We asked staff at The Group Travel Leader the question: “What are your tricks for dealing with jet lag?” Find out what works for these seasoned travelers below!
“I’ve found it most helpful to stay awake throughout the first day after landing overseas, no matter how badly I want to sleep. Getting out, exercising and seeing the sunlight helps to reset my body clock, and by the time night falls in the new time zone I am more than ready for a great rest. I follow that by taking melatonin supplements on the next few nights.”
-Brian Jewell, executive editor
“As soon as I get on a plane, I change my watch to the local time for wherever I’m going and begin thinking in those terms. Most people would say, “so what”, but that mental approach helps some for me. I traveled to China in March, which is a 12-hour difference. I dealt with it fairly well while there, but 10 days later, when I came home, I was a mess for at least a week.”
-Mac Lacy, publisher
“I’ve not done much over-sea travel, but was advised the last time I flew to London to drink plenty of water and to stay up all night, the night before my so I could sleep for the entire overnight flight. We only had one day in London before flying on to Warsaw Poland the next day, so I needed to be able to do as much sightseeing as I could. By the end of that day I was so exhausted, I slept through most of Les Mes on the 4th row, center isle, of the Palace Theater in London, so my advice might not be the best!”
-Donia Simmons, creative director
“I have more problems flying ahead in time zones than returning. The key thing to remember when flying to Europe on overnight flights is to keep active when you first get there and get yourself acclimated to the local time as quickly as possible. Although you usually can’t get into your hotel room until mid afternoon, resist the temptation when you do to immediately to go to sleep. If you take a nap, limit it to no more than two hours tops. Keep hydrated and get as much sunshine as you can.”
-Herb Sparrow, senior writer
“For domestic flights heading out West, I find it is best to take a late afternoon flight and force myself not to sleep on the plane so that by the time I get to my hotel it is bedtime. International flights with greater time changes are more difficult. I find it is best to take the overnight flight and get as much sleep as possible. It also helps to stay hydrated and pack Melatonin to help me sleep when my body isn’t quit ready to.”
-Kelly Tyner, director of sales and marketing
“Ideally, I try to sleep on the flights as much as possible if it is night time at my destination. Once I get there, the most important thing is to stay awake while it is daylight. Even if my body is telling me to nap, I force myself to stay as much outside as possible. Since I am normally too tired to be very functional, I try to schedule walking tours or activities that involve moving to help keep me awake. I also don’t want to try to tackle anything I am too invested in, since I will be too sleepy to really appreciate it.”
-Eliza Myers, online editor
