over the ocean blue

The overnight flight from Chicago is only 8 hours or so, depending on where I'm going (usually Ireland or the UK). The flight leaves usually around 8:00 or 8:30, and they serve "dinner". After that I just try to get some sleep. A bit before landing they serve "breakfast", and we land somewhere in the neighborhood of 9:00. If you can sleep on the plane, then stay active all day, staying up until as close to your regular bedtime as possible, you should be OK the next day. I don't have problems with jet lag at all going over.

On the way back (usually an afternoon flight) I watch movies or read, and it just seems like a long afternoon. I have more problems getting readjusted to the time difference on my return. I don't sleep on the way back because I want to be able to fall asleep when I get home.

You eat the meal, read a book for a while or watch a movie, take a tylenol PM, put in the ear plugs, don the face mask and try to sleep. Breakfast comes and you drink lots of coffee. You can get flights that get in little later in the day than 7:30, but no matter, the challenge is to stay awake until around 9 PM. Some try naps, but I try to stay awake. I do it by planning tours, going for walks, having to travel further. For example, one year I kept flying on to Berlin from London, which meant I wasn't at my hotel until around 5 PM. Another time I landed in London, but was headed for Inverness. The train left at noon. I visited the British Library while I waited for my train. I amazed myself by staying awake all the way to Inverness and through dinner. I think that the key is mental stimulation and caffeine. ; ) Pam

Flying from the west coast takes a lot longer. For each of the three trips to Europe I have taken so far I have had to change plans twice, arriving at each destination mid-morning. Two of my trips have included leaving the airport where I have landed and immediately driving to my first location a few hours away. I always stay active until a reasonable bedtime. Luckily I don't seem to suffer from jet lag until I get home! I do try to adjust my body clock to European time and sleep on the plane.

If you are leaving from Columbus (my old home town!) the best flight is from Cinci. Delta flies direct to Frankfurt for example, and though it is supposed to take 9 hours, it usually only take 8 or so due to tail winds. Port Columbus has to be the very worst airport I was ever in, by the way. Who designed that place? We often just drive to Cinci, as it saves money and actually time, what with security, connecting flights, etc.

I simply cannot sleep on a plane. I watch the movies, I read, sometimes close my eyes and just relax. Since most of my trips have been with kids, starting with age 3 and onwards, that keeps one busy. One of my flights had a seatfront screen and I watched lots of TV shows that I had never seen, played games, etc.

Once you land, do go out and walk around and explore, and just go to bed a little early. Or if you do take a nap, make it a short one. Lots of people do walking tours their first day in-country, as it gets them out in the fresh air, and gets them orientated to the city.

"I take three or four Tylenol PMs"... would not recommend that, for various reasons.

Ask your doctor about a prescription sleep aid.

Although jet lag doesn't affect a lucky few, for most people, it is a fact of life while traveling that must be managed, not avoided. A good strategy is to realize that your body will not adjust to the time change and fatigue of flying right away and to plan accordingly- ie, don't try to fit in too much on the first day, and plan to get plenty of sleep on your first night. You'll adapt within a day or two.

Jonathan,

Like many others here, I can't sleep on a plane (despite my best efforts). The fact that I'm on holidays and going somewhere exciting is enough to keep me "wired and awake". However, I am able to "snooze" a bit.

Some of the the ways I pass the time on long flights:

• Watch the movies: there's usually a selection of fairly recent movies that I haven't seen so that covers at least half the flight.

• Chat with other passengers. I'm always interested in where fellow passengers are going and I sometimes get some great tips on the places I'm going to be visiting.

• "Enjoy" the airline food. Most of the time, the food hasn't been too bad. I figure if I'm paying for it, I'm NOT going to miss a single meal! If I'm going to have a glass (or two or six), I'll do it at the beginning of the flight, but never after the half way point). Despite the recommendations from Rick and others, I like my coffee too. I like to have a cup or two just prior to landing.

• Arrival at destination: Rick's advice on that point works well for me. Try to stay awake until an early bedtime in the new time zone. When you wake up the following morning, you should be ready for touring. However, on a few occasions in the past, I've indulged in a "power nap" for an hour or so, and that's helped. The important point is NOT to sleep for too long!

Good luck!

It's 9 1/2 hrs from Dallas to Paris. We used Ambien this year which helped a lot. We drink no alcohol! or anything with caffeine before taking the med with dinner. We finally figured out we can take more than a quarter tablet (half works better for us) to get 2-4 hrs sleep. We try to stay busy the first day as long as possible. I have to take another 1/2 tablet that night when I wake up at 2 a.m., but usually after that, I'm okay. It all seemed to help us beat jet lag this time around. I think for most of us, it's trial & error.

If your airline has a decent entertainment system, you can select from a wide variety of on-demand music for your departure as you read...David Bowie or Rossini at 39,000 feet and the guidebook for your destination should work. Then, enjoy a glass or two of wine with dinner. After dinner, watch a couple of European travel shows...Samantha Brown should work if they have it. Otherwise, perhaps they'll have a documentary on some place interesting, like Hamburg. After that, watch a movie...something like A Fish Called Wanda or a new release, such us Up. Next, try to catch a little sleep. Then, it's breakfast about two hours before you land. Catch another TV show after breakfast (The Simpsons might work), and you're there! Go out and experience something until bedtime...10 p.m. or so (don't nap at hotel). The return flight seems much longer (and actually is by an hour or so). Have fun.

I try to get on Europe local time from the time I'm at my departure gate. I reset my watch and forget about what the time is in Chicago. Once on board, I try to get some sleep at a decent hour (in Europe). Usually that means I'll eat the meal, take an Excedrin PM, listen to some relaxing music and try to sleep the remainder of the flight.

I don't worry about in-flight movies or other entertainment. The primary goal is to get some rest so I won't be a zombie my first day on the ground.

I love arriving really early and having a whole first day. Last year our flight to the Netherlands arrived at 5:45 and it was still dark out. My husband, 9 year old and I were traveling with just backpacks so we zipped right out of the terminal and found our bus stop and when we arrived in Haarlem the Saturday market was just being set up and the town square just coming alive. It ended up being a great day (a long day, but a great day).

Depending upon your destination and how much time you have to travel, there is a way to Europe which minimizes the jet lag.

We did this two years ago and will repeat this spring:

• Fly into Newark (continental), arrive mid afternoon. Check into airport hotel (booked for cheap on Priceline).
• Take train to Manhattan to see show and a great NYC dinner.
• Back to hotel
• Next day,fly out of Newark to London (LHR) at 9am on Continental, arrive LHR 21:30.
• Tube to hotel and asleep by midnight (you might require a sleep aid)

The next morning you are up and really rested and tuned into the new time zone.

You can book this as multi-city and it doesn't really cost more money to do. In fact you can do this along with flying home open jaws from another location.

If you are either going to UK, or using UK as a springboard to somewhere else, it is a civilized way to go.

I usually don't go this way and just suck up a day without sleep like everyone else, but I find these days are blurry in my memory and I am usually cranking by 14:00 and just counting down the time until sleep.

Of course YMMV, but when it works with our plans, I like this route.

After a dozen or so trips to Europe, I have now got a plan that works for me. First, I make sure that I am rested before the trip starts - no more all-nighters packing the night before leaving. I always have an east coast transfer which gets me walking and my blood circulating; eating dinner on the plane slows things back down for sleep. I go to sleep as soon as dinner is over; have learned to order a special (such as vegetarian) meal cause I get served first and have time for a bathroom break before going to sleep. I use earplugs, eye shades and my own travel pillow. Then when I wake up, I drink oj with breakast and even ask for extra. But no caffeine or alcohol.

I plan activities for the first day that require me to move, walk, be active physically. I also plan activities that I don't worry about not remembering if I am groggy. :) Like everyone else said, stay awake until your normal bedtime if at all possible.

To the lady who suggested chatting to a neighbor: I understand your excitement, etc. but your chatting could be very disturbing to someone near you who is trying to sleep - no matter how quiet you try to be. Just something to consider.

The first thing about a flight to Europe--I've flown only to London, Paris and Frankfurt from California--is that it's boring, just be prepared for the long length of time and after the dinner, try to sleep. Out of a 9.5 to 10.5 hr. flight. I usually manage to sleep 4-6 hrs. The rest of the time I'm probably just dozing, your eyes are closed but still you hear everything around you. But, with 6 hrs or so I am basically fresh once I land, which is usually from 930 to 1100 AM local time. I try to look for a flight that lands before noon local time.

Usually flying over there from Calif. means that the wind is on your back, which means arrival in London, Paris, or Frankfurt will be earlier than scheduled. If they say the scheduled arrival in Frankfurt or London is at 10 AM, I can figure that I'll get there by 9:40. I am used to a 10 hr. flight; if it goes beyond 10 and half hrs., I start to get impatient and anxious.

I don't take any sleep aids or anything like that, usually have some red wine at dinner so I'll be able to doze off faster afterwards. The more I sleep during the flight, the more fit I'll be upon landing. When I went in my 20s, (the three times over there), I never had put up with something which is now usually the case once I land--jet lag. Figure on three days for that to pass.

Depending on the movie selection, I watch one or skip it entirely. They say don't drink caffeine during the flight...I don't think it matters either way; the coffee is sometimes so weak that it has no adverse effect on me. But try to drink water from time to time, if you can't sleep. AND, I reserve ahead for the first couple of nights once I land and have no desire to waste time or energy looking for a place.

Assuming I'm doing a flight Atlanta to Amsterdam, 5pm to 8am, I spend the 9 hours like this:

3pm -- no more snacks. Light stroll around airport.
4:30pm -- Take prescription sleep-aid and muscle-relaxer once boarding begins.
5:30pm -- One cocktail, eye mask goes on, sleepy time.
5am destination time -- My alarm clock goes off. Get up, wash face, brush teeth. Eat snack I brought on board -- one focused around whole grains and dairy, both of which help reset your body clock. 2 cups of coffee.
6am -- Read Rick Steves books until we land.

6 hours of sleep, wholesome breakfast... fresh as a daisy.

I droop, slightly, around 3pm the first day, but find I'm fine again about 5pm. Resist the urge to nap on the first day.

I am a fan of Ambien but never on a flight over the pond. It puts me out for 8 solid hours. OTOH, I have reached the age where some sleep is critical on the flight. I found some Sleep Aid little blue pills at W'mart (Equate brand) work well--one pill ensures two/three hours sleep which is a lot better than none. On my last trip over the pilot announced just after takeoff that turbulance was expected mid Atlantic. Sure enough, this was true but I slept semi soundly and barely noticed it. Have a great trip!

Thank you all. Can i ask a follow up question. Is anyone super duper excited about flying. The reason is is that i am, and for that reason i can never ever sleep on planes no matter how much I try. Plus is it super uncomfortable being in your seat for 7-8 hours?

Is it super uncomfortable being in your seat for 7-8 hours? If you fly coach, absolutely! I can never sleep on planes, not because I'm excited about flying, but more because of the constant noise and no possible way to really stretch out. I've popped prescription and over the counter sleep aids at the start of a flight and still managed to remain wide awake. If you have an iPod, load it with movies, music and books on tape. Noise cancelling headphones and an eyemask can also help you relax.

I download hours and hours of radio dramas and comedies and listen to them. Nothing like a four hour mystery to help the time go by. Unlike audiobooks that are read, these are performed by actors.

The UK is very big on them and those are the ones I focus on.

They're also great for long train rides.

Like most of the posters here, I try to reset my body clock. We have been to Europe more than 40 times in just over 20 years. On all but 2 or 3 of the flights over, I was able to sleep at least 3 hours. My husband usually takes 1/2 of a dramamine tablet just prior to boarding. He doesn't eat the meal on the plane. He is usually asleep soon after take-off. I eat the meal, watch 1 or 2 movies, then sleep or doze. Sometimes, I also take a dramamine. More for slight airsicknees than to sleep. I do drink alot of water (and ginerale) - but I drink alot of water even at home. I agree about hitting the ground running and staying active until at least 9:00 or 10:00pm local time. The one time we "napped"- we didn't adjust for 3 or 4 days.

If you are "super duper" excited about flying, all the better, unless as you say it prevents you from sleeping. I'm nervous during the flight sometimes, and sleeping or dozing is the best way to while away the time faster.

If you're lucky to get your seat upgraded---it happened to me a couple of times somehow---to a better seat where there is more leg space and more space between you and the persons sitting around you to the point you are sleeping in a semi-reclined position, you'll sleep at least 6 hrs. out of a ten hr. flight from Calif.