Tag: jetlag

Dealing with the dreaded jet lag 

There isn’t many bad things about long haul travel but one of the worst is Jet lag. I’ve been flying backward and forwards from the UK to Australia every year for the past 10 years and every single time the lag has got me. You’d think I’d be a pro at dealing with it. I’m not, but whilst I do get affected I have also learnt some lessons about how to minimise it.
Here is my top 5 tips

Stay awake
If you can, try and land at night as this has always made things much easier for me. You can go straight to sleep and wake up in the morning to try and get into the new daily cycle. If you land in the day then make sure you get outside. Now this is the somewhat tricky part as you need to stay awake as long as you can. Ideally till when you would usually go to sleep. One time we were on the ferry in Sydney Harbour and the lag hit us like a lead balloon and we kept falling asleep on the ferry. Proper head bobbing, snoring sleeping. We swiftly had to make our way back to the apartment. My dad has also been known in the past to hit a saucepan with a wooden spoon loudly if we were falling asleep to early in the afternoon.


Comfy and hydrated on the flight           Yes you’ll need to have your pre flight pint (or for the more classy travellers a glass of wine) at the airport before you depart but whilst you’re on the plane make sure you drink as much water as you can. Skip drinking countless alcoholic beverages and stick to the soft stuff. When on the flight ensure you are comfy which can be difficult when in economy. I like comfy trousers, layers, socks and even a scarf and woolie hat. Try and find a position that works for you to sleep. Ideally not on another passenger’s shoulder.


Time activities and change your watch on the flight                                                This is something my partner has started doing on our flights in the last few years. He works out what times we need to sleep and how much sleep we should aim for whilst on each of the flight. We also change our watches to our destination’s time zone so that we start to trick our body like we are already there. I used to think the more sleep the better but now I know better and it’s more about sleeping at the right times. I usually plan for a certain amount of film time but also like to take a book and notepad and pen. I find starting at a screen for so long can actually keep me away whereas I start reading a book and I drift off without any hassle.


If you have a long stop over book a room We had a long stopover in KL a few years ago so we found the hotel in the airport and booked a room. Now you do have to book them for a set number of hours which can feel a little seedy but it’s not like that at all. The joy of being able to lie down on actual bed is bliss! You can sleep, shower and just enjoy a couple of hours on your own without a whole flight or airport full of people. Just make sure you set an alarm or schedule a wake up call so you don’t miss your flight.

If you wake up early get up explore
If your body wakes up and refuses to go back to sleep then don’t lie there staring at your phone or in my case eat a whole bag of very noisy twisties while your sister is trying to sleep on the bunk beneath you. Get up and get outside. You’ll be starting to drift off come 4pm so get out and make the most of the day. Some of my best experiences have been in the early hours of the morning-  5am run along the Cairns Promenade, beach walks with the boy on the Gold Coast, wandering around Darling Harbour without all the tourists or even seeing that New York really does not ever sleep!
   
I know there is a lot more tips and tricks but these are the ones that help me. What are some of your best ways in dealing with the dreaded lag?
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Welcome home -sort of 


This time last week I was here….  on the other side of the world, in the sun, seeing new things.

However today I’ve just had two days back in work, freezing my butt off in the cold and wistfully looking at holiday snaps trying to believe it’s not over.

I’ve put together 9 things I’ve noticed about coming back to reality and routine after a long and amazing trip.


Jet lag

Anyone whose been on long haul travel knows the joy of jet lag. Wide awake at 4am and then fading fast come 4pm. Your body and mind are lost in some weird time loop. You don’t know what day it is, how to function or even who you are. Trying to function at work is ok for about 2 hours max.

‘how was your trip’

EVERYONE will ask this regardless of if they care or are just being polite. The thing you need to remember is you probably have a minuet if not less to respond. Not everyone is going to want to know all the details. Pick one funny antidote and form a quickly reply. Save the indepth synopsis of your trip for your besties.

‘bet your glad to be back’

Like ‘how was your trip’ in the first couple of days you’ll hear this just as much. Don’t roll your eyes and slap them. Just smile and say yep. Then walk away, get your phone out to look at your holiday snaps and cry. Quietly you don’t people to think your weird.

Forgetting slightly what you actually do

Once you’ve made your cuppa, had a few chats with co workers (see points above) you finally sit down at your desk and stare at the screen racking your brain about what you actually do. Give it 10 min and then with a bolt it all suddenly comes back and you start questioning should you really have returned. Or you get onto to booking the next trip.

Looking out the window isn’t pretty

Usually while your trying to get back into the swing of things you’ll find yourself looking (note staring) out the window wondering when the world became so grey. Gone is the endless blue oceans, green green trees, glaring sunlight and the freedom of the big wide world.

Officewear

Yes you need to put a bra on. It’s usually ideal to slap on some make up and even run a comb through your hair. You don’t want to .. but your back in the professional world now and the flip flops, shorts, messy hair and bikini top just won’t cut it. It’s sad but true

You aren’t with your travelling companion

If you’ve travel with a friend/partner or family you would have most likely spent all day everyday with them. They were their for the amazing, the not so good and also the ugly. Having those first days back in reality without them is WEIRD. When you suddenly remember something funny they aren’t there by your side laughing and if even if you were looking forward to a bit of time on your own you just miss them.

Internet

In a positive note you have Internet all day everyday. You phone isn’t just a camera you can use it properly without having to search for free wifi or debate with yourself if the data roaming charges are worth it.

Cling film

Now I’m almost positive this doesn’t happen to everyone but.. sometime your work colleagues will like to remind you why you went away in the first place. My team wrapped my desk and everything in it in cling film. Yes the entire desk


Hopefully if you’ve been in this situation you can relate. It’s been a tough couple of days but it’s all worth it for the amazing time I had.

One of my favourite quotes is ‘don’t be sad it’s over but glad that it happened’ and over the last few days it’s become my post trip mantra. Well that and Dory’s ‘just keep swimming’

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