Jet Lag: Do You Know the Top 3 Recovery Tips?

Our Tried-and-Tested Ways to Conquer Pesky Jet Lag

Overview

Intro
Step 1 - What is Jet Lag Anyway?
Step 2 - What Helps Against Jet Lag?
Step 3 - Our Conclusion?
Other - Helpful Tips for the Flight
Frequently Asked Questions

The time difference between Germany and New Zealand is ten to twelve hours. Your body has to adjust, and many backpackers push themselves too hard at the start of their trip.

That’s why we’ve gathered the best tips and tricks against jet lag together with the KiwiQuest community. We hope they can help you on your own journey.

So don’t forget: Keep your chin up!
Here’s the jet lag rescue!

Intro

As Zombies at the Airport...

After our 27-hour flight to New Zealand, the jet lag was anything but nice. Already at the airport, we wandered like two zombies through the crowd. Overwhelmed by everything, we made our way from the airport to our hotel.

Once there, finally salvation:
A bed! Yesss!

And yet the first few days in New Zealand were really not easy, because our good friend Mr. Jet Lag accompanied us at every step. We’d like to share with you what helped us.

Hope it helps!

- Team KiwiQuest

Step 1 - What is Jet Lag Anyway?

Finding the right flight is an art. But no matter how you fly, with extremely long distances, you adjust all your clocks by 10 to 12 hours. Except one: Your body’s internal clock initially resists and takes a while to adjust. Add to this the exhaustion from the long flight on which you probably didn’t sleep well. This is what you experience as jet lag.

User question:

How does jet lag affect the body?

At the very start of the journey, you might find yourself dead tired during the day and wide awake at night. You may feel a bit off and have difficulty concentrating. Perhaps you’ll feel exhausted, have mood swings, and get ravenously hungry at odd times.

User question:

Does age make a difference?

Yep. As a younger person, your body can adapt much better, and after one or two days, the “jet lag” topic will be a thing of the past. Tick it off and head into adventure!

Step 2 - What Helps Against Jet Lag?

Here they come: The top three tips against jet lag. Generally, it all revolves around your internal clock and how quickly you can get your body to adjust to the time change.

Tip 1 - Smart Flying

Firstly, it absolutely makes sense to plan your flight in a way that disrupts your internal system as little as possible. We do it like this nowadays. Basically, you have two options:

Fly with the Sun

For particularly long flights, you can try to "fly with the sun." This way, your body simply experiences a very long day on the plane and handles it much better than an extremely short day followed by sudden night.

Fly Against the Sun

If you're flying "against the sun," you should plan a stopover halfway. This gives you the chance to explore another metropolis and allows your body the opportunity to gradually adjust to the time change.

Tip 2 - Smart Eating

Your internal clock is closely linked to eating and drinking. Plan your meals so that they support the adjustment rather than hinder it. It's worth it, I promise!

Eat Right

Set your watch immediately to the time at your destination airport and try to eat according to the new rhythm. This way, the time on the flight already becomes your first day of adjustment.

Drink Right

Avoid alcohol and caffeine onboard, as they add additional strain to your body. Instead, drink plenty of water because the dry cabin air can cause you to lose a lot of fluids.

Tip 3 - Smart Arrival

Woohoo, finally there! But the jet lag is tough. So, what to do first? The most important thing is to strictly adhere to the new daily rhythm. This greatly helps your body.

Schedule Relaxation Time

Relax after your arrival and give your body time. Your internal clock is 10 to 12 hours behind, after all. It's important to plan your sleep and meals consistently according to the new daily rhythm. For instance, a nap might throw your body off more than it helps.

Schedule Activity Time

If you arrive during the day and find yourself feeling tired, go out for some fresh air instead of collapsing into bed immediately. Especially sunlight greatly aids your body in adjusting, signaling: Hey, it's daytime. Granted, it's not easy, but it's worth it, and your body will thank you.

Note:

About Eating and Drinking After Arrival

Your stomach also needs to adjust to the new times. So it might happen that you get a craving for a gigantic meal at odd hours.

The same rule applies: Stick to the new rhythm.
Treat yourself to a small snack and wait for the next normal mealtime for a large portion. Healthy eating and staying hydrated will help your body recover.

Step 3 - Our Conclusion?

Clearly, everyone is different. Even within the KiwiQuest community, everyone experiences jet lag in their own way. Some take longer, some less time.

Try to get good sleep on the plane, make a stopover, and take it easy in the first few days. Give your body fresh air, good food, and plenty of water. And don’t stress yourself out. Jet lag isn’t so severe that it should worry you. After a day or two, you can hit the ground running!

Enjoy your journey!

Other - Helpful Tips for the Flight

No matter what you do, a 25-hour flight is always tough. However, there were a few things that genuinely helped us on our flight. So much so that even Nils managed to sleep a few hours. Maybe they'll help you too.

[amazon box="B01E3SNO1G,B013YL97B4,B001DXCSS0" grid="3"/]

Note:

Tip - Noise-Canceling Headphones

What do businesspeople who travel the world frequently do? We asked frequent flyers how they manage to sleep or work on planes.

Many swear by noise-canceling headphones. The headphones pick up ambient noise and cancel it out with opposite frequencies. This allows you to sleep, work, or enjoy your music undisturbed.

The original [amazon link=B01E3SNO1G title=”QuietComfort by Bose”] costs 380 Euros, [amazon link=B07B7HGBLN title=entry-level models] are available from around 60 Euros.

Frequently Asked Questions

What other KiwiQuesters wanted to know...

User question:

Can I completely avoid jet lag?

No, sorry! Everyone has to go through it when flying to a faraway time zone. But don’t worry: after a few days, jet lag is completely forgotten, and you can fully focus on your journey.

User question:

Can I rent a car and drive right away?

It depends on the rental company. We definitely recommend staying at least one night in a hostel. Some rental companies also have their own policy for this. They’ve had bad experiences with young backpackers who start driving on the left side, overtired and overly ambitious. Take it easy :)

User question:

Is there jet lag on the return journey as well?

Yes. It is actually worse than when going. Maybe the anticipation at the start of the trip helps ease the symptoms. Either way: If you can, plan your return so you don’t have to jump back into work the very next day. It’s also wise to give your body some time here. Your colleagues or classmates will surely be glad not to sit next to a “jet lag zombie”.

User question:

Do caffeine, alcohol or pills help?

Sorry, they really don’t help. Sure, you can drink wine to get sleepy in the evening or start your morning with a lot of coffee. Some also swear by the sleep hormone melatonin. But this doesn’t help your body recover; it just gives it more tasks to process. The adjustment period is extended: A jet lag-lag, if you will.