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airplane in prep for flying
My technique for dealing with jet lag from long flights between entirely different time zones is to simply avoid it. How to avoid jet lag? The following technique has worked for me repeatedly during 20 years of international traveling. It’s very simple and extremely pragmatic. It only requires you to do some minimal research and planning then use a bit of discipline.
Every time I follow this routine, I arrive at my destination country already on their time zone/sleep schedule, full of my usual energy, ready to go out exploring. You can do the same.
My technique is this: set yourself to your destination schedule before and during your journey. That’s it
All you have to do is find out what your destination time schedule is, compare it to your current time schedule, and figure out when you should be sleeping during your journey to match the destination sleep schedule. Here’s my step by step method:
International Time Zones Chart
Step 1: Find out your destination’s current time. Compare that to your current time at departure point. Google ‘international time zones’. I use this website: TimeAndDate.com
Step 2: Set out your entire journey’s schedule on paper, including departure and arrival times, length of flights, and lay over times. Add the destination’s actual times for each entry.
Step 3: Working backwards, determine when you should be awake and when asleep during your journey to match your destination schedule.
Step 4: Plan out your sleep schedule before and during your trip. If it seems like a difficult switch, consider taking sleeping pills to help you out. You might also want/need to stay up extra late before leaving or take a nap midday the day before/day of your flight.
Lash boarding flight in Bangladesh
Sample: Flying from USA, east coast, to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
To illustrate, I’ll use the brutal flight schedule I’m taking this week, which includes 3 flights: a 3-hour flight, followed by two 12-hour flights, and in between, two layovers of 4 hours and 7 hours. Total trip time = 38 hours. Yikes!
Step 1: Time zones
KL is 13 hours ahead of US EST time zone.. That means a directly opposite sleep schedule! Two days from departure, I’ll be sleeping in Malaysia when I was normally awake in the USA. Hardest switch to make. No worries!
Sleep schedule: When I reach KL, I want to be sleeping from about 11 pm to 7 am / midnight to 8 am
airport arrivals / departures board
Step 2: Flight schedule
Depart Tampa 3.30 pm (KL time = 4.30 am)
flight time = 3 hours (1 hour time difference) ( KL time = 4.30 am – 7.30 am)
Arrive Chicago 5.30 pm/6.30 EST (KL time = 7.30 am)
layover: 4 hours (5.30 pm – 9.30 pm) ( KL time = 6.30 am– 10.30 am)
Depart Chicago 9.30 pm/10.30 pm EST (KL time = 11.30 am)
flight time = 12 hours (KL time = 11.30 am – 11.30 pm)
Arrive Amman 5.30 pm, Jordan time/10.30 am EST (KL time = 11.30 pm)
layover: 7 hours (Jordan time, 5.30 pm – 1 am) ( KL time = 11.30 pm – 7 am)
Depart Amman 1 am, Jordan time/6 pm EST (KL time = 7 am)
Arrive KL 6 pm. Malaysian time (KL time = 6 pm)
get good sleep
Step 3: Work backwards to determine when I should be sleeping and awake during the trip
In KL, I want to sleep from ~ 11 pm-7 am
As we can see from the time and flight schedule above, I should be waking up and starting my ‘day’ when my final flight departs Amman (1 am Amman / 7 am KL).
I should be awake the entire last flight, 12 hours (KL time = 7 am – 6.30 pm)
I should sleep in the Amman airport, total 7 hours, if possible (KL time = 11.30 pm – 7 am)
I should be awake the entire flight from Chicago to Amman (KL time = 10.30 am – 10.30 pm)
I should be awake during my layover in Chicago (KL time = 6.30 am to 10.30 am)
I should sleep on the first flight to Chicago, 3 hours (KL time = 4 am – 6.30 am)
Step 4: Plan sleep schedule before and during flight:
According to my technique, before leaving on my flight, I should either exhaust myself the day before so that I fall asleep on the afternoon flight, stay up all night and/or else sleep the morning of my flight until I have to leave for the airport, then sleep again on the first flight.
That’s it, one potential schedule I can use.
airport
In this particular case, the flight schedule poses a few problems:
* My sleep schedule the first day of the journey will be broken up into shorter sleep segments (3 hours on first flight and little or no sleep beforehand) That does not work well for me. I never feel rested.
* I LOVE looking out the window on daytime flights.
* It’s hard to sleep at airports while waiting for the next flight. I don’t want to miss the flight! I’d have to set an alarm clock, wake up one hour before departure. Plus, airports are noisy.
* I actually love airports. I don’t want to miss that, either. In this case, I’m excited to check out a bit of Jordanian culture and food at the Amman airport.
So, for this trip, I’m going to adjust my sleep schedule to KL in the middle of my journey. I will start with my usual USA sleep schedule until my last flight. Then I will switch to the KL times on the last flight! My schedule will look like this:
Step 3 and 4: another agenda
Before flights, sleep as usual in US.
Stay awake during first flight to Chicago, 3 hours. (KL time = 4.30 am – 7.30 am)
Stay awake at Chicago airport, 4 hours layover (KL time = 6.30 am to 10.30 am)
Stay awake the first 2-3 hours of flight, Chicago to Amman (KL time = 10.30 am – 12.30 pm)
Sleep during final 9-10 hours of flight, Chicago to Amman (KL time = 12.30 pm – 10.30 pm)
Wake up on arrival at Amman and stay awake during layover in Amman, 7 hours (KL time = 11.30 pm – 7 am)
Stay awake during entire final flight Amman to KL. 12 hours (KL time = 7 am – 6.30 pm)
-
here’s where I switch to KL time. This matches the original technique, above
I’ll arrive in KL at 6.30 pm, having been awake 19 hours already, so I’ll be pretty tired. I’ll manage to stay awake until 11 pm, then crash quite easily for my first night sleep in Malaysia. Voila, on Malay time!
Lash happy at sky diving air field
I might take a sleeping pill on the first long flight to make sure I get a solid sleep before staying awake the last long leg of the journey. And I might need some good caffeine for my final flight. Great- I can drink a triple espresso at Amman airport before boarding the plane! Maybe I’ll also pack a nice Red Bull or two. :))
I might catch a quick nap (1-2 hours in Amman or on the last flight) if needed.
That’s the theory. Let’s see how it works out!
Stay tuned for the final outcome. Wish me luck. Bon Voyage! See you next from Malaysia.
Q: Do you use this technique on long flights?
Do you have any other tips, techniques, or suggestions?
Chime in!
Be sure to catch the rest of this series:
How to Avoid Jet Lag pt 2: Follow-up Report
How to Avoid Jet Lag pt 3: More Strategies
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Hi! I'm Lash, an American nomadic world traveler who's been traveling solo since 1998. I’m passionate about traveling the world nomadically and then sharing it all with you. I hope to inspire you to travel the world, to entertain you with tales from the road, and to help you reach your travel dreams. Welcome! 
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2013/01/31 at 5:52 pm (UTC 8) Link to this comment
[…] LashWorldTourTravel Blog offering Cultural Insights, Travel Tips, and Tales of Adventure from 14+ years of world travelsHOMEABOUTAbout LashWorldTourAbout LashContactWhat’s in a name?LashWorldTour Travel MapLash’s Travel Fast FactsMissionsWorld Travels Overview: 1991-2011PressDisclaimerCOUNTRIESASIABALI- INDONESIABalinese CultureDiving in BaliBicycling in BaliAmedSanurBali MiscBANGLADESHBRUNEICAMBODIASHANGHAI- CHINAHONG KONGINDONESIABaliJavaLombokJAPANLAOSMALAYSIAKuala LumpurPenangLangkawiBorneoDiving in MalaysiaMalaysia MiscMYANMARNEPALPHILIPPINESSINGAPORESRI LANKATHAILANDVIETNAMAUSTRALIAEUROPEENGLANDSPAINS AMERICABRAZILUSAAdventuresBicycle TravelCycling in Bali SeriesHikingMotorbike TravelScuba DivingSky DivingSurvivor TV CrewTravel DisastersWWOOFCruisesTravel TalesCulturePhoto GalleriesTravel Tips10 Free Things to do in… SeriesAccommodation TipsFlight TipsLuxury Travel TipsMoney TipsSafety TipsWhy Living Overseas is Better SeriesMisc Travel TipsBeyond GuidebooksTravel ResourcesTRAVEL INTERVIEWSBook ReviewsHotel – Tour – Museum ReviewsLINKSTravel StoreFREE eBookTravel Books StoreLash’s Guidebooks to Bali wp_flash_img_show will display here (config: default)« Travel Perpsectives: Confessions of a Cold Weather Hater Car Rental Overseas: To Rent or Not to Rent? pt 1- Advantages 2013/01/31 by Lash WorldTourRenting a Car Overseas: To Rent or Not to Rent? pt 1- AdvantagesRenting a car overseas can be a fantastic way to explore a country. Known as ‘car hire’ or ‘hiring a car’ by the Brits, renting a car in foreign countries often has many advantages over using other forms of transportation, much like owning a car at home does.In this post I discuss the advantages of renting a car, qualifications needed to rent, and things you should check out before plunging in.In part 2 of this series, I will go over the many serious conditions you really should consider carefully before deciding to rent a car overseas Please be sure to read this post before you drive overseas! Without further ado, advantages of renting a car overseas:waiting for a bus in Penang – Malaysia1. Avoid the hassles of public transportation:Waiting for trains, buses and airplanes; sharing spaces with loads of other people, whom you don’t know; noise; crowded conditions and in some countries, sharing space with chickens, goats, boxes and crates. 2. Privacy:With a rental car you’ve got your very own space. This allows you to set the environment and travel style to suit your tastes- music or none, windows up or down, a/c off or on, smoking or smoke-free, food in the car or not. When using public transportation you generally don’t have a say in any of those matters.cool rental cars in Bali – Indonesia3. Freedom:Along with privacy comes freedom. Freedom to go exactly where you want, along the routes you want, when you want, at the pace you want. Stop as frequently as you want. Travel as long as you want to each day. Choose which way you want to reach your destination. And, as mentioned above, you have the freedom to set the car environment exactly as you please.charming coastal road in west Lombok, where there’s very little public transportation 4. Reach places you can’t get by public transportation:Even in countries with extensive bus and/or train service, public transportation still doesn’t reach every corner of the nation. Many of the best natural places, along with some great historic or cultural spots, you can only reach with your own transportation.5. Fun:Road trips can be fun, exciting and adventurous. If you enjoy driving, renting a car overseas could be your most enjoyable way of exploring a new country. Qualifications for renting cars overseas: driving in SingaporeOf course not every traveler has the choice to rent a car overseas. For one thing, renting a car is usually expensive. In fact, it’s usually the most expensive travel option available. In many countries public transportation is extremely cheap and quite extensive. So budget travelers might not have the financial means to rent a car.( One possibility for budget travelers, however, is to pool up with other travelers to rent a car and share the expenses. That could work out to cost the same as public transport, per person, and might well be within the budget of backpackers. 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Please share your ideas!———————————————————————————————–You might also find the following travel tips useful: Budget Traveers’ Guide to Adding Luxury to your TravelsHow to Avoid Jet Lag———————————————————————————————- /* /* Leave a Reply Cancel replyYour email address will not be published.Name:Email:Website:Message:You may use these HTML tags and attributes: <a href="" title=""> <abbr title=""> <acronym title=""> <b> <blockquote cite=""> <cite> <code> <del datetime=""> <em> <i> <q cite=""> <strike> <strong> […]