Jetlag is a Bitch. A Few International Flying Tips

I'm writing this as I'm on a flight from LA to Rio De Janiero, so it inspired this thought about international travel. As you travel more and more, you get accustomed to certain things you like, and the little details of traveling. Small things that help accommodate your journey in a more pleasant experience. The more and more you travel, at least in my experience, those details start to become of more importance. Here are a few of those details that I've learned to improve to have a more adaptable and enjoyable experience.

1. The first and biggest detail is Jetlag. Some if of this is modified advice from my homey Chase Jarvis. This little bugger can be big nuisance, and will always exist, but I've found some things that help minimize it. The first and foremost is to start thinking and operating on the time zone of your destination. The second thing is to try as best you can to plan the long legs of your flight to be an overnight flight. Over the counter sleeping pills work great to help get you to sleep during that time(I use one called Unisom from Walgreens). If I'm taking an overnight flight I much prefer to have a longer flight(8 hours at least) so I can actually get a full nights sleep. I usually take a sleeping pill with dinner on the plane, or maybe before to have it kick in as soon as possible. What's great is once you're out, you wake up and you're almost at your destination. The toughest, but most important part is when you get to your destination DO NOT sleep until your normal bedtime in that time zone. (say midnight or whatever) If you stay awake until then, it''s pretty easy to adjust to that time zone after the first day. If you take a nap, you are screwed, and it will take you much longer(more days) to adjust. If I manage to stay awake that first day, I'm typically fine by the next day. This mostly applies to destinations that are 5/6 hours or more than your normal time zone. Jetlag is always tough, but this stuff does help especially if you have a job you need to quickly get adjusted to the time zone for.

2. The second is airline status. My preferred airline is United(see why at this former post.) Being loyal to one airline allows you to gain perks that make your travel experience better. One thing I love about having status with United is that whenever I book an economy ticket, I get their Economy Plus seating without extra charge. This small detail of 5 more inches of legroom makes a hugest difference in being comfortable in an economy flight, especially on a long one. Other things like, being able to use miles for upgrades, and priority security lines. All these come from being loyal to one airline. When you make certain statuses with airlines, you get access to their special lounges too. You definitely get used to those little details.

3. ROLLER BAGS! This is the most genius idea in the way of travel bags. Again, you can refer to this older post for more details. My camera roller bag has saved me many of backaches and much energy. I definitely learned this the hard way as my first camera bag was a shoulder bag. Hoofing this through airports will wear you out extremely fast, where a roller bag, you are pulling much less weight.

4. Blackberry, iPhone, or any other similar device. These are a great time maximizer while you're on the road. If you think about how much time you're trying to kill in airports, then being connected with a handheld device can help you maximize time by writing those emails, and making those calls you need to make.

Comments

[Michael Schulz]

Great post as usual. What I also found to be very helpful is to get the window seat if possible. That way you can sleep and nobody needs to wake you up to go to the rest room. It's better to wake other people up :).
As soon as I get on a plane I also set my watch to the destination time zone which helps with the adjustment and "thinking" in the local time.
As for sleep meds I use Tylenol PM which works great for me.
Wear comfortable shoes you can easily take off in the security line but also on the plane. Your feet will "expand" while in the air which can be a pain.
Your stomach might take a 'lil longer to adjust to the different time zone so if possible eat when hungry (which may not be at the same time when everybody else is :) ).

Mike

[Jun]

I completely agree on trying to sync up with the time zone of my destination as a way to beat the jetlag. The problem is for me, I always end up watching a lot of the in flight movies and so sometimes I don't sleep on the flight when I should (if it's an overnight flight). There are too many movies to watch now!

[Mark Leibowitz]

I find going for a swim on Ipanema beach also does wonders. Nick Onken, you are the man!

BTW, also check out http://www.boingo.com for some great wireless connectivety throughout airports and other locals. They have a great software that finds their hotspots so you can log-on in one click. Works on wi-fi phones too and saves you $$ on roaming charges (especially with the iPhone).

[Carl]

Nick--Loving the blog. Question for you as a Roller Bag fan. Assuming you have your gear in the roller and your laptop, etc... in a briefcase/messenger, how do you pack your clothes? Is that checked or carry-on too? If checked, do you end up towing two roller bags around? Have you run into issues towing a roller bag in rougher terrain such as beaches, outdoor locations?

Also, do you ever bring any small lighting kits with you, or is it all or nothing (ie; the full commercial lighting package vs speedlights). Just hoping you could expand a bit on that.

Thanks--looking to following your awesome blog.

Carl

[Terence Patrick]

A few minor tips that have helped me with long international flights:

1. drink lots of water, especially on the second half of the flight before arriving. helps with feeling more alert and refreshed.

2. use saline solution nasal spray (OTC at most drug stores) by spraying, blowing, then spraying again. the air on planes is dry and recirculated. the saline solution keeps the sinuses from drying out and also cleans out any dust and crap in the air.

3. alcohol wipes for cleaning trays, arm rests, and the buttons/vents overhead. have you seen how dirty the grooves are in the vent knobs? sounds kind of OCD, but the last thing one needs is to be sick the day of a big international job.

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