Jet Lag- Suggestions on what to do first

Mg,

Although your plane arrives at 08:30, I'd be surprised if you get to your hotel before about 11:00 - 12:00. You should be able to store your luggage at your hotel, or perhaps even check in as soon as you arrive there.

Two methods that I've tried in dealing with jet lag.....

• spend time in the sunshine and get some exercise by exploring the neighbourhood. Have a nice dinner and try to stay awake until an "early" bedtime in the new time zone.
• check into the hotel and have a shower and a short power nap. Do a bit of exploring in the late afternoon and then have a nice dinner and try to stay awake until an early bedtime in the new time zone.

Of the two methods, the latter method seems to work better for me. However this is always a "work in progress" and I fine tune it on each trip.

If you're staying in Windsor, you'll have to allow some time to get to and from London and the sights you mentioned.

When I arrive too early for my room to be ready, I usually still head for the hotel. To date, they have always been happy to keep my luggage for me. Just make sure everything is locked and don't leave your cash, credit cards, passport, etc., there, just in case.

Then I walk around a lot. I find a place for lunch. I walk some more. I check into the room when I can, and then I go back out. Eat an early dinner. Try to help your body get used to your new schedule.

I use this time to learn my new area and get a feel for it.

P.S. Don't take a bus tour -- an expensive nap!

Or train ride to Windsor!

IMHO day 1 is not the day to do Windsor just because it’s close to LHR.

As others have noted the best way to deal with jet lag as well as the excitement of being in London is to walk it off.

With that in mind how are you getting from LHR into London. Care hire, London Underground, Heathrow Express or the TFL Connect?

If you’ve not landed at Heathrow one thing you quickly learn is that it’s big and there will be a lot
(a lot! ) of walking before you even get to immigration.
Then the wait. Could be 10-15 minutes or over an hour or more depending how many planes arrived at the same time as yours.

Then travel into London takes time. Arriving at your accommodation takes time. Checking in takes time. If you can, unpack and freshen up. Otherwise leave luggage and out the door you go.

You’ll be hungry, tired and excited so my best advice is explore your neighborhood upon arrival.

Be practical, find the closest Bank ATM and get your cash.

Then locate the nearest coffee shop ( Costa, Cafe Nero handsdown over Starbucks but each to there own) oh and if you want just a cup of black coffee ask for a flat black not an Americano.

Use their free WiFi to let know family and friends you are safe and in London. If you were only able to drop luggage then use their loo to freshen up.

Now you are awake so look for the closest Pret A Manger. Stop in, eat in or take to go.

Now you are going to get your Oyster Card so walk to closest tube station and with your debit card get your Oyster Card from the machine ( if there is a manned ticket window then get them there, each member of your party needs one) put 20 pounds on it, grab a pocket tube map and London exploration waits.

Riding and negotiating the tube is part of be Of the London experience. Look at the large tube map on the wall or at the pocket size one.

I would tube to Westminster ( could be a direct route or necessitate changing trains, look at the map.)

I always suggest Westminster because when you walk out into Parliament Square you will definitely know you are in London!!

If not up to that then walk out of the station to explore your neighborhood. Find where you want to eat dinner later, find the market where you’ll buy bottled water, snacks, etc.

By now you should be able to stroll back to check in, unpack and maybe take a short nap. You’ve gotten your money, Oyster, bottled water, etc.

Refreshed your first night in London awaits.

Hi mglori,

There are things you can do in advance of your arrival that will probably lessen jet lag, too.

There is diet such as that from the Argonne lab, or the fasting technique. There is minimizing exposure to light in the evenings before departure. And there is melatonin, wrongly thought of as a sleep aid (it is a clock-shifter, which is what you want).

Remember that while it's always nice to sleep on the flight (which I almost never can), the name of the game is to shift your cock to the new time zone.

If you plan to take advantage of the 2-4-1 offers available for some London sights, you'll need to buy a paper travel card (weekly pass) for the Underground and buses from a regular rail station. Thst can be done on Day 1. I believe you need a photo for that (Google for details). If you go this route you may or may not still need a regular Oyster Card, but you won't want to put very much money on it since the travel card will cover your trips within Zones 1 and 2.

If you find yourselves surprisingly alert on your arrival day, one option is to take one of the walking tours offered by London Walks. No pre-planning necessary; just show up at the designated Underground station and hand over 10 pounds per person. Children under some specified age are either discounted or free. http://www.walks.com

As others have said, go directly to your hotel, your room will either be ready or they will hold your bags (unless you did Air BNB or some other rental, then ask about other options). Then plan on doing a walk, get out in the sun and fresh air.

My favorite walk would be to head to the Westminster underground stop, coming out with your first view being the river and Big Ben, though sadly, the clocktower is mostly scaffolding, but hey, your still there. My general route is up to Westminster Abbey, then up Whitehall to Trafalgar, then down the Strand into the city, across the river along the South Bank, winding up back at Westminster. In the Rick Steves book, you can use all or parts of the "Central London", "The City", and the "South Bank" walks for info. Plenty of pubs to pop into for a rest and a pint, if you hit the Borough Market right, grab a snack or a meal, you can easily spend the afternoon walking and get a sense of the city and a good idea of where stuff is at.

I support the use of melatonin. For some reason it's prescription only in the UK but I read about its benefits regarding jetlag so I stocked up on a load of bottles at Walmart when I was last in the US (I couldn't find them when we returned and with the TSA 'greeting card' explaining our luggage had been searched I suspected they'd been confiscated. I eventually found them stuffed in some pairs of shoes to maximise packing space!). Whilst not stated as a sleeping aid I find within 20 minutes of taking one I'm out for the count and this works on planes (I'm also a nervous flyer when it comes to turbulence). The benefit is that you don't wake groggy or out of sorts and if you can stay awake to a reasonable hour it's worth taking another one just before bed to help your body clock adapt.

Either that or take a Xanax as soon as you're seated and I'm sure no amount of turbulence will rouse you or perhaps even the cabin crew when you've landed!

Thank you, everyone! This is very helpful information!!!!

I don’t think I’d do Windsor either on arrival day. If you have a hotel, unless it’s Travelodge, they’ll store your bags for free until your room is ready, they’re quite used to the early arriving flights.

I like to do a London Walk as my first activity assuming the weather is good. They’re only £10 and quite excellent and don’t require booking in advance.

We follow Ken's idea (and others) to take a 30-45 minute power nap sometime near check-in, maybe 1500. A shower will refresh you. Stay outside as much as possible. Try not to get too cranky with your travel buddy.

We're taking the Heathrow Express to Paddington Station ($22 total for two of us riding nowhere, earning someone's hard earned pay). We will store our luggage at Paddington Station for a few hours, walk around Kensington Park, visit the palace and maybe the Victoria and Albert Museum. Then, we'll leave around 1400 or so, arrive at our VRBO at 1500, take a shower and nap, and head back out until an early bedtime, wiped out. Probably pick up some snacks/groceries, explore the local area; that sort of thing.

Check out London Walks as they have a couple Beatles tours.

Mg,
Claudia’s advice is spot on! I wish I had her as a guide my first trip to London as I stumbled around finding the Oyster Card, using the Tube and the bus system, finding my hotel, etc.
She is correct about walking through Heathrow and the lines at immigration. I was in line for over an hour. Make sure you have water with you because the area I was in was very hot!
Follow her advice and you will have a great start to a wonderful time in London!

Good suggestions above.

Personally, I hate melatonin. It totally leaves me a groggy mess. We’re going to try the No Jet Lag pulls on our upcoming flights. I’ll report back whether they help or not.

For nervous flyer, get a prescription for Xanax from your MD. Xanax combats anxiety & it is often prescrecribed as a sleeping pill.

For arrival day & Jet Lag. Don't go to Windsor. As others have said, you can leave your luggage at the hotel. Then go to lunch. Odds are you will be hungry, so eat.

I've tried the take power nap suggestion & it is a bad idea. It-s good in the short run, but long term disaster. Coping with jet lag requires you get on EU time. That means no sleep before 10:00 pm (I've found I can streght this to 9:00pm on arrival day, but rarely do).

So, you have checked into your hotel & had lunch. How do you keep going until time for a late dinner & bed? #1-- lots of coffee or caffeine pills (NoDoz). I find that 200mg of caffeine keeps me going for 4 hours. My wife, coffee drinker, needs more. Now you have to keep going until at least 8:00pm, including diner. I prefer street walking, and in London that would be a long walk thru the streets of Chelsea and/or Belgravia. .

Not sure if serious ^^

Anyway, don't try pills or anything else you haven't tested in the past. Only you know if a nap or melatonin screws you up or works great. For example I can take a short nap of no more than 20-30 minutes, feel energized, and then sleep well that night. Other folks find taking a nap has a negative impact on sleeping later. Caffeine? Some people can drink strong black coffee into the evening with no problems, whilst others can't have caffeine at all or certainly not after noon as it messes up their sleep.

Everyone is different.

My opinion only, but unless you know well how your body already reacts to Melatonin, Zanex, Alcohol, Caffeine, even a "Power Nap" and any myriad of home remedies, stay away from it all. Nothing worse than crashing into bed at 9:00 PM local time and being wide awake at 2:00 AM when something wears off or kicks in.

Moderate exercise, Sunshine, and keeping active, and adjusting to the new time zone (eat something at your normal times, rest when you normally do, go to bed when you normally do, basically mimic your routine at home if possible) are all very basic, proven strategies.

I also would not pre-schedule anything (Buy tickets, arrange for a tour, schedule something important that you cannot fit into your later schedule) in case you have delays with flights, or you just do not know how you will feel. Have a plan, but one that has some flex or can change. That is why I like a self guided walk. If it is raining, find an indoor market, large airy museum, or other site that is open, airy, and has some energy to it.

Where exactly is your hotel?

This was helpful information. I guess my idea of Afternoon tea is not a good one for the first day!

We took a bike tour, the fresh air does wonders and you get the lay of the land. Don’t take a bus tour unless you want to fall asleep!

We were nodding off in Parliament our first afternoon. Fortunately, I didn't start snoring.

Jet lag is a personal experience. It is different for different people. For years we tried the "gut it out, stay awake" approach as described above by kb1942 with min success. Then one year, by accident, we took a 90 min nap (as recommended by many) and never looked back. Now we plan for a 2 hr nap in the range of 2-3, 3-5pm. We set the alarm for 2 hrs but rarely go past about 90 minutes. Just enough to recharge the batteries, get us through the evening and regular bed time of around 10pm or so. The next day still a little sluggish but adjust quickly. Just because it doesn't work for kb1942 doesn't mean it will not work for you. And be very careful with the recommendation of loading up on a lot of caffeine. Personally think that is a bad idea. You may have to experiment with both ways but don't be afraid of the nap. It works well for many here.

PS For us it is an eight shift to Europe so now that we are retired we do some time shifting in the two weeks or so prior to departure. Our goal is to shift about four hours, sometimes five and that makes a huge difference. Combined with the nap and we have practically no jet lag the next day.

I've gone to the Sky Garden on the day I've arrived in London. Worked like a charm.

I think Windsor would be wasted on your first day. One time, we wasted Greenwich by going on our first day, partially to pass the time before we could check in.

The best time-killing I ever did in London was wandering through Kensington Park, checking out Kensington Palace - great gift shop, and having lunch and a glass of wine in the Orangery there.