Arrival day: push through or nap?
Mar 9th, 2016, 02:30 AM
#81
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Sleep on the plane with a benadryl or something stronger, then upon arrival push on, with liberal amounts of coffee. StuDudley mentioned that you shouldn't drive/travel more than 2.5 hours, and I agree. Go to bed at 830 local and the next day you should be fine. It would be a shame to waste a day.
Mar 9th, 2016, 03:37 AM
#82
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I don't sleep much on the plane either (NYC to Europe), actually I get nauseous if I do. Once we arrive at our hotel and drop our bags, we'll walk around the area to get acclimated, have a nice lunch with one glass of wine, take a shower, maybe take another small walk, have a light snack in the room and get to sleep by 8 or 8:30. I have ear plugs and an ambien nearby just in case. We'll sleep for about 10 hours and feel great the next day with no jet lag.
Mar 12th, 2016, 02:07 PM
#83
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Enjoying this thread, especially the haiku. Mr. Wonderful (my dear husband) is the king of the cat naps and is in fact napping right now. He can snooze for 20 minutes and wake up refreshed and it's just so maddening to me! If I nap it needs to be a good solid hour but I may or may not wake up refreshed.
Twenty years ago on our first trip to Paris together we checked into our hotel and the plan was to shower and head out for the rest of the afternoon. I fell asleep with my hair wrapped in a towel and it took me a few days to recover. For the next two mornings I was completely wide awake at 3am and Mr. Wonderful was sound asleep. I took the pillows to sit on the immaculate bathroom floor and read for 2 hours until I finally had to wake him up and get going. We ate breakfast in the dark on the Champs Elysees and it turned out to be a favorite memory enjoying the sunrise.
We are traveling from the US west coast to the UK soon and will land at Heathrow shortly after noon. We have booked a car service to take us to Bath with a stop at Stonehenge. We thought it would be a good idea to have something to break up the drive and get us out and walking around a bit. Perhaps there will be haiku inspiration.
Twenty years ago on our first trip to Paris together we checked into our hotel and the plan was to shower and head out for the rest of the afternoon. I fell asleep with my hair wrapped in a towel and it took me a few days to recover. For the next two mornings I was completely wide awake at 3am and Mr. Wonderful was sound asleep. I took the pillows to sit on the immaculate bathroom floor and read for 2 hours until I finally had to wake him up and get going. We ate breakfast in the dark on the Champs Elysees and it turned out to be a favorite memory enjoying the sunrise.
We are traveling from the US west coast to the UK soon and will land at Heathrow shortly after noon. We have booked a car service to take us to Bath with a stop at Stonehenge. We thought it would be a good idea to have something to break up the drive and get us out and walking around a bit. Perhaps there will be haiku inspiration.
Mar 13th, 2016, 07:12 AM
#87
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We fly from Seattle, so it is a long flight for us. I am in the camp of no naps, but stay outside and keep moving. Time changes do not affect me too much though. DH on the other hand is absolutely horrible with time changes! On our trip a couple of months ago, he did manage to keep going on the day of arrival until about 5pm. He said he wanted to go to the room and put his feet up for a few minutes. Yup, that was it, he was done for the day and I knew it. I left him there and went back out on my own.
Mar 13th, 2016, 11:21 AM
#89
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We are taking our kids on their first trip to Europe and I dread how my 13 yo daughter is going to be that first day. My 14 yo son is real easy going, but if my daughter isn't feeling good, no one around her is happy. While she has never taken a red-eye, she has never slept on a plane or in a car for that matter. We flew from PHL to Phoenix and our flight was delayed for hours and we didn't arrive until 3am east coast time. She didn't even close her eyes.
I was so happy when we secured award tickets on the day flight from PHL to LHR. I used to take the day flight whenever possible when I traveled to the UK frequently for work. You arrive at 9-10pm, take a Benadryl and go to sleep. Wake up refreshed. But then AA had to go and do away with that flight when they merged with USAir. So now we are on the overnight. God help us and anyone who crosses her path that first day.
I was so happy when we secured award tickets on the day flight from PHL to LHR. I used to take the day flight whenever possible when I traveled to the UK frequently for work. You arrive at 9-10pm, take a Benadryl and go to sleep. Wake up refreshed. But then AA had to go and do away with that flight when they merged with USAir. So now we are on the overnight. God help us and anyone who crosses her path that first day.
Mar 13th, 2016, 01:58 PM
#91
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I'm with Suze on this one. I can't take the trip out of the equation. I can't take the 9 hour time difference out of the equation.
As I've thought about this, I realize that no matter what I do, I have jet lag. When I fly to Europe from Spokane, I take a nap when I arrive. I have jet lag for 2 or 3 days.
When I return home, it's usually in the afternoon, and I don't take a nap. I unpack, throw clothes in the washer, check my emails, go to Safeway for milk and something for dinner.
Then I go to bed at a normal time--maybe 9 p.m. and thereafter follow my pre-trip schedule. In the days after that, jet lag kicks my tiny little booty.
So no matter what I do, I'm screwed. It's about living in the west.
As I've thought about this, I realize that no matter what I do, I have jet lag. When I fly to Europe from Spokane, I take a nap when I arrive. I have jet lag for 2 or 3 days.
When I return home, it's usually in the afternoon, and I don't take a nap. I unpack, throw clothes in the washer, check my emails, go to Safeway for milk and something for dinner.
Then I go to bed at a normal time--maybe 9 p.m. and thereafter follow my pre-trip schedule. In the days after that, jet lag kicks my tiny little booty.
So no matter what I do, I'm screwed. It's about living in the west.
Apr 5th, 2016, 08:10 PM
#94
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OK, I think we'll use all the tips here to try and sleep on the plane and push through the first day, but I'll have a Plan A and a Plan B for Day 1 in case some or all of us need to nap at some point. Thanks for the feedback! Good discussion. 
