Hello Fodorites! I know there are many previous threads on preventing jet lag, but I wanted to post a new one to get a fresh perspective. Also, my flight schedule is just a little bit different. I am leaving Orlando, FL at 8:30 pm and then arrive in Amsterdam at 11:30 am with only a one hour layover and then onto my destination Paris, in which we arrive at 1:15 pm. What are your thoughts on preventing the dreaded jet lag?
Thank you!

I fly direct, then take a shower and a nap.

Wish I could fly direct! Not a choice from my home airport.

The trick I've learned from 15 student tours is to try to nap on the plane, avoid booze on the flight then stay awake and active all that first day in Europe. DO NOT NAP!!! Keep going and keep occupied so that you don't even notice that your tired. Then go to bed around 10:00. I usually wake up in the middle of the night but then get back to sleep and wake up at my regular waking time at home, around 6:00. By the second day I feel completely acclimated.

I still haven't perfected re-adjusting when I get home however. It seems to take me a couple of days until I stop feeling sleepy at dinnertime.

Since you are arriving in Paris at 1:15pm, I would advise against taking a nap. I generally walk a lot, drink plenty of water, eat a light meal and try to stay up to as close of a normal bed time as possible ( usually about 10:00 or 11:00pm). After one early evening I am generally adjusted by the next day. I have done this on all of my trips to Europe ( about 20 at this point) except one, when I took a midday nap and then could not fall asleep that night until 3:00am. It took me days to get over the jet lag. I have also found that the jetlag is harder on the return home and it takes a few days to get over it.

Otzi, we seem to have the same plan!

I used to try to do what the people above said, but the second I would lay on the bed, just to "rest" I was gone, and unfortunately the jet lag stuck with me for a day or two. However, since I started taking Ativan for flights (I have severe anxiety flying), the naps taken on the flight were sufficient for me to follow what everyone above said.

We live on the west coast, so our flights to Europe get us in at a similar time. We check into the hotel, get settled and cleaned up, and then head out for some sightseeing making sure it includes some good walking, have a good dinner, and then turn in. The next day we are pretty well adjusted to the local time. I agree with not having any alcohol on the plane and making sure to stay well hydrated. I've found that dehydration makes my jet lag worse.

I've found that only getting an hour or two of sleep the night before you get on a long flight can help in sleeping on the plane. With you leaving in late evening though that's likely not the best plan. Some people take sleeping pills or anti-anxiety pills to sleep on the overnight flights. I've found in the past that taking two benadryl will knock me out pretty well. I always try to get a window seat so that I can lean up against that and be a lot more relaxed about falling asleep than if I kept thinking "don't lean onto the stranger next to you, don't lean on the stranger next to you...". Basically the goal is to sleep on the plane if you can.

Once you land in Paris, do NOT sleep or nap. Take a shower if you want, or just get outside and get moving. Have dinner at a normal time and stay active until 9 or 10pm. Then go to bed and get up at a normal time the next morning. If you let yourself nap or if you sleep late the next day it's a lot harder to get changed to the local schedule.

Good luck!

It seems like the whole no nap thing is crucial. Thanks for all the great advice! Keep em' coming if you have anything else!

No nap for me. Check into hotel, brush my teeth,comb my hair, and take off on foot. But I do have a problem going to sleep at night for the first 8-9 nights in Europe. My body refuses to go to sleep at European Bed time. I have tried Ambien but they don't make me sleepy. Then when I return home I wake up at 5:00 AM for the next 7-8 days.

Keep hydrated on the plane. Your first day there, do something that doesn't take a lot of brain power, like a museum. Stay outside in the fresh air.

To help keep you awake during the afternoon when you arrive in Paris, take a criusethe Bateau Mouches on the SeineThe breezes hitting my face did the job for me. Have dinner, and then stay up until 10pm or so, then you'll be fine the next morning.
Even better is taking a daytime flight to London and flying on to your destinatin the next day. No jet lag at all.

Hi Jill,

Everyone makes adjustments differently. Personally, I enjoy a wine or two on the trip over. It’s part of the fun! I fly from Boston so the trip is not as long as those who fly from the west coast.

When I first arrive at my destination, the landscape and weather usually look bleak. But when I know that my luggage is secure and my room is available, I “stretch out” for an hour or so, take a shower, and then am off. I accept jet lag as part of the package and am amply rewarded when I gain 5 or 6 hours on the return home.

Happy travels…

My advice is similar to everyone else's. The key for me has always been to start getting up earlier and earlier about a week before the trip. This forces me to go to bed earlier. By the time the day of the flight comes, I am waking up at 3:30 or 4 am. This allows me to sleep on the plane because I am dead tired.

I download relaxation/visualization/meditation podcasts to my iphone. Those really help to block out background noise and put me to sleep. It is also helpful to have a comfy airplane pillow, comfortable clothing and an eye mask.

We also use the No Jet Lag homeopathic pills. Even if it is just a placebo effect it seems to help.

No nap upon arrival...unpack, take a shower and go for a walk.

We consider it a success if we make it until 8 or 9. Go to sleep and then you will be on track!

On the other hand, some of us can not sleep on the plane and can not stay up all day after staying up all night. I nap. And then I can stay up late that first night for a nice late European dinner and maybe even go out after dinner. I can stay up late the first couple of days before I am totally adjusted to the time change this way.

I also let myself sleep late, something I am unable to do at home, where I wake up before dawn and have done so all my life. So being in Europe allows me to have a timetable that I associate with vacations, rising late and going to bed late as well. After a couple of days I am back to my usual routine, but I enjoy the days before I am adjusted and try to make the most of them.

There's no way to prevent jet lag. If you can sleep on the overnight flight over, that will help you the most. Some people can sleep on planes, some people can't.