How To Avoid Jet-Lag

I don't get jet-lagged. My secret?

1. Get plenty of sun a couple of days before departure (at least 1/2 hr of morning sun each day).
2. Drink plenty of fluids during the flight except no caffeine or alcoholic beverages. (Okay. So maybe I'll enjoy a glass of champagne if it's offered to me. I shouldn't do it, but I'm a sucker for the bubbly.)
3. Sleep on the plane rather than watching the movies.
4. Whenever I wake up on the plane, I go for a walk up and down the aisles for 5-10 mins.
5. Do stretching exercises whenever I get up from my seat. While seated, I stretch my calf muscles and flex my ankles at least hourly whenever I'm awake. (This is important for avoiding deep vein thrombosis, a potentially fatal complication from sitting on a plane for long periods.)
6. If you have to change planes en route, take the opportunity to step outside the terminal and stand in the sunshine for a 1/2 hr or however much time you have and still make it back through the security check points (it's a drag but worth the effort).
7. When I arrive at my destination, I discipline myself to go through the day normally at my destination, eating meals on local time, not taking any naps, walking around the neighborhood of my lodging so I get acquainted with my surroundings, going to bed at a reasonable hour (9-10p local time) and getting a good 8 hrs sleep.

As a result, I am on local time and fully functioning from my first day at a destination.

Try it and let me know if my system works for you.

Send your suggestions for beating jet-lag to Carole. The best will be added to the website to be shared with our fellow travelers.

PS - When you fly north-south you will be much less susceptible to jet-lag than when you fly east-west. For example, the 8-9 hour flight from Los Angeles to Papeete, Tahiti, is not nearly as fatiguing as the 10-11 hour flight from Los Angeles to London. That's because flying east-west involves crossing many time zones whereas flying more north-south involves crossing no or fewer time zones. It has to do with the body's response to diurnal cycles.