stewart_life

Hi all,

I will be flying from Singapore to Amsterdam overnight by KLM. This will be my both first intercontinental and overnight flight. The plane will leave Singapore at 1am just after midnight, and will land in Amsterdam at 7am in the morning on the same day. As Amsterdam is 7 hours behind Singapore, it means the total fly duration is 13 hours.

I want to prevent jet lag as much as possible. I have been reading many posts about jet lag, and most people advise sleeping in the plane, and then not to sleep before 9pm in the day of arrival. Arriving at 7am means that there will be a whole day ahead to stay awake.

My questions are:

1. I will bring my daypack to the cabin. And I will bring cash, passport, and wallet. Usually I put them in my daypack and stored in the cabin. But as this will be overnight flight, where I will be sleeping, is it safe to do that? Or do I have to put them in money belt and wear the money belt throughout the whole flight?

2. How long should I sleep in the plane? Just normal 8 hours, or as much as possible (like 10-12 hours)?

Thanks a lot!

alanRow

1. keep things like money & passport close to you at all times, the chances of theft are very low but...
2. different people sleep differently, some sit down and are asleep before take-off, others don't sleep at all. My advice sleep if you can.

WillTravel

I put my stuff in my purse (more like a small messenger bag), which has strong, multiple clasps, and hold it against my body while I sleep. However, I have felt nervous at times, such as when I'm sitting next to someone who has tried to take my seat.

Theft on planes certainly happens (I've read more than one occurrence on FlyerTalk), but I'm sure it's uncommon.

I'd say to let yourself sleep if you want. I have tried both short naps and no sleep on the day of arrival, and both methods have worked about equally well. What I have noticed about jetlag is that it is often subtly present in terms of my lack of brainpower, even if theoretically I have adjusted to the new schedule.

julia1

Jet lag will happen no matter what you do to prevent it - it's a reaction by your body's systems and processes to being out of phase, i.e. you are asking it to sleep, be alert, digest food, etc, at times it is unaccustomed to. You will awaken at your normal 'home' wake-up time at first, even though you are exhausted and want to continue sleeping. You will be hungry at odd-seeming times at first because the hunger centers in your brain and digestive tract are still operating on home time. On average it generally takes about one day for each hour of time change for your body to completely adapt to the new time zone, which means that your jet lag lessens by one hour each day.

You can help yourself cope by doing things such as using sleep aids to help you get a good night's sleep, more or less; by drinking sufficient water, especially during your flight and for the first few days away, because dehydration will make you feel worse; by eating smaller and more easily digested meals at first; by avoiding caffeine and alcohol on the flight, both of which increase dehydration.

As far as sleeping on the plane, I try to get as much sleep as I can, even just short naps will help.

J62

I have a small pouch with a strap I wear around my neck and tuck into my shirt for overnight flights.

You can easily make one from a patch of cloth and a shoe string, or you can buy one at any travel store.

Sleep on the plane as much as you can. If you are flying coach class you'll be sitting upright the entire flight. That will make it difficult to get continuous sleep.

They likely will serve 2 meals on the flight - not sure what time since it's a 1am departure, but this will limit the amount of sleep you can get.

Somebody a few rows behind you will chit chat or giggle endlessly, which can limit the amount of sleep you get.

During daylight hours, someone will crack open the window shade flooding the cabin with light. This will limit your sleep.

For me one of the best ways to reduce jet lag is to
a) keep a normal awake schedule upon arrival. That means no naps, and don't go to bed too early in the evening. A short 1hr power nap upon arrival (in the morning) isn't a terrible idea, assuming you can check into your hotel early. I think an afternoon nap is a bad idea.

b) get some vigorous exercise. Walk, run, swim, treadmill, exercise bike, whatever it is you do at home.

qwovadis

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/jet...ative-medicine

take melatonin and sleep as much as I can to mimic

the time zone I am going to no booze or heavy meals.

Stay up at least till after nightfall on arrival works best.

Always wear my trusty moneybelt worn to the front

under clothing everything of major value goes there.

www.insuremytrip.com always wise.

Has saved me twice last year for iceland volcano and

Ecuador ciivil unrest...Happy Journey ,

VolCrew

Stewart, I agreee with the advise of others here. For security, DW uses the hanging pouch method like J62. I wear guide shirts that have zipper pockets and put my stuff in my pockets. I would not be able to sleep if my stuff was in the overhead bin.

For the sleeping question, I have a hard time sleeping on planes, but for the situation you describe, I would try to at least get a nap. At your destination, try to get some sun that tells your brain it is time to be awake. Then I would try to keep going until about 9pm before crashing.

As for melatonin, it affects people differently. I have found it most effective for me to take it when I am trying to establish the new sleep times after traveling. That is when I most need effective sleep and I don't want to wake up at 2 am.

Good luck and enjoy your adventure safely!

stewart_life

Hi all, thanks a lot for the very helpful suggestions.

I always put my wallet + passport in my daypack on the cabin without anything being stolen, although I never had flight more than 5 hours let alone overnight flight. I have a money belt for my trip, so I guess I will use it even on the flight to be safe and to have peace of mind.

As for the sleeping, I guess the general advise is sleep as much as I can, instead of just normal 8 hours of sleep.

Is it advisable to take medicine like Melatonin during the flight itself? Or is it only for the night of the first days to "force" me not to wake up too early the next mornings?

Actually, Amsterdam is a transit for 6 hours, which I am planning on getting out of the airport for 2 hours of walking around the city. So I am hoping to be able to that walking around Amsterdam right after getting of the plane. After the transit, I will have a 1.5 hour flight to Nice and land around 3pm. So, I will have to keep awake after landing on Nice on that afternoon, which I guess will be quite difficult.

rkkwan

Just use common sense about theft. The plane is less risky than a plane, a bus or a restaurant since the thief can't just get away before you arrive. It is way down the list of things I worry about when traveling.

annw

Not too worried about theft on the plane, but if it did happen it would be such a hassle that it's worth a few simple measures to avoid the problem. For me that means a small flat messenger style bag that I keep on me with a minimalist travel wallet and passport. The rest goes in the tote bag stored under seat in front of me.

clevelandbrown

I have too much of what I consider valuable (computer, camera, mp3 player, etc.)to keep in my pockets or a money belt. I don't trust the overhead bins because one time a man picked up my roller, through inadvertence (they all do look alike) and I was trapped in the crowd and had to do some pretty uncivilized yelling to stop him.

So I have a shoulder bag that holds everything and goes under the seat in front of me, with the strap looped over my leg (that means, of course, no bulkhead seating for me). I figure that by the time someone crawls over my feet and wrestles with my bag, it will wake me up.

Although I must say that I haven't heard of any instances of theft in the cabin of a plane.

As for sleeping, the flight crew will have a schedule of when they will feed you, and they usually ask you if you want to be wakened for breakfast. Arrange your sleep around their schedule, and the schedule you will be on when you arrive. Since you will have a full day ahead of you when you land, I would plan to sleep ending just before they serve breakfast.

I notice many people wear blinders to keep out the light when they are sleeping. If you find that you are one of those people who can't sleep on a plane, it won't kill you. You just make it up later.

VolCrew

Stewart, regarding taking melatonin in flight, I have done it with mixed results, but that is me. Hard to say unless you try it first.

janisj

"<i>But as this will be overnight flight, where I will be sleeping,</i>"

You will be sleeping where you are sitting for the 13+ hours.

stewart_life

Hi everyone, thanks for the replies.

I thought we are only allowed to bring 1 bag onboard? So, because I already bring a daypack, am I still allowed to bring like a shoulder bag too?

By the way, I will have my DSLR camera, pocket digital camera, and netbook in that daypack as well. Should I use a padlock for that daypack? The daypack will be kinda bulky, so put it under the seat might takes most of the feet spaces.

My longest flight is only about 5 hours, and I usually couldn't sleep well while sitting like that. Many times I would wake up, and then dozed off again.

As for the melatonin, I heard some people say that it should not be taken during the flight. Anyone can confirm about this?

Thanks!

VolCrew

Your airline may have a different policy, but I fly AA mostly and I am allowed two items: one "carry-on" and one "personal" item. For me, that ends up being two backpacks, one for personal items that is stowed in my footwell and one for the DSLR and other stuff that goes in the overhead bin.

When flying Luftansa I have been hassled about this approach, but it is no problem with AA.

stewart_life

Hi VolCrew, so did you padlock your backpack containing DSLR that you put on the overhead bin?

Iowa_Redhead

Jet lag works different for everyone and you just have to figure out through trial and error what works best for you. As soon as I get on the plane, I set my watch to the time at the destination and try to set my schedule for that. If it's 2am at my destination when I get on the plane, I try to fall asleep right away and sleep for 4-7 hours. If I'm going to arrive at my destination at 10pm, I try very hard not to sleep at all on the plane so that I'm tired when I get there and go right to sleep. On the way home from China, I was awake for about 30 hours straight, but I went to sleep very quickly, stayed asleep and got right back into the right sleep pattern.

If I think falling asleep is going to be an issue, I'll take a single Benadryl because it makes me drowsy but doesn't zonk me out completely.

suze

You can't avoid jet lag. Some people suffer from it worse than otherse.

Unless you are an extremely sound sleeper it is doubtful you'll sleep the entire flight... as things are going on around you, announcements, meal service, people walking up & down the aisles, movies, etc. Sleep as much as you can.

I'd put your day pack under the seat in front of you with your jacket folded over the top. My only concern about 'theft' on planes would be what you do with valuables when you leave your seat go to the restroom. My solution is a small leather purse that I always take with me (passport, money, credit cards) when I leave the eat.

suze

oops, leave the Seat.

surfmom

Also, when you arrive, the best thing to do is to be outside. Sunlight helps regulate your body rhythms and also, you are less likely to feel tired. My best jet lag day (lack of) was the day I played golf and walked 18 holes after arrival.

I also prefer a light meal when I arrive and try to stay awake until bedtime (or even later if possible). I find then that I have a better possibility of not waking at 4am. Don't plan any 'big' activities the next morning in case you do sleep in.