Tips for Beating Jet Lag

Jet lag, defined as disruption to the body’s normal rhythms, is caused by high speed travel across time zones. Symptoms of jet lag may include extreme sleepiness, fatigue, headaches, difficulty concentrating, or stomach problems. West to east trips worsen jet lag because the body “loses time.” The next time you travel far from home, try these tips and tricks to manage jet lag.

In any language, it's water! Drink plenty to stay hydrated and
to help with the jet lag.

Simulate your new schedule. In the days before you depart, move your body into its new schedule. This can be done with bedtime and mealtime adjustments. It will throw you out of sync with the rest of your current life patterns, but it will ease your transition into a new vacation time schedule.

Drink plenty of water.  Water keeps the body hydrated and is vital to combat the dry air on airplanes. Drink plenty during your flight and also once you arrive.

Sleep on the plane. If your trip includes a night flight, sleep on the plane. When the flight arrives in the morning, you’ll have had sleep and will be ready for the day’s activities. This also prepares your body for bedtime in your new location. An eye mask and noise cancelling headphones can be helpful for sleeping on airplanes.

Set your watch to the destination time. As soon as you depart, set your watch to the current time at your destination. This adjusts your mind to the new local time.   

Avoid caffeine while in flight. Don’t consume caffeinated beverages while flying. They disrupt the body’s cycles and can make it difficult for you to sleep.

Use alcohol with caution. Some travelers like to use alcohol as a way to aid in sleep or to relax the body. Use these drinks with caution, especially ones that you don’t often consume. Avoid intoxication, and be aware of alcohol’s effects on your body.

Don't do too much on the first day, such as hiking
in the mountains!

Embrace the new time zone. Upon arrival, eat meals and sleep according to the local time, not what time it is at home. On the first day of a trip, try to set your bedtime after 9:00 p.m. These patterns help get your body cycles adjusted to the new time.

Keep the first day’s activities light. Don’t plan a heavy schedule of sightseeing on the first day. Plan the day so activities are flexible and a nap can be had, if needed. Keep the nap short, just one to two hours. Exposure to large amounts of sunshine on the first day can also help the body clock adjust to its new time. 

Try new medications before your trip. Some travelers use melatonin or sleeping pills to help regulate sleep. If you’re planning to use a medication to help you manage jet lag, try the medication at home. It’s better to experience side effects before you’re on vacation. An upset stomach, headaches, extreme sleepiness, or extreme stimulation may be worse than the jet lag.

Plan an extra day to recover. Your body will need time to readjust once you’re home. Plan an extra day off work, or return adjacent to a weekend, so that you have time to manage the jet lag at the end of the trip.

Jet lag affects each person’s body differently, and you will have to find a strategy that works for you. The farther you stray from home, the more intense jet lag will be. Be prepared and manage it to minimize the impact on your vacation. Whether it’s a trip across the country or across the ocean, don’t let jet lag put a crimp in your plans.

Bringing Along Baby

Last week I saw some pictures from a former student of mine who took her baby on vacation to Washington D.C. I love it when parents take their young children on the road because it starts to expand baby’s horizons, even though they’re small. Successful travel with young kids takes planning and attention to detail, but the benefits for everyone are worth all the time and trouble. Here’s how we always planned for vacation with our young children.

1.  Research. The most important strategy for any vacation is research and preplanning, especially for a location to which you’ve never traveled before. Read, read, read! Whether you use the Internet or actual paper guidebooks, find out everything you can about the destination, lodgings, and mode of travel (especially if you’re flying). This helps you know what to expect and limits the number of surprises you’ll encounter along the way.

Do your research so that you'll know what to
expect on a vacation with baby.

2.  Simplify baby’s routine.  Take inventory of all the daily things you do with baby in terms of feeding, sleeping, and moving around town. For traveling, you’ll want to be able to move quickly and with minimal amounts of baggage, so think about how you can simplify that routine and make it more portable by cutting down on gear and supplies. Take a test run at home to make sure your new simplified strategies will work and that baby can adapt to them.

3.  Take it to the road. Whether you’re flying or driving, be sure that baby is used to extended amounts of time in the car. Go on some longer day trips around the local area to condition baby to extra car time.

4.  Sightsee around the local area. Be sure that baby is well conditioned to sightseeing at home. Think about the upcoming vacation activities and then try to mimic some of those experiences in the local area. It could be zoos, swimming pools, amusement parks, museums...we have plenty of those types of places here in Ohio, so use them as your “test run” experiences before heading out on your real vacation.

5.  Switch off. Depending on the type of vacation you’re planning, parents may need to switch off. For example, when our girls were babies, we went to the beach. When it was naptime, one of us took baby back to the condo, while the other one stayed at the beach. Then the next day, we switched responsibilities so that the other parent got to enjoy the beach. We had this planned before we even left on vacation, and it worked out well. This is also a great strategy for amusement parks. One parent hangs with the little one while the other parent rides bigger rides, and then switch.

Figure out how to travel light with  baby in tow.

6.  Travel light. Minimize the amount of gear that is needed overall. Think of what you can buy on the road as you go. Unless you’re traveling to remote corners of the world, you’ll be able to buy diapers, formula, baby food, sunscreen, and more. Start out with a basic supply and then restock as needed. In the past, we also rented equipment. When we stayed at the beach for an entire week, we rented a high chair and a pack & play that were delivered to our condo before we even arrived. It was very convenient and saved us the hassle of dragging everything with us.

A familiar destination can make traveling with baby
much easier.

7.  Keep it familiar. Plan the type of trip that you’re comfortable with. I have some friends who took their baby camping and hiking. This worked well for them because they were already experienced with wilderness vacations. We easily took our girls to the beach because we’d been plenty of times before and we knew what to expect. You’ll have an easier time if you take baby on the type of vacation that’s already in your comfort zone.

Babies learn so much in their first year of life; it’s worth it to take them on vacation. They start to build a “visual dictionary” of sights and sounds. As they grow, all of these experiences give them a background that helps them to understand the world. If you’ve been hesitating to travel with your little one, don’t be afraid. Pack your bags and hit the road. In the years to come, baby will thank you for it!

**Many thanks to Amanda S. (the aforementioned former student) for contributing pictures for this post!