Jet Lag Remedies - How to recover from jet lag!

The long flight journey to Australia

How to get ready, stay fit on the plane and recover from jet lag!

Flying to Australia, from whatever part of the world you are flying from, is a very long journey. From Europe takes between 17-21 hours, from USA depending which direction you fly from, the average flight time is around 20 hours, leaving from Asia you have the shortest way, though always 8 to 10 hours.

For some people the flight to Australia itself represents a huge challenge to endure with! Moreover unpredictable events like delays or technical problems can make your journey last longer that planned, thus putting a strain on your nerves. You definitely need a good dose of self-control to keep calm in these annoying circumstances. There's nothing you can do, just take it easy!

Here below I have compiled a list of tips for you on how to get prepared for your long flight to Australia, how to stay fit on the plane and how to recover from jet lag:

How to get prepared for your flight to Australia

This is a very important part of the whole flight preparation, because depending on how good you prepare yourself, it will have an impact on your flight journey and it will enable you to feel comfortable, stay fit during the flight and allow to get some sleep as well.

As a general rule, a couple of days before your flight try to be on a light diet, drink lots of water, get plenty of sleep and do some exercise outdoor, this will help you finding you some balance and harmonize your body before facing the long flight seating.

Some helfpful tips on how to prepare yourself for the flight:

Pack you carryon luggage
with necessary stuff you need on the plane and for the first 1-2 days. You never know whether your checked in luggage will reach its destination together with you and you might have to wait for your buggage to be handed over to a later extent. Here some tips on how to pack.
Plane outfit
wear comfortable clothes: soft socks*, strecht trousers, fleece jumper, and medical stockings
(if needed).
Toilettes products
hand and face wash gel, tooth brush and tooth paste*, brush, comb*, hand and face cream and all your personal items you will need during the flight (if for istance you are taking medicines, pack more than what needed, if a long delay occurs you must have enough with you to cover at least a couple of days).
Sleeping remedies
eye mask, ear plugs, essential oil like lavender or peppermint, herbal tea bags (I use an excellent ayurvedic herbal tea) essential nutrients, I never travel without! vein balm, very important if you suffer with vein problems to prevent ankles and legs swelling.
Personal entertainment
books, magazine, diary, i-pod, laptop, music: everything you like to keep you occupied on the plane.
Rememembar that your hand luggage should not exceed 8-10kg, check with your airline company's baggage weight regulation. As you know, you cannot take liquids into the cabin, unless they are filled into little plastic bottles up to max 100ml each. You will have to fill the standard plastic zip bag which is usually 1liter per person. Check the latest measures at the airport you are leaving from.

How to stay fit on the plane

This is the biggest issue! Sitting for hours and hours on a plane-seat can be for some people a real challenge. And this is crucial, most people cannot manage to sleep on the plane, and unless you have booked in business class or you can upgrade to first or business class, your seat will not turn into a bed, so here a few tips on how to cope with your stay on the plane:

Make yourself as comfortable as you can
If you notice, you have left something behind ask the fight attendants, they are usually very helpful. On your flight you will receive a bag with a pair of soft socks, a blanket, a pillow a little bag with tooth paste and tooth brush. Remember that on the plane it gets cool in the night. Pack a warm jumper in your arryon luggage and if you do not have one ask for an additional blanket. You are going to spend hours sitting and you must feel comfortable.
Keep yoursef occupied
Read a book, watch a film, write, listen to your fav music etc. This is important, on one hand it will make time pass by and on the other hand one being active will make you tired and help getting some sleep.
Try to get some sleep
How can you make things easier ? Have your meal and drink some wine or beer with it, but do not exaggerate, alchool is not good when flying, but it can make you feel drowsy. For me beer works like a sleeping pill!
Dring plenty of water!
to prevent dehydration. On the plane air is dreadful. You "must drink water" and a lot of it. Since you are not allowed to bring your own water bottle with you in the cabin, ask the flights attendants for one or two bottles of water, according to your weight, you should drink at least 3 liter every 50kg.
Walk along the cabin corridor and stretch your legs as often as you can. If you cannot get some sleep, there is no point in sitting for hours and hours. Stay up and walk along the corridor for 5-10 minutes every hour. While walking do some exercise to stretch your legs and ankles, this will avoid swelling as well as the building of blood clots in your leg veins. Aspirin is the only thing I sometimes take to help prevent the swelling in the legs and thus make blood thinner.
Avoid alchool in excess and avoid sleeping pills
if you can! A beer or two may help you fall asleep or maybe a glass of wine, but too much will just achieve the opposite effect. Do not take any medicine to help you fall asleep. Try it the natural way by drinking herbal tea (bring your tea bags from home).
Or try by using lavander essential oil on your forehead.

How to recover from jet lag

Travelleing to Australia from the northern emisphere will cause you some discomfort when flying into Australia and the time you need to recover on the so called jet lag will depend on how good your flight has been. If you managed to sleep a few hours, felt good, comfortable, did not have any kind of ailments. There are anyhow some good general rules to follow during the first couple of days after your arrival:

Adjust to the local time and season as quick as you can
This is the most important thing to do. If you feel like sleeping during the day:

1)stay awake during the day and only go to sleep at night.
2) expose yourself to daylight, take a stroll, at the beach, or in a park, where you can breathe fresh air.
3) keep yourself occupied but at the same time do not plan too much.
4) avoid outdoor activities the first 2 days after your arrival.
5) do not take any sleeping pills, try to adjust your biological rhytm naturally.

Obviously every indivual is different, someone may need only one day to recover completely, whereas some people need 3-4 days to fully adjust to the local climate and local time.
Treat yourself to a couple of days of rest
This is in my opinion the best and quick way to recover from jet lag. Book from home your stay for a couple of nights at your arrival destination and and give yourself a good rest before setting off into your adventurous trip around Australia. You will fill up with find your natural balance and fill up with positive energy.