I really don't want to start another thread about 'jet-lag' which some folks complain about after a ten-hour flight from Europe but here's an experience for you to ponder: Last month my wife and I were in Europe mainly to undertake a self-drive barge trip on the Burgundy Canal with a group of friends. That successfully and delightfully accomplished, she then went to explore the Cinque Terre and Umbria before flying home, while I went by train around Germany. At the end of my German trip, I caught a plane from Frankfurt to Singapore (11h50m), had a 1h30m wait in Changi, then a 6h50 flight to Melbourne. Thus about 20h all up, and I arrived in very good condition. My wife however was held up for several hours at Rome airport, then flew to London where she had to be rescheduled on a later flight to Hong Kong. There was then a 5h wait in Hong Kong for a flight to Sydney. The flight left and arrived late, so she missed her connection to Melbourne. After a further 2h wait, she caught a Melbourne flight. At Melbourne one of her bags failed to appear on the carousel, and she spent nearly two hours after landing before she finally exited the airport. Total time from entering Rome airport till exiting Melbourne airport: 46 hours! And your story about 'jet-lag is..??

Welcome home adeben. I have to admit that I always do have a bit of a chuckle to myself when I read threads commenting on how to cope with a 10-12 hour flight. That seems likes bliss to us Aussies.

I can sympathise with your wife as that is about the length of time it took us to return home from St. Petersburg once - and there were no unscheduled holdups. Just weird routing in order to be able use FF points for the trip.

I hope you and your wife are going to do trip reports. A barge tour and some time in Cinque Terre are high on my list of must do. Did your wife just get back this morning to be met with all the rain today when it has been so long since we had any to speak of? (Melbourne is in a drought for anyone else reading)

Your wife's story isn't about jetlag. It's about a long journey.

Long, that is, by today's wimpy standards. 46 hours is a great deal less than the 72 or so we used to regard as about normal for a train journey - without the creature comforts of HK or Singapore airports in the middle - from London to Athens.

Jet lag is about the quite different complication of changing timezones very, very fast. And that's not something Aussies can claim any moral superiority about. A 10 hour flight from LAX to FRA involves 9 hours' time change. A 20-24 hour flight from FRA to MEL in October involves an 8 hour time change.

Because your body has longer to get used to it, jet lag hits you less on Oz-Europe flights than on West Coast-Europe ones.

So why is it that Poms whinge for so long when they come to Australia ?

Reminds me of the joke about how can you tell if it is a plane load of poms that have landed at Sydney airport,.. the whining continues even when the engines stop !

They're not Poms: they're the Oz WHVers who can't compete with the Poles.

We dumped all the whingers on you in the 50s and 60s. Best thing you ever did for us - even if we had to put up with Clive James in return.

Mind you, we did get Dame Edna as well. And that Les Patterson's a bit posh for an Aussie isn't he?

The whole thing sounds very harrowing except for one very major detail:

you do not say whether or not your wife was able to get any sleep. The way it is all worded one assumes she didn't but is that really true?

But the story has nothing to do with jet lag. It is about a long trip. Jet lag is specifically about how people react to change of time zones.

Flanneruk...you may be right ! Its amazing the number of Union officials in Oz with a broad midlands or lower scottish accent !

The wife and I react quite differently to the long trip back from Europe, It doesn't seem to effect me whereas she is shattered for a week !

I've also flown several times from the east coast of Australia to the west coast of the USA not only through time zones but also the Date Line. From a disorientation point of view, I'll take that 14 hour direct flight anytime compared to the 20+ hours to Europe. Anyone who imagines that the length and complexity of a trip is not a factor in what is generally referred to as 'jet-lag' hasn't flown the longer trip too often.

Flanneruk: You also got Kylie: I think we're ahead in the transfer market.

And Rolf Harris!

Yeah, I know, those of you living in North America have nothing to complain about. It will take us at least 32 hours, Auckland airport to Vienna airport this december.