nice not stressing about missing something since I took my time and had time to remember anything I may have forgotten. Next, stay hydrated. You're body is naturally going to be exhausted from the long flight  but you need to keep it healthy and happy with plenty of fluids...and I don't mean soda! Drinks lots of water, about half your body weight in ounces is a good guideline to use. During your flight you need to be drinking lots of water as well (this will give you a reason to get up and moving when you have to use the bathroom!).
Once you arrive in your destination, try to stay awake until your normal bedtime in the new time zone. The best way to do this is to hit the ground running. Don't nap if you can help it and stay up and moving as best you can. Don't do bus tours, but rather a walking tour or take a stroll through a park. Whatever it is, keep moving...your body will love you once it is time for bed!

If you can stick with these tips you can definitely help curb jet lag, if not cut it out completely. Here's a little video with further explanation on some of the tips given: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tGKWbqixWSg.

And remember...

The World is a book, and those who do not travel read only a page.

Mike & Alicia