How to: avoid jet-lag
If you feel like an alien on a come-down whenever you travel through a different time zone you’re not alone. Jet-lag (or jet-SLAG as we like to call it) can affect the most well seasoned of travellers, so how the hell are children meant to cope? Thankfully, we have a few tricks up our sleeves
On booking
The bigger the time difference, the crueler the jet-lag so choose your destination carefully. Despite being an 11-hour flight, South Africa is just one hour ahead of the UK meaning jet-lag is negligible. The beautiful Seychelles has just a three-hour time difference; The Maldives four, New York five and Thailand six.
Can’t avoid a time difference? Then avoid night flights where possible (where you’re unlikely to sleep anyway) and plan a journey where you land into the local airport in the early evening. By the time you get through security, collect your luggage and get to your hotel, it will be near-on bed time. If your child has been up super early to get to the airport, and not slept on the plane, they might well sleep through the night.
Try and book a journey on a Dreamliner, new-ish planes that are superbly quiet, have better air quality, larger windows and mood lighting that changes with the time zone – all things proven to reduce jet-lag.
If you are flying all the way to New Zealand or Australia, break the journey up with a night or more in Asia or the Middle East, ensuring you repeat the pattern on the return journey.
If the ‘slag’ is bound to be bad, book an Air B n B for the first few nights so that you can watch movies, raid the fridge and play board games during those twilight hours, and sleep during the day without being disturbed by other guests (or housekeeping).
Before going
Do your research: is there an early-morning or late-night food place you can frequent when it all gets too much? Those wide awake at 5am episodes will be made easier if there is somewhere you can go that has a bit of life - and where you can eat something if your stomach is upside down.
Buy some No jet-lag or Jet Candy, homeopathic tablets which naturally re-set your melatonin levels (the body’s natural sunshine) during a flight. Start taking them the day before departure for maximum effect. Some are suitable for children over two years’ of age – read up.
Scrutinise the plane’s configuration online before choosing where to sit. Avoid seats near the toilet (where doors opening, lights going on and off and constant flushing is bound to keep you awake), at the very back of the plane (where your seat may not recline and you will hear the constant clinking of the galley) and window seats (where, as nice as the views are, you’ll have to clamber over other passengers to go to the loo or walk your bored child around the plane). Book a free row and keep your fingers (and toes) crossed that it doesn’t fill up.
At the airport
Get a decent amount of food down you both before boarding – delayed journeys, busy planes and food that your child won’t eat may lead you to skipping a meal, and nobody upon nobody sleeps when hunger strikes.
Take your child for a wee, too – this sounds stupidly obvious but it takes a while for those seat belt signs to go off, and a full bladder is a definite barrier to sleep.
On the plane
If you are likely to land early in the morning, a bit of sleep is a must. Get on the plane armed with eye masks, neck pillows, bottle of waters, noise cancelling headphones and those No-jet-lag or Jet Candy pills. Does your child like music? Find a soothing track for them to listen to and hope they can drift off.
Too much coffee will prevent sleep; alcohol will dehydrate you – as yawn-inducing as it is, stick to water if you can (there will be plenty of opportunities to enjoy wine on the holiday).
If your child is likely to be too excited to sleep, try giving them a spoonful of anti-histamine medicine before departure. This will make them a little bit drowsy and help them drop off (don’t worry… as long as they aren’t allergic, this is a medically-proven flying aid).
On landing
Staying awake until bedtime is the golden ticket for beating jet-lag but it ain’t easy, particularly for children. Keep moving, drink plenty of water, eat when the locals do, keep meals light, avoid alcohol and do something stimulating. If your son or daughter is falling asleep on their fish fingers, end the meal with something sugary (ice-cream is always a winner) and get out in the fresh air. If all else fails, a 20-minute power nap isn’t the worst thing you can do, just make sure you set an alarm and force yourself up and into the shower afterwards.
And remember, jet-lag doesn’t last forever – a few days will see everyone right side up again (erm, sorry about that).