I've heard that it is better to fly into LHR (or wherever...) and head straight for another spot more relaxing (like Bath or even the Cotswolds) and not so busy busy bee hive, so you can get well-rested for the remainder of your trip. Don't dive right into London/other too-much-to-see city coming from US time.

Anyone found this to be a good idea?

Maybe head over to Southeast corner and check out Canterbury, Dover, etc.. ????

I will give you my secret (and, as read somewhere, is what NASA does)

A week before going on trip, go to ned 1 hr early, get up 1hr early, next day 2hrs earlier...etc. You adjust your clock befoer going.

On plane, you skip coffee and wine. Maybe dinner, but try to sleep as much as possible, even if it is just shutting your eyes and listening to ipod.

Because you have been doing this "clock adjusting" already, when you get on the plane, you will already be tired. And, looking at it logically, if you get on a plane in NYC, leaving at 7 PM, it is already midnight at LHR.

When you get there, plenty of sun and moving about. No naps. Go to bed at appointed time. Because, once again, you have been adjusting, you will feel more capable of doing things, like driving first day. By second day...you will be fine.

I've done this, it works for me. Going "as is" no longer makes sense to me, since my holiday time is usually limited.

I read somehwere it takes one day to get back one hour. Why not "waste" those days at home rather than while on trip?

That is definitely a good idea! I would prefer to do that rather than fly into London and then immediately leave.

a busy place (like London) might be better stimuli to keep you on the go for the first day whereas a sleepy place may have you going for a nap. no reason to leave London on first day.

That is how felt. I feel like my excitement upon arrival in London would supply enough energy to beat some jet lag.

Jet lag is jet lag. Your surroundings won't change it. What works for me is to keep going, get as much sunlight as possible, eat and drink lightly, and go to bed around 10 pm the first night. Next morning I'm on schedule.

take the "No Jet Leg" pills!

take sleeping pill when you go to sleep in London that night (and dont go to bed too late, because you will probably wake up early)

Well you must not get very affected by your environment because my surroundings completely influences my energy level. When sitting in my office at 2 in the afternoon I am a lot more bored and tired than 2 o'clock at my house or with friends.

If I am sitting on a bed at 2 in the morning I am likely to fall asleep, but if I am up and walking about with friends I am having a good time and don't even notice my fatigue.

StCirq beat me to it. Jet lag is jet lag. Doesn't matter where you are.

Is this your 1st trip to Europe? You can't know how jet lag will effect you personally until you've experienced it. Can you sleep on a plane? If yes, that will help mitigate the negative effects of jet lag.

My favorite way to avoid problems with jet lag is to try to get a flight that arrives later in the evening.

I had a flight was scheduled to land at LHR around 10:30pm, which turned into 11-11:15pm. By the time I got through the airport, and took a bus across town, got checked in, etc it was 1:30am and I had been on the move for hours. I was more than ready to sleep so I set my alarm for 8am and went right to sleep as soon as I hit the pillow. It was fantastic and I was right into the schedule with no jet lag at all. This system might drive other people stark raving mad.

If I arrive during the day or in the morning, I keep moving and try to do something pretty active until 9:30 or 10pm before I even consider going to bed and I don't allow myself a nap during the day.


I've never heard of getting out of town right away to try to prevent jet lag. It seems a bit silly to be honest, but I can sleep anywhere so it might make sense for some.

And I always have to nap the first few days. I'd be a walking zombie if I didn't. I do agree the "going to the country to avoid jet lag" is kinda silly.

If you knew your way around, that might be a way to do it, though not one I would prefer. But here's how I think of the two methods:

1. Fly into London, get to central London, find and check into hotel/leave luggage. Shower if room is ready. Go walk around, see a museum, whatever.

2. Fly into London. Get to central London to find your train station. Find ticket pickup machine. Find train (and hopefully your flight was on time so you have enough time to make it). Go to Bath or wherever. Figure out a second town that day to find where you're staying. Collapse.

I've done both. Method #2 stresses me out. Method #1 makes me excited to be there. I've never had a problem with jet lag, though of course it affects different people in different ways.

suze, I've had jet lag before several times from flying from East Coast to West Coast, so I do know what expect, although it will be differnt since it is London I'm going to.

Going out of town doesn't prevent jet lag, it just softens the blow, so they say. The logic is that instead of being in an upbeat place like London, if you immediately go to Bath you can relax and then move on to London after the lag has worn off.

Not at all what I would prefer. Dampens that original excitement of London IMO. Just wanted to see what experienced travelers had to say.
Thanks!

I usually use the method that Michele_Paris suggested and it works for me.

Depending on the time of arrival, I take a short nap (small alarm clocks are cheap) and go to bed at my usual time. Adrenaline and excitement will keep me going

It's coming home that is bad: the vacation is over, back to work, I am a zombie for a week!

i NEVER HAVE JET LAG GOING TO eUROPE, UNLIKE MY dh. i CHECK IN AND GET OUT AND ROAM AROUND WHILE HE COLLAPSES.

Sorry about the cap locks!

Lots of essentials that can be taken care of, getting transport tickets. picking up wine and snacks for the room, checking out nearby shops and services, I then go wake him up and we dress for dinner.

Now if you mean coming back to the US , I'm in a coma for at least 3 days!

I'm a believer of doing something active the first day.

The more fresh air you get, the better you'll feel. By being exposed to sunlight, you also regulate your circadian rhythms (sp?).

My best day adjusting to jet lag was the time I played golf - 18 holes walking felt amazing. We had dinner, crashed about 9pm and woke up the next morning ready to go. Second best adjustment day was when I did a 3 hour photo tour outside. It was in February, in London, and it was about 50 deg. I was cold, but felt great!

My worst ? when we sat on a bus tour. Couldn't keep from nodding off.

My next best advice ? Travel with kids. Then life doesn't become all about you and you're happy when they're happy!

East Coast to West Coast U.S. is NOTHING like the jet lag for Europe. Maybe it's worse for me since I'm coming all the way from Seattle to London (Amsterdam, Paris) but it's killer. Flying Seattle to NYC is definitely no big deal, hardly even notice it.