How do you like to spend your 1st day (after an overnight flight)?

You’ll get varied opinions on the nap thing!! I have found I do better to take a 1-1.5 hr nap after lunch when I can get in to my hotel room. I travel solo and can manage until after lunch and then I crump. I literally cannot keep my eyes open. After a nap I take a shower and head out again. I like to walk in the sunshine!

Taking an organized tour would not work for me. You might do better to see how everyone is doing before making big plans.

There is so much to see in that area as well. Have your guidebook and pop in to some churches if the group wants. Be pickpocket proof around the Trevi Fountain.

We like to do exactly as you have planned--a lot of walking, nothing scheduled, just seeing some sights that aren't top priority. We don't ever book tickets to a site or for a tour on the day we arrive because things happen and you never know when you will actually get there. We never take a nap, and we try not to sit down. Sleep starts to take over if we do. We eat an early dinner, make ourselves stay awake until about 5 to 6 p.m., and then go to bed. We usually sleep until 7 or later in the morning, and we find ourselves rested and almost "set" to the local time. I should also say that neither one of us can sleep on the plane, so we are ready to do some serious sleeping that first night. Staying awake until then helps us do that.

This has been discussed at length on the forum and the two camps are nap/no nap. I don't think there is a right way. People learn from experience what works for them. You may find that you are exhausted and need a nap. Like literally can't stay awake.
Last summer we arrived in Paris at 8am, and managed to stay awake all day. The morning was fine - we went to Notre Dame and walked around that area. In the afternoon we went to Luxembourg gardens where my kids played for two hours and my husband and I sat in a daze. I think we all went to sleep by 8 and slept for 12 hours ;p

I am about to take my 15th yearly trip to Europe from Seattle. After arriving at our destination place to stay, I have found that I do best if I go right to bed regardless of what the local time is. I have practiced this for about the last 12 years. When I have tried to stay up, I do not do well at all. My wife, however, goes out and walks while I am sleeping. Lucky her.

I don't nap the first day. I stay up all day and try to do something active - a lot of walking if possible. Try to go to bed close to to normal bed time where I am. One thing I have learned to do is try to make the first day as uncomplicated as possible. Try not to do a lot of transportation changes if possible.

I used to freak out when I would wake up at 3AM wide awake unable to sleep the first night or two but I don't let it bother me anymore. I realize it's just part of the process and after a few nights I'll be sleeping fine. (Getting over jet lag when I get home is another story - usually takes me a week to stop nodding off at 8PM and waking up at 5AM!)

Unfortunately one size doesn't fit all. And with six people in your group that will be even more apparent. Personally we do not take a nap after an overnight flight. After getting to the hotel we opt for a quick shower, change of clothes and head out into the sunshine and fresh air on foot with lunch somewhere along the way. Around 7 p.m. we do dinner and hit the bed afterward. The next day we are acclimated and ready to go. That's what works for us but perhaps not for all.

I generally hit the ground running, but with the number in your group, you might get mixed reviews. It's going to take time to exit the plane, go thru immigration, taxi to lodging, check in and get everyone situated in their rooms. It might be closer to noon by this time. I'd suggest lunch next.

Try to keep them engaged and outdoors at least until 6pm, then back to the hotel for cleaning up and out to dinner.

I wouldn't go farther than the Pantheon the first day, plenty to do and see in Campo di Fiori, Piazza Navona and Piazza Rotunda.

Nope, no naps for us, and we can't sleep on on planes either. Arrival-day routine is to hit an ATM for a batch of euros, a cafe for a bracing cappuccino, and then walk for as long as we can manage. Dinner is street food, 'cause we'd be toast if we sat down for a meal, and we wrap it up with a nightcap or two at a bar or BYO on the terrace at the hotel. Bedtime is usually at 9:00 or so.

As the others have said, there's no one way that works for everyone!

Depends on where I arrive, the time of year, and the time of day that I arrive. Sometimes I stay up when I arrive and go out, and sometimes I nap for awhile. In any case, I'm usually in bed for the night by 8pm or so. I'd see how you feel, and if you need a nap, go ahead without feeling guilty about it.

One thing I've started to do is to take melatonin, so I usually find that I'm mostly recovered from jet lag within a day or two.

lynnp, The problem with jet lag is that its not just about catching up on lost sleep. Its resetting your internal clocks. When you arrive at 9 AM local time, your body will think its 2 AM Chicago time. Unless you normally eat salami and gelato in the early AM, your body may not want to cooperate. Trying to delay sleep until the normal local bedtime, will maybe get you to sleep the whole first night through. Otherwise, a long nap during the day time, might find you wide awake and ready for a new day - at 3 AM. I traveled a few times with large groups of people, most of whom insisted on a long nap. They usually felt great, for awhile, but their clock was screwed up (including when they got hungry and their alertness) for days. Just like it is for many people here when we change to Daylight Savings Time, except 7 times worse.

But with six adults, you won't be able to control them anyway. As others have said, everyone has a different experience.

30-40 minute nap and shower ( either order) and then go wander. Any longer nap and it ruins going to bed at 'local' bedtime for me.

The age range does create a special twist to organizing your group.

My husband needs a nap when we arrive at our location. I’m the opposite and need to walk outside (no museums, no sitting) to acclimate to the time-of-day. When I’m on a work trip, I start to get drowsy by 4:00pm and get back to the hotel neighborhood, eat and go to sleep by 7:00pm and sleep through the whole night. When I’m on vacation with my husband, I walk back to our hotel after a couple of hours, and we both walk outside to explore.

You’ll probably have both types in your group, so allow each to do as needed. Also advise bringing a few granola or protein bars for a quick bite to bridge the various time periods of everyone’s hunger the first day.

Sounds like this is a multi-generation family trip, bravo! Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to make venturing to your hotel, disgorging yourselves of all luggages at accommodation primo as mission numero uno. Then, a glorious walkabout and make gelato, panini, something tasty to eat (or drink) your next most important objective. Enjoy discovering what, for the next however many days and nights, your neighborhood looks like, sounds like and be ready to be amazed by the differences from where you call home. The Eternal City is special, you will do well to take your arrival day on its terms. Try not to hit the hay until 9p local time if you/all can manage. Be easy breezy, Rome wasn't built in a day.

We always stay awake that first day as for us it eliminates jet lag to not nap but to try to wait until it gets dark (8pm) or so and then just sleep until the next morning. We drop our luggage, sightsee near our hotel, have a nice dinner, then off to bed. Works like a charm.

Happy Travels💫✨

Hi Lynnp

I am sorry, I don't have any advice for you, as this will be our first trip to Rome as well, but I would be very grateful if you would share the route you have mapped out, as we will be doing the same thing very soon.

Thank you all so much for sharing your advice and experiences! It was really fun reading your posts and I showed the thread to my husband, kids, and in-laws. Really helped to add to everyone's excitement for the trip. Thanks again

Since you're not leaving until June you have time to try my favorite technique - start adjusting your wake up time at home over a week or so before you leave. I live on the West coast (8 or 9 hour time difference) and try to get myself on East coast time before I leave (yes, that means 3:00 a.m. wake up call). Each trip is different for me and depends on arrival time in Europe - sometimes I nap on arrival, sometimes I get out and walk. I rarely make it to 7 p.m., but I try. I take a sleep aid on the first night and set an alarm for the first full day - even if you sleep fitfully or little, power through on day two also. Personally, I find adjusting to time on return to USA harder - I'm toast for at least several days (and I make sure to build that in to my vacation time so I don't have to go back to work right away).

Hi bxrlover

Here's the route I mapped out: https://goo.gl/maps/hBbwkjAgGx22

I don't know if we'll make it much past the Pantheon on Day 1 but we can pick up the route again on another day. I have lots of little routes mapped out. Its really fun for me to plot two places on Google Maps, zoom in, and then see all the amazing sites that appear. And then, I do a little research and find out more things like "there's a great gelato place if we turn here" or "if we are by this church at 5:30, there is a special ceremony". And then, I start to think about all the things we'll discover when we are actually there that we don't even know about!! And then I remember that I should probably do some work, make my kids breakfast, etc, etc... :)

What a great idea to map out your walk on Google Maps and save it! I study Google maps to find places near where I'm staying, but never thought of mapping out a route. I'm going to try that on my visits to Milan and Florence this fall.

Regarding what to do on the first day of arrival, yes everyone is different. A lot depends on if you & your family members get any sleep on the plane ride over. I get very little sleep, if any, so my answer is based on that perspective.
If you can manage it, stay up through the day until dark, then hit the hay. If you can't manage that (like me), go to your hotel, stash your luggage if they don't have the room ready, and go out for coffee and walking around, probably grabbing lunch. As soon as I can get in my room, I like to rest and hopefully nap for no more than an hour. Then, I shower and get out there for more walking and an early supper. Turn in for the night as soon after dark as you want. I also use melatonin a few hours before I hope to be sleeping. If you've never taken melatonin, try it at home for several days first just to see how it affects you. Work towards getting on local time as soon as possible.
Your idea of organized wandering is great. I don't think you should join any organized tours on the first day. Enjoy Rome!

Personally prefer no nap, aimless wandering, and an early bedtime. Then we end up awake at some ridiculous pre-dawn hour, but that lets us beat the crowds a little on our first full day.

After travelling to Europe more than 30 years, we nap for about 1.5 hours, shower and then let the adventure begin. The nap helps to take the edge off the jet lag and get on their clock! The excitement of being in Europe will keep you awake and by the next day...full force!

Drinking.

I absolutely detest international flights (probably because I'm 6'2" and travel in coach) and mostly want to forget the journey.

Lynnp, napping works for us after taking a redeye to Europe. After dropping off the luggage at our hotel, we walk around and try to get as much fresh air as possible. At local lunchtime we eat, then take our time getting back to the hotel. By 2PM, the room is usually ready, and we crash for a couple of hours. Then we go for dinner at local dinnertime, and usually that's about it for us. Next day we're good for light activity, and after that back to normal. (We can't sleep on planes either.)

Don't drink any alcohol on the plane, and don't drink any coffee until breakfast is served on the flight.

The best way for us to overcome jet lag is to adjust our meal times. Of course, what works for us may not work for you, and you'll be with a larger group than our family of three.

Our family loves to start out with an afternoon bike tour, getting out in the fresh air and getting the lay of the land really helps us with jet lag. No nap, dinner after tour and in bed at 9. My daughter and I dont get jet lag and we fly from Portland, my hubby,however, hits the wall at day 3 where it is best to plan little formal activity so he can go take a snooze.

You are on the right track, lots of sunshine, fresh air, and walking (though your route does look ambitious....Piazza Navona and Campo de Fiori area can keep you occupied for a good long while). Your plans for success should start on Day 0 though. Or even Day 00. What I mean by that is the day(s) before departure. Try to organize plenty ahead all the last minute details of leaving, packing, etc. Rest as much as you can and get a good amount of real sleep on those few nights before departure. I don't like taking a sleeping pill on the plane, but I will take one two or three nights before we leave so that I ensure getting good rest. Hydrate. Really keep up on drinking water on travel day and the 2 days before departure. Sounds simple, but staying hydrated and rested 'before' leaving will help with energy levels on your arrival day. If it were me with that group of 6, yes, I'd do a sit-down lunch. Also your group may have very different energy levels by 3 PM so some may need to split off to go back to the hotel and rest. Have a great trip!

For me, it varies. That doesn't sound helpful, but let me explain.

I never book an organized tour or anything which requires pre-payment on arrival day. I'm not worried about staying awake. I've had too many times when one flight was delayed or re-routed entirely, meaning that I didn't arrive at my destination when I'd originally hoped to be there. I'd hate to be out money for a tour or museum reservations in that case.

(If you like to live dangerously, or if your travel timing luck is better than mine, you may want to skip that suggestion.)

I try to stay awake until my hotel room is ready. (Walk around the area. Explore.) THEN - depending on how much I did/didn't sleep on the plane + how stressful the flight was + how available is nearby food, I might take a late afternoon nap. Unfortunately, I tend not to wake up from those until close to midnight. So if there's no food/room service available, I will definitely try and make it as long as I can (or find a market nearby) and make sure that I have food when I do wake up.

There's no shame in not being able to make it to dinner that first night. Jet lag hits all of us a little differently. Just make sure that there is something to eat in case somebody does zonk out and wakes up at some awkward time when nothing is available to eat.

Have a great trip!!

"* Just make sure that there is something to eat in case somebody does zonk out and wakes up at some awkward time when nothing is available to eat.*"

Yes, this is something I always try to do. Even if it's just a couple of Clif bars, granola bars or bag of nuts with a bottle of water!

I traveled extensively for 40 years.. and I have been fortunate to have a "system" that gets me past jet lag almost immediately. On the flight I try to nap as best possible..I do have a drink or two...I also drink quite a bit of water. When I land I hit the ground running..the first day is a get acquainted and get settled day if the schedule allows..in Europe you arrive mid-morning or early afternoon...dump your bags and start exploring.
My system? I reset my time and my head to the local time. I NEVER give any further thought to what time it is in the US, what meal I should be eating (in the US) and switch to local time right away. In Asia I have a hard time on the third day, in Europe this works from day one. It's that simple...jet lag is in your head if you allow it to be there...just push it out and go...
Going home, that's another story...it takes a while to get back on track...do the same thing but you'll find yourself getting sleepy at times when you'd rather be wide awake... a day per couple hours to switch is my experience...so for the 7 hours time difference to Europe it will take a week or so to get over the time change in the US.

No naps for me, vacation time is too valuable. Much will depend on what time I arrive. . When I arrived in Ireland at 6:30 am I was comatose by 5pm. I Flew to Pisa last year and arrived at noon, I had no problem staying up until 9pm. Will be arriving in Florence at 10 am on next trip and I'm going to shoot for the whole day without a nap, could go either way.

I try to get at least a little sleep on my overnight flight into Rome. Ok, very little sleep. Usually my plane arrives around 9 am. After the usual airport headache (not always too bad at FCO!) I head to Roma Termini and catch the next Freccia to Napoli Centrale. I'm a bit unclear about the scenery - not sure my eyes are yet focused but when I step out of that train station I KNOW I'm where I want to be. For the past few years I head directly to the dock and catch a ferry to Sorrento. The boat ride is certainly better than the plane ride - better scenery, warm sun, breeze, great scenery. By now it's early afternoon. I'll pull my luggage along and get to my favorite pizza place: da Gigino. My hotel (il Nido) is above the town and the shuttle stop is about 2 blocks from da Gigino. Dino always welcomes me (I'm a frequent visitor) and suggests we do the formal registration later (smart host!). A shower, unpack, a visit with Dino on the terrace (campari and orange juice at hand) and I'm on vacation. A walk through town (the shuttle is very convenient) and then back to il Nido for dinner (my favorite place to say: felice mi fai). Yes, I'm tired and my even better my senses have been flooded with sounds, views, tastes, experiences, emotions, and a renewed struggle to remember my Italian. All make for a wonderful night's sleep with a view of Vesuvius from my hotel window. I really am where I want to be . . . where I LIKE ME. You know what - I deserve this! And so do you!!!

I travel to Germany and Europe in general often and in all these years I have found the following helpful. Upon arrival at the holiday rental I always stay up. I go into town, get a light dinner and head to bed around 8 pm. By then I am crashing into bed. Sleep all night and usually wake up around 6 am. Don't do too much on the first day and Happy Traveling ! I just saw one of your travelers is 70 years old the other 15. They have totally different needs but the 70 year old needs to rest more for sure. And don't do a tour at all on the same day. The tours in Rome are exhausting with crowds everywhere. And separate rooms would be good so people can sleep if they want to take a nap.

Thanks again to everyone for sharing your wealth of "Day 1" experiences. So much valuable information and tips!

I just got back from Iceland and so I was able to reacquaint myself with jet lag 1st hand. I was with a group of 9 family members, ages 25-82. We hit the ground running, went immediately from the airport into Reykjavik, and went sightseeing until early evening. I found that, as a whole, the group's energy level was not too bad after the overnight flight but our decision-making ability was "fuzzy" at best. We really had a hard time with walking directions and finding places.

My plan in Rome was to use downloaded Google Maps for walking directions but do you think (considering the busy time of year) we can make our way from Campo de' Fiori -> Piazza Navona -> Pantheon by just going along with the flow of the other pedestrians?

Thanks!

On our most recent trip to Potenza, Italy my chiropractor suggested doing self accupuncture on the way over to avoid jetlag. He swears by it and says he suffers no jet lag if he does accupuncture on himself. He gave me a handout with instructions. Here you go, hope it helps:

https://www.jadeinstitute.com/jade/acupuncture-to-eliminate-jet-lag.php

I always stay in apartments; so after checking in and getting the lowdown on the apartment and the surrounding area from my host, I have a shower, unpack (if I'm there longer than 3 nights), then go out to stock up on groceries and essentials for my stay.
I then come back , drop off the groceries, and go out for a walk and something to eat, or coffee.
I try to stay awake till at least 8pm, but sometimes just can't make it!

Great topic, I love all of the ideas. Newark to Rome last September. We dropped our bags off around 11:00 am at Hotel Portoghesi.. Walked like zombies along the river, then to Piazza Navona, then to colossium. Temps were in the 90s. By 3:00 I was crashing.. Back to the hotel, cranked the AC (as much as you can crank the AC in Europe) and napped for 2 hours. Grabbed dinner and gelato at Navona. I was worried that the nap would come back to haunt me, but I was still plenty tired when we got back to our room. Next day, we were good to go!!!!

If staying in London, afternoon tea then early to bed.

I was concerned about the same thing. I had an overnight flight from Miami to Germany arriving at 8:30am. I had booked the Porsche assembly line tour for 1pm, when we arrived the hotel room was not ready so we dropped off our luggage, freshened up in the hotel lobby, washed my face and we took off. Walked around a bit then took the train to the museum. We saw the museum, had some lunch with a cappuccino and did the tour. We returned to the hotel at around 4:00 pm that's when we took a nap till about 9pm! Then we went out to dinner. The next day we were fine, no jet lag.