Jet Drag or Lag

We do not try to acclimate by altering our schedule at home, even though all our trips to Europe arrive in the morning or early afternoon local time. We sleep as much as we can during the flight and just carry on through the day (no naps) staying outside in the sunshine as much as possible. An early dinner around 6 p.m. and then off to bed. By the next day our body clocks have reset and we're good to go. Jet lag is not the same for everone, so you might have a different outcome. This is just what works for us.

When landing early I often book my hotel for the night before (and communicate this to the hotel), guaranteeing that I can get in the room when I arrive. A quick nap, a coffee, a shower and I'm n the street before lunch. (I'm always hungry then, and I let the quest for food help me get going. Then a full afternoon/evening, melatonin at regular bedtime, and I'm pretty much reset when I wake up in the morning.

Senior here.

Everyone is different.

Rest as best you can on the flight. No coffee, or soda. After security buy bottled water and drink that on the plane. Stay hydrated.

Once you’ve landed and gone through immigration the realization you are “ not in Kansas anymore,” will kick in.

The sites, sounds and smells will keep you awake…so will the process of getting to your accommodation and unpacking. .

Don’t push yourselves. If a nap is needed take one. Hopefully the weather will be pleasant.

Venice is very unique…take time away from San Marco Square….meander… appreciate La Dolce Vita!

It's not 3:30 AM when you land. I mean, it is on your home time, but don't acknowledge that! It's 8:30AM or whatever the local clock says. This mentality goes a long, long way. As soon as you step on the plane, try to live on "Italy time". Dwelling on the fact that it's 4AM at home is irrelevant and sets you up for focusing on being tired.

Stay outside as much as possible - sunlight helps, so sit in an outdoor cafe and have breakfast. Coffee might also help. Alcohol might not, so avoid that at least until dinner. Go to bed after dinner, a bit early is fine, but going to bed for a long period in the middle of the day just prolongs the adjustment. A nap may or may not help, but get up after the nap, go out, and don't go to bed for the night until after dinner!

Your body has internal clocks that know when its time to eat, sleep, etc. So acting like its the time at your destination when you board the plane is a good idea. That includes no heavy food, no movies, card games, conversations etc.

There is a strategy that involves adjusting your daytime at home by an hour a day for a week before departure. But I've never known anyone who managed to do that successfully for whole week. Even a couple of hours should help.

I try to choose flights that arrive in the afternoon so that I can check in, maybe take a quick nap, walk around, have dinner, and go to bed. But most importantly, I accept whatever time it is locally, and not even think about what time it is anywhere else.

A BIG thank you everyone! I really needed to hear / read your great responses. Absolutely right, mind over matter is the mindset that I need to keep. I am (unfortunately) one of those people who after daylight savings time happens I go around thinking 🤔 well really it’s 6:00 and that’s why I’m hungry. As soon as I board the plane for Italy 🇮🇹 I will psych myself into believing that I’m on Italian time. I also agree that once I get that awareness that I’m not in Kansas anymore my excitement will kick in and help with any fatigue. I am grateful for this forum, and so thankful.

First of all the time difference between Texas and Italy is 7 hours. Therefore if you land at 08:30am local time, it will be 01:30am in Texas. If it’s 03:30am in Texas, then it’s 10:30am in Venice.

Nevertheless I generally change my watch to the European time as son as I board the plane from the US. Then act accordingly. That means that when my watch shows around midnight Italian time, I try to go to sleep. No watching movies or anything on board after midnight European time (which would be 3pm for me in California). If they happen to serve meals after the time I should be asleep, of course I eat the meal and also order some alcohol with the meal (it’s generally free on international flights, with pretty much all airlines). A little bit of vino, helps me go to sleep. Some of. Y flights from the West coast depart after 3pm so I have to change my rules a bit, but conditioning your brain to think in the new time zone is important, at least for me. I’m not always successful, because I’m a light sleeper, and I can’t afford to fly first class where seats are reclinable and comfortable, but al least I try. Some people take melatonin too to help go to sleep.

If you have a chance, try to go to sleep early and wake up early in the days ahead of your travel. That is like shaving off some hours from the 7 hours difference. For example if you get used to go to sleep at 8pm and wake up at 4am, that is 3am and 11am in Italy.

Once you arrive, being that early in the morning, you may not be able to check in. In that case leave the luggage at the hotel desk and head out. Do not go anywhere dark (like museums, churches, etc. Stay in the sunny outdoors. The sunlight regulates our Circadian rhythm. If you stay in the sun, you stay awake, if you stay in the dark, you feel sleepy.

Some people prefer to hit the bed when they get to the hotel and wake up before dinner time. I don’t do that because that messes me up and can’t go to sleep when it should be time to go to sleep.

For the next few days, sleep with the shutters open. The sunlight in the room in the morning will help you to wake up at the right time and ultimately to adapt to the local time.

We tried rising earlier and earlier in the weeks before several of our trips, and it seemed to help somewhat though it was was not miraculous. So yes, get on an early schedule but do it long enough that it's natural - rising early for a day or two won't help nor will rising before it's light out.

Linda, I travel to Europe 3-4 times a year and the excitement of a new destination really does help. If you get to bed early in Venice, it means you may be up & out with the dawn and have the place practically to yourselves! We usually go find a 'bar' (cafe) and drink espresso with a cornetto (croissant) standing at the counter (which is cheaper) to help keep us going, as hotel breakfast starts later. Pack some snacks for pre-dawn cravings? I like instant oatmeal & pack some plastic utensils, as long as there's a tea kettle in your room to heat water. And I hope you enjoy your fabulous trip!

A poster above was right, do not think of what time is at home! Never. Ever. Once you board your flight forget about that! You would just cause yourselves stress.
I have no suggestions at all after traveling world wide. You will adjust the second day. We find you have much more jet lag flying from Europe to USA.
If you really want to minimize jet lag, fly to NYC or Boston, spend the night at an airport hotel and take a daytime flight to London, leaving around 7:30am. You land in London in time for dinner, around 7:30 pm. Have a nice dinner and sleep at an LHR hotel( we like Sofitel) and continue on to Venice the next day. No jet lag.

Everybody reacts differently. My husband does best with a 1-2 hour nap if we land in the morning. I have to stay outside walking that first day and not be sitting down. Sitting down or being inside a museum that first day immediately makes me sleepy. I can last until about 4pm and then need to be close to the hotel. An early dinner, and I sleep well and feel pretty decent the next day. (I do remember REALLY wanting to use the pizza in front of me as a pillow our first time in Europe!)

For my last trip in June, we no longer lived near Seattle, so I had an extra flight just to get to Seattle to head onwards to Italy. Having that third flight really made me tired, so I just sat in the sun awhile, had an early dinner and slept well. Either way, I wouldn’t wander so far that you can’t find your way back to your hotel when you’re tired. (Venice has signs on the ends of the buildings pointing to the nearest major location on the islands.)

I smiled at the thought of trying to change incrementally to the Italian time zone ahead of time and missing my flight because I couldn’t figure out what time it really was - LOL!

There's a lot of discussion of jet lag, and really it is not a problem for me or my wife (70, 73). I have 2 or so glasses wine on the flight, sleep for 1-2 hours. This takes the edge off. Then we act normal on landing - we definitely do not crash on arrival

As hard as I try, I just don’t sleep on planes but I do rest as best I can. I use earbuds with soft music or white noise and just before taking off, I do as Roberto does and set my watch to whatever time it is at my destination. For me, that’s what helps me most. Haven’t tried the “every night for a week” strategy. Do stay well hydrated and don’t dwell (or even think about) what time it is at home!

My strategy for avoiding jet lag is extreme but my jet lag was extreme --- now I have no problem at all.

Several years ago, I discovered I could get myself 2 hours onto Italy time pretty easily by adjusting both my sleep AND when I eat meals. I actually did it too suddenly and experienced my usual symptoms of jet lag while at home. Just the 2 hours did help. The meal timing seems to be important --- it does no good (at least, for me) to wake up earlier and earlier but eat meals close to the usual time.

The next year, I went extreme and took two weeks to get myself gradually FIVE hours onto Italy time and that's what I've done every year ever since. I can do this because I am retired and I really don't mind it that by the day we fly to Italy I am waking up and having breakfast at midnight --- it's worth it to me to be ready to go in Italy the second we land.

I'm a poor sleeper normally and can never sleep on a plane, so I pretend like I'm pulling an all-nighter in college and just read and watch movies, etc. I do not eat on the plane until breakfast time in Italy because it is the middle of the night for me, right? I do not nap the first day, just stay outdoors and walking as much as possible --- that seems to take care of the remaining 2-hour gap between Minnesota time and Italy time.

If you are interested in trying this, or a less extreme version of it, let me know. I have the whole day-by-day anti-jet lag schedule written in a Word document. However, my husband does it faster and without having to be so regimented (he does nap, though).

Oh, and I do take timed-release melatonin every night --- it doesn't help everybody but it helps me a lot.

I have found the Timeshifter app to be helpful. It’s a paid subscription, either by the trip or annually.

You tell it whether you are a morning person or a night owl, what your typical sleep hours are, and whether you are willing to use caffeine and/or melatonin to help with the shift. You enter all your flights into the app.

It then gives you personalized reminders when to sleep, get light (the strongest factor in resetting our body clocks), take caffeine, take melatonin…and just as importantly when to avoid these things. You don’t have to do everything it recommends, but the more advice you can implement, the better the result. It does have you try to sleep on the transatlantic flights.

If you are naturally up early, then yeah we will make a point of going to bed earlier, and waking a bit earlier. The main thing is be very well rested when you take off, not sleep deprived from trying to get everything settled before you leave.

Lots of good advice, do what seems logical to you, I am a proponent of keeping active outdoors that first day and shoot for a "normal" bed time.

I have also at times set an alarm and "rested" for 30-60 minutes in mid-afternoon if things are not going well, keeps me going until 9:00 PM or so.

I do very strongly suggest not trying any supplements or drugs (Melatonin, Benadryl, sleep aids) for the first time on the flight. For the first time try it "naturally" learn how your body reacts. You may be fine, you may be out of it, but if you take something you will not know if it made you better or worse. If you normally take something, and have done so for some time, then fine, but the flight is not the time to experiment.

I do think it’s worth mentioning that why most people call “jet lag” is, in fact, two separate physiological issues happening at all once: the disturbance of sleep patterns/circadian rhythms, and deep fatigue, induced by a variety of factors including stress and lack of sleep.

I really think it’s important to consider both issues when looking to solve for the total. (Which is why I take a nap upon arrival—to take the edge off the fatigue before it really wears me down.)

Scudder is correct above -- there are multiple factors that most people just conflate and call "jet lag" but there's more going on that actual jet lag. There's the circadian rhythms issue (THAT is caused by jet lag), but before that kicks in, there's also the effects of stress, fatigue, exhaustion, and starting the trip with a major sleep deficit before you even leave for the airport. Mix that all together, I call it Geospatial Displacement Dysphoria™️, and it's why many people are a wreck for a day or two (or more) upon arrival in Europe.

Best thing you can do is get a good night's sleep on the plane on the way over. Oh, you say you can't sleep in anything that moves? Neither could I. At all. For many years. In fact, on previous trips, I have been awake for as long as 4 entire days while on moving aircraft, vessels and vehicles, usually arriving at my destination very physically sick and beyond miserable. Then I discovered lay-flat beds in business class... Problem solved!

A huge Thank You for all of your strategies, advice and shared travel experiences. I will try very hard to adjust my internal clock (along with all of my gadgets) to Italian time the minute we board the plane. Italian time 1:30am (Philly time 7:30pm). I’ll literally fasten my seat belt and then fall fast asleep 😴 NOT, lol. I’ll prepare at home, by waking for at least a week, several hours earlier than usual. I will also adjust my eating meal times (good advice). I’ll be sure to be well rested 🤞 before leaving. A glass of vino a light meal on the flight and then snooze. Thankfully our daughter has prepared a walking tour for us upon arriving in Venice so we will be out and about (pray for ☀️) until late afternoon when we are scheduled for the Secret Gardens Tour. If by then I’m still upright (husband too) we’ll enjoy a fabulous Italian dinner and then crawl back to hotel and pass out. As you can tell I am thrilled to be making my first trip to Italy (Europe), I can sleep when I’m…
Thanks to all.
Ps thanks for the oatmeal and plastic spoons tip! This will be awesome for my husband and sil.

Can I suggest you consider moving second tour to a different day? I think one tour is a good idea. I find I can move physically but not think the first day after arriving. But having done a tour after arriving, I would have found one enough and my husband would have been done. The time we did this worked very well but then my husband took a nap. I did not but you do not know how the two of you will cope with jet lag. One or both of you may not be up for a second tour.

I was a bit alarmed as well reading about the second tour. That’s asking a lot of your mind and body.

I'm with those who recommend pushing through, but I really think you need to reevaluate two tours your first day. If it is already booked and paid for, then soldier up, but if you can hold off until the secret gardens tour and just stroll outside in the afternoon, I think you'll be better off.

Have a great time on your trip! It is exciting to go to Europe. My wife and I were on the same European People to People high school trip in 1966 and have been back several times.

Thanks again but not to worry the only “real” tour on arrival day is the Secret Gardens Tour. My daughter is our “unofficial” official tour guide and she has simply planned for us to walk through Venice, get lost, have cafes, sit and enjoy the views. Did I mention cafés:)

Have you inquired about early check in? It is nice to be able to freshen up even if you plan on pressing on throughout the day. Having a good mindset is great, but having options is better! If you want a nap, don't sweat it!

Valadelphia that’s an excellent idea! It’s also one that hadn’t occurred to me. We will most definitely look into early check in options. It would most definitely help to know there’s a place to recharge should we need a pick me up. Thanks 😊

Hi Linda, RS has posted his latest advice about jet lag here - https://www.ricksteves.com/travel-tips/health/jet-lag & I know many of us would like to hear back after you start your adventure on how you adjusted!

We left costal California at 6:30 AM on Wednesday and arrived in Lisbon the next morning at 9AM. I did not sleep on the plane and got very little sleep the night prior to our trip. I usually arrive in Europe wiped out but not this time. I was ready to go as soon as we hit the hotel. By 8:30 PM I fell asleep until 1:00. Hubby woke me up when he had to visit the bathroom. He falls back to sleep and I’m awake until 5. We then slept like a baby until 2:35 PM. We were shocked. That night went to bed at midnight and I woke up at 3 AM this morning and could not get back to sleep. It’s 11:40 AM now and I’m dragging. For me, getting up at 4:30 AM for a week is an absolute no! Hopefully I’ll be able to get more sleep tonight.
I wish you luck.