I know this has been discussed before but I couldn't figure out what it would be posted under. So my question is, what do you do if you have overnighted on the plane and arrive early in the morning. I would be with two teens who would sleep on the plane & I would not, or very briefly. Am not able to sleep but have only tried benedryl, is there something else better? How early can you check in, in general?
Are there short guided tours that I wouldn't have to think? Not great thinking on no sleep.
Can you direct me to any good threads on this subject?

Take a boat ride on the Seine. That and lunch will take you to check-in time.

I searched for "sleep aid" and just topped an old thread. I'll bet if you search Ambien you'll resurrect more.

Your room may not be ready - but the hotel will normally keep your luggage. W/ a 0730 arrival you likely won't be to the hotel until 1000 or 1100. Get out, take a slow walk, stop for a light lunch, maybe the open top H-o-H-o bus if you simply don't have the legs to walk much.

Main thing is to keep in the fresh air and eat lightly. Go to the hotel in the afternoon to unpack and freshen up - then head out again. Some recommend a <u>short</u> nap but I prefer to keep going until after dinner and then to bed by 9 or 10 PM. If I sleep during the day it takes me much longer to adapt to local time and get over the jetlag.

The danger w/ napping is you may not wake up until 2 or 3 AM and your body clock will be totally screwed for days

If you can do a short nap - that would be OK. But staying up is generally recommended.

bettyboop: Just saw your post. Generally it is better to post a link instead of topping old threads. The old one will get separated from this one and the OP may not see it.

here is the link http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...-sleep-aid.cfm

I have never slept on the flight over and I do go out in the sunshine after dropping my luggage off at the hotel. It's fun to sit at an outdoor cafe for a cafe creme and croissant at that point. However, by afternoon I need a nap; I take a short one, and that seems to work for me. Everyone's different, though, and as Janis said, most recommend staying up.

<<is there something else better?>>

In a word, yes.

In another word, Xanax.

Flat out ask your doctor for it. Tell her/him that you are traveling. It has a valid use for traveling (reducing flight anxiety, flight insomnia, suppressing the sound in your ears due to a crying baby, etc). Ppl have used it for decades now. You will be the best passenger on the plane in the eyes of the flight attendants when used properly.

Any doctor worth his/her salt will Rx it to you AND give you clear instructions AND give you enough for…

1- Your out bound flight
2- Your in bound return
3- A “test” run before your trip

A test run well before your trip is often over looked by many healthcare professionals. You will want to take the test dosage on a day off when you will NOT be leaving the house and figure out what the effects are on you. You do not want to be 5 miles high (LOL) and 10,000 miles from home when you first take it, do you? Tho chances are you will just want to sleep or at least relax. A test run is a must for any new-to-you travel meds.

There are alternatives to Xanax (generic: Alprazolam). These would include Ambien and Lunesta. IMO they are worthless and ineffective and have some side effects I personally don’t like. Many travelers find they do work for them and you may too. The are some Ambien horror stories that are almost comical.

Other alternatives are good old fashioned Valium and Restoril (the bigger, stronger cousins to Xanax).

Some ppl are ashamed to ask their docs for such meds. Please don’t be.

DISCLAIMER:
This post isn’t meant to replace the advice of your healthcare professional. Do not consume alcohol 24hrs before or after taking a travel medication.

~Jay

Wow, thanks for all the responses so quick. I love the idea of the Seine ride, the boys can poke me if I nod off. So, I assume most hotels will let us drop luggage early? Then we do lunch and/or the boat tour. I am a napper & would do that if I can get the boys to rest, otherwise not. Other 2-3 hour ideas with little thinking? It will be mid-October. Short museum visits?
Will check out the Europe overnight thread.
Thanks, so much

Almost every hotel will let you leave the luggage. Even though you are a napper I would still strongly consider following janisj's advice of staying awake throughout the day, even if you only make it to 8:00 p.m. that first night. Especially with North America to Western Europe flights I've found that if I stay awake through the first day I don't have any jet lag issues at all.

I would also not recommend museums that first day. Focus on outdoor activities such as the Seine cruise, walk around your new neighborhood, go to one of the parks, walk by Notre Dame or the Eiffel Tower etc.

HI BG,

We have found that it is best to just stay up until normal bedtime.

Don't plan anything other than just walking around, taking a bus or boat ride, exploring the neighborhood, etc.

I never sleep on the plane and I never nap. I drop my luggage at the hotel and get out on the streets and walk, walk, walk, stopping every hour or two for a coffee. Vitamin D, which you get from daylight/sunlight, helps keep you awake. The Seine boat ride might be a good idea, but I prefer to keep moving. I usually find late afternoon to be the hardest time, but I resist the urge to go rest, and by early evening I'm feeling just fine. Also, eat lightly. I'm usually ready for bed by 10 pm the first night, then totally on schedule for the rest of the trip. It's coming home that does me in.

Go to your hotel, which will hold your luggage. And, if they have empty rooms they will probably let you check in (likely in a very large hotel, unlikely in others). I thin a walk - just wandering, or even sitting in a park - or cafe and having some breakfast - is a great idea until you can get in your room.

Pretty much what everyone else said. Our Denver kids got a connection in Chicago so they would have longer to sleep, but even from the east coast, it is a tough first day.
We do things like buy our metro passes, have a little lunch, walk around, do the Seine cruise and have an early dinner. Go to bed and pretty much all set to go the next morning.

Thanks for all the suggestions, a Seine cruise & walk to Notre Dame sounds good. Will come back for restaurant ideas when we have our hotel decided.

Ask your hotel about early check in before you leave for your trip. In every instance in which I have asked, the hotel has been able to accommodate me and the longest I have every had to wait for my room is 30 minutes. The hotel staff usually tells me that they can't guarantee me an early check-in, but I haven't run into any problems yet. This includes large hotels and family run B&Bs. The earliest I've ever arrived is about 7:30am.