Kathie21

We are arriving at CDG at 8:30 in the morning and will be able to get into our apartment right away. At first I was planning on staying awake and getting out and about, trying to stay awake until 9:00 or so that first night. Then I read a couple of articles that said it would be better to take a nap. Yesterday I saw a piece in the Fodor's weekly newletter that advocated staying awake.

So now I'm confused and decided to ask what works best for all of you. We're coming from Atlanta and our traveling companion is coming from California if that impacts your answer.

lucyp

I always just stay awake and try not to turn in too early either. I find the excitement of actually finally being there and a few cafe coffees during the day are enough. Then I tend to adapt to the time change very well.

We do not plan any museums or such for the arrival day however, just strolling, buying things for the apartment etc. all low key.

Myer

If you are coming from North America it's best to stay awake until approximately your normal bedtime (on their clock). Then when you wake up in the morning your body clock should be on local time for the rest of the trip.

Returning home is another thing as it may take you several days to sleep thru the night.

hetismij2

When we return from the US we stay up, taking things easy but staying awake as long as we can. We usually go to bed earlier than we normally would, but not by a lot.
I made the mistake once of napping when we got back and it took me a week to recover.

Going to the US we go to bed at our normal time on the US clock, and though we wake up super early the following morning jet lag is over then too.

Gundy

Most people are going to advocate staying awake. But what works for us is to take a nap for 2-3 hours, then get up and go do something, have dinner and go to bed at our normal time. Just can't stay up after a red-eye flight as neither one of us gets much sleep on the plane. Whatever works for you is OK.

Kathie21

Thanks for your replies - I'm leaning to staying awake. The weather forecast for our arrival day shows 40% chance of rain.
I realize that the forecast will probably change several times between now and next week, but if its raining when we get there that may change our thoughts.

adrienne

Once you arrive you'll figure out what works best for you. Your body will let you know what you need to do.

Pegontheroad

I think it depends on whether you get any sleep on your flight and on your departure city.

I live in the inland Northwest, and the time difference between Washington and Paris is 9 hours. If I were to land in the morning, I'd have to take a nap if I wanted to enjoy my first day in Paris. If I were able to get several hours of sleep on the plane, I might reconsider.

When I went to Spain this spring, I did sleep a little on the plane, so I was able to land in Madrid and then take a bus to Cuenca without having a nap on arrival. However, I didn't feel very well for two days.

StCirq

I always stay up until at least 9 or 10 pm after arrival. If I don't, I'm a mess for the next few days. We're in France now, and it took us 32 hours in transit to arrive (plane, then two trains, then drive to the Dordogne), without a lick of sleep. We did fine and were like new the next morning. But another formula may work better for you. I agree that your body will let you know what's best.

Avalon2

I stay up and do errands, buy metro or tube passes , shop in pharmacy to replace my supply of drugs not available in us, do grocery shooping if renting an apt etc.I'm good until about 9 PM european time My DH has tom have a sort nap. Coming haome iI have jet lag for about 2 weeks!!

greg

I stay up minimum until 7pm. For most people, staying up later is easier than trying to go to bed early when not sleepy.

Imagine you take a "nap" at 10am. It is very difficult to just take a short nap after staying up so long. That happened the first time I traveled. Slept to 4pm, woke up. Could not go back to sleep at night, sleepy again the during day next day, and the problem went on for days. With staying up strategy, I am almost synched to the local time the next day. I don't do theater type of things until the 3rd night.

Samsaf

I try to stay up and keep moving, but by early evening I feel like a zombie. Usually we end up going to bed pretty early the first night.

LSky

We usually do a "zombie" day and stay awake. greg describes the problem exactly.

I always plan something low key, never the museum I must see. Just walk around and make sure you know the way back to your hotel. Write the exact directions down.

Drop off your bags and take a good brisk walk. If you decide to nap in the afternoon- set an alarm 90 minutes no more.

latedaytraveler

Hi Kathie 21,

Like every aspect of travel, everyone is different. For me (coming from the east coast of US), after arriving at my hotel, I like to peel off the clothes I have been wearing for 24 hours and stretch out for about two hours.

By then it is usually 5PM or thereabouts. I freshen up and venture out around the neighborhood, grab a bite, and return to the hotel to unwind before drifting off to sleep around 10.

The next morning I feel fine and am ready to go. I hardly ever sleep on a plane.

PeaceOut

I agree it is a personal thing. We just flew to Lisbon, arrived at hotel at 10:00 a.m. and were able to check in.

We could not resist taking a nap for a couple of hours. We were exhausted, and figured that forcing ourselves to stay awake would make that day miserable.

We got up in 2.5 hours, walked around the city, ate dinner and went to bed late. DH was interested in trying to stay on our home time as much as he could, because his work days are early and long.

Actually, it pretty much worked for him. We got back to Colorado late on Saturday night, had Sunday to re-coup, except we both were up at 6 a.m. Sunday. Which is good for him, because he ordinarily gets up at 5:30 a.m. for work.

Christina

I think it is personal and the only way to know for sure is if you try both ways. I used to take a nap because I was exhausted and cannot sleep hardly at all on planes (and the bit that I do is not restful).

I finally switched to forcing myself to stay awake until about 10 pm the first day and it made a big big difference. I am now pretty much on normal schedule from the next day, whereas when I did the nap thing, it lasted for days (partly because I couldn't then sleep that night as I had taken the nap).

I don't really agree that your body will tell you what to do at all. My body screams for me to go to sleep the entire day, I am also forcing myself like a zombie to stay awake that first day until 10. If I go to bed earlier, I would wake up too early.

SO I don't think there is any way to know if you have never flown to Europe before.

Connie

You'll know. If you are just exhausted, take a short nap. You aren't going to enjoy yourself much if you are overly tired. When we got to our hotel in Paris it started a downpour so we took a short nap and then got out after the rain. We felt much better and were still able to go to bed around our normal time.

HappyTrvlr

Take a boat ride on the Seine the day you arrive. It will orient you to the city and the fresh air will keep you awake.

suze

Everyone is different and needs to experiment and figure it out for themselves. I *have* to take a nap myself. I can't sleep on the overnight plane ride over, so have been up for over 24+ hours straight by the time I arrive. I am a zombie. Arrive unpack, take a walk, cold white wine, 2-3 hour nap, more wine, out to dinner and go be at a reasonable time on the local time works for me.

vespacurves

Kathie,

Is there some reason you wouldn't listen to your body upon arrival? You've asked a question that isn't intellectual or ideological, or which can be decided in advance, but one that is organic and practical.

If you don't feel like napping when you arrive, don't. If you do, then do. How you feel that day may depend on local weather and your current state of health (i.e., were you busy or relaxed before you got on the plane).

The internet, social media and democracy are good for many important things. They are not good, however, for deciding purely personal questions like when you should get some rest.