What Steps to make long haul travel more comfortable?

[dfcatch]

... or beyond a pale

hmmmm Pale Ale.....

 

[Blackadder]

Set the watch to the timezone you are flying to before you leave, and base your sleep/eat/movie patterns on that.
If you must fly whY, the preferred seats are preferred for a reason. (even if they cost $)

 

[Favfern]

For many years back in the Seventies I was an international travel adviser, and always warned my clients to steer clear of alcohol on long overseas flights. Two reasons for this --- firstly at 40,000 feet you get drunker a lot quicker, and secondly the reduced oxygen at that altitude extends the time it takes the alcohol to clear your system. Of course, for every one of those years, I ignored my own advice and on each occasion I planted my backside in a first class seat, I would sample everything in the bar! Jet lag was never a problem because on most occasions I could not even remember arriving at my destination, let alone feel crook! Free First Class travel does that to a person. Towards the end of this part of my career, I started to listen finally to my own advice. The world became a better place and I suddenly saw airports I must have missed as I passed through in the past. Odd that! Now, even when I am paying my own way in Business Class, I stay away from the bar.

 

[katiebell]

"...- Before landing take a half-hour in the toilets for a pommie shower & change of clothes (including undies), you will be surprised what fresh clothing does to your psyche
-..."


Use the arrivals lounge: much better to have a real shower (and not hog the loo for so long), get your jacket & trousers pressed and really feel refreshed.

 

[TraceyK90]

Girl to Go travel wipes on the plane to freshen up
Gumleaf essentials Travel Ease aromatherapy oil before to relax
sleep sanctuary travel balm

 

[MEL_Traveller]

Interesting.. how/when do you take it?

melatonin... I read an article somewhere that it works to reset your body clock via natural light.

The way the article recommended it was to take it before you go to sleep, and make sure you leave the curtains open.

As soon as the light hits you in the morning you respond and wake up with your body clock re-set.

The tablets are quite strong. They can knock you out.

But the interesting theory was that it doesn't really matter how long you sleep to re-set your clock. For example... if you go to sleep at 6pm, then the tablet will make sure you stay asleep until it is light (maybe 12 hours). however if you were to go to sleep at 2am, then the tablet works until it becomes light 4 hours later.

Since taking melatonin I have not had severe jet lag, even on Europe-Australia flights. Have been back to 'normal' on the first morning following arrival.

The beauty is that because melatonin makes you sleep, there is no worry about having to stay awake until normal bedtime on the day of arrival. So if I land at 9 am and feel tired at 1pm, i can have a nap and wake up whenever. Then at regular bedtime, I take a melatonin (even if not tired), that puts you to sleep until light the next day.

 

[Julesmac]

Naturopath suggested calcium tables instead of Melatonin - especially over-the-counter ones which here in Oz are not strong. You can apparently get stronger Melatonin tables at any airport round the world (according to this practitioner). I've been trying the calcium for about a month and they seem to help me get a better sleep (at home, I've not tried them yet on a flight ). Only pharmac_ tablets I've tried were Restavit and they worked really well.

 

[Julesmac]

I dont like this thread ! 'Only drink water' ...... ' dont drink wine ' ....... 'dont eat anything' ..........'stay awake' ....

When our son lived in NYC for 5 years, I was flying BNE-NRT-JFK twice, sometimes 3 times a year, all in J ( occasionally F ) I always ate everything in sight, drank copious glasses of wine, had some sleep, and arrived in NYC at 8pm, straight to bed on arrival at the hotel, and the next morning up, breakfast, and ready to hit the shops at 10am. There is nothing like a serious shopping day and starbucks coffee to clear jetlag IMO.

Geez. Travelled once to NZ Emirates First Class.....I'm living proof that you can drink your weight in serious French bubbles and not get boozed. Well thash my shtory and I'm shticking to it.

 

[Cruiser Elite]

You can apparently get stronger Melatonin tables at any airport round the world

Strongest I have seen is 5mg which I bought in Las Vegas at a pharmac_.

 

[Tortuga]

- don't fly in economy!
- don't fly in economy!

But really, I am trying my best to change my mentality when it comes to flying so all my long haul flights in whY are less painful - they are a part of my job. I have started trying to find turbulence relaxing, when I see clouds I start listening to Enya - Only Time, I am trying my best to see flying as a positive experience.. The problem is the seats simply aren't comfortable or nearly big enough for me to sleep in, my head/neck/cough are never comfortable and always end up in pain when I get off the plane. I usually also end up with a headache the day after from my tense neck muscles... If only my company offered business class flights, I hope you business class flyers appreciate your ability to lie back at an angle just better than 90 degrees.... Economy SUCKS and so do companies that only offer employees economy even on long haul flights. Time to change my industry/profession...

 

[straitman]

melatonin... I read an article somewhere that it works to reset your body clock via natural light.

The way the article recommended it was to take it before you go to sleep, and make sure you leave the curtains open.

As soon as the light hits you in the morning you respond and wake up with your body clock re-set.

The tablets are quite strong. They can knock you out.

But the interesting theory was that it doesn't really matter how long you sleep to re-set your clock. For example... if you go to sleep at 6pm, then the tablet will make sure you stay asleep until it is light (maybe 12 hours). however if you were to go to sleep at 2am, then the tablet works until it becomes light 4 hours later.

Since taking melatonin I have not had severe jet lag, even on Europe-Australia flights. Have been back to 'normal' on the first morning following arrival.

The beauty is that because melatonin makes you sleep, there is no worry about having to stay awake until normal bedtime on the day of arrival. So if I land at 9 am and feel tired at 1pm, i can have a nap and wake up whenever. Then at regular bedtime, I take a melatonin (even if not tired), that puts you to sleep until light the next day.

IF you are planning to use melatonin then try it before hand. It does not have the same effect on everyone and actually keeps the odd person awake :!:

 

[Simo]

I generally try and sleep at the same time every night local time.

So if I generally go to bed at 11pm in Aust when I get to the other end i go to bed at 11pm in the local time.

When I am in Fiji or Asia on Holidays I stay on Aust time to some degree.

 

[Sprucegoose]

I know that avoiding alcohol makes sense, but as wine is one of the pleasures that gets me through the long flight, I'm prepared to put up with the jet lag at my destination!

Yes well said its one of the last pleasures left!

 

[Maca44]

IF you are planning to use melatonin then try it before hand. It does not have the same effect on everyone and actually keeps the odd person awake :!:

Totally agree. Tried it several years ago and was 'bug eyed' from SYD-LAX. Never again for me, but my then wife did the same, and would have slept for 30hrs if we did not have to land.

 

[Canny man]

Personally, I have always done the following:
- Before landing take a half-hour in the toilets for a pommie shower & change of clothes (including undies), you will be surprised what fresh clothing does to your psyche
.

So you're the one blocking the loo while the queue of people crossing their legs extends down the aisle!

 

[mkentwell]

So you're the one blocking the loo while the queue of people crossing their legs extends down the aisle!

Yup that is I.... the quick man gets the dunny, the slow one gets to jog on the spot!

 

[mkentwell]

hmmmm Pale Ale.....

Even better Kozciuszko Pale Ale... yummy (sorry cant post a link at the moment, but if you happened to be interested, go to:

Kosciuszko Pale Ale

 

[juddles]

Despite all the medical opinions, etc, nothing resets the human clock like a good solid hangover. Yes, it hurts for a day, but there is simply no foolproof method of combatting time changes.

 

[cove]

My Russian friends showed me that their 40% vodka from the freezer does not give you a hangover. Will that still work??

 

[juddles]

The only reason Russians dont get hangovers from vodka is that they start again the next day before the hangover can kick in. Valid method.