# Flying to Australia **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [June 7, 2013, 4:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flying-to-australia/660357 "2013-06-07T04:39:10Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Fear\_the\_Turtle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_the_turtle/32/2926_2.png) [@Fear\_the\_Turtle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_the_Turtle)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2013, 4:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flying-to-australia/660357/1 "2013-06-07T04:39:10Z")
I’m taking a trip to Australia in October and was looking for some general advice regarding long plane travel and such. I’ve flown quite a bit, but never for that long a flight - mostly CONUS stuff. I know I’ll lose a day due to the Date Line, and I’ll be on the plane from 15-20 or so hours. Here’s the relevant details: The trip is a motorcycle trip in the Sydney/Melbourne areas. We’ll meet on a Monday evening, but don’t start riding til Tuesday morning. Monday is a meet and greet + dinner, then a good night’s sleep before the next day’s ride. Is arriving Monday morning sufficient time to get over any jet lag (I’m sure I can check into the hotel early and grab a nap), or should I attempt to arrive Sunday? If I leave Sat, I can get there Mon AM. But to get there Sunday I’ll have to leave Friday which means taking an extra day off work (which really isn’t that big a deal, I have the leave). I’m not a very good solo traveler, so I don’t relish an extra day to see Sydney if I’m doing it by myself. Someone else from the group my get there early also, but I won’t know til a few weeks ahead of time, as the company doesn’t release the e-mail addresses til then. So - for people who have made the trip, how long to get over the jet lag? I’ll be flying from LAX if that matters, and trying to get a non-stop. Speaking of which, any tips for booking a flight? Any advice on airlines for that long a flight? I have my miles with American, so I’d like to book with them (they have a partner flight with Qantas), even if it costs a little more. How much extra would you spend to get your miles? Fares appear to be around $1500 to $2000. Any other tips/advice? ---
**Author:** ![Thylacine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thylacine/32/1143_2.png) [@Thylacine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thylacine)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2013, 5:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flying-to-australia/660357/2 "2013-06-07T05:16:45Z")
I would be concerned about jet lag and how bad a bike ride may feel too soon after 15-20 hours of vibration in a seated position and give myself the extra day to stretch and sleep, particularly when riding on the other side of the road which requires constant alertness. ---
**Author:** ![sandra\_nz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/eada6e/32.png) [@sandra\_nz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sandra_nz)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2013, 5:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flying-to-australia/660357/3 "2013-06-07T05:19:03Z")
Yeah, take the extra day. I usually find 2 days is enough to adjust. Enjoy your trip! ---
**Author:** ![tellyworth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/977dab/32.png) [@tellyworth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tellyworth)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2013, 5:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flying-to-australia/660357/4 "2013-06-07T05:27:10Z")
Going from LAX/SFO to Sydney or Melbourne isn’t too bad, especially if you have a direct flight. You leave late at night, sleep, arrive at breakfast time. Going back the other way is worse for jetlag. If you don’t have trouble sleeping on a plane you might be ok arriving Monday morning. Stay awake during the day, get an early night, wake up more or less in sync with the time zone Tuesday morning. But I wouldn’t necessarily count on that especially if you’ve had trouble with jetlag before. ---
**Author:** ![penultima\_thule](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/penultima_thule/32/3833_2.png) [@penultima\_thule](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/penultima_thule)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2013, 6:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flying-to-australia/660357/5 "2013-06-07T06:04:04Z")
I presume that you’ll be familiar with the bikes, and differences in road rules e.g. driving on the LHS. Also don’t know where in Sydney you are leaving from, but if you are going to have a problem it will probably be in the first hour. So I’d suggest arriving the day earlier and familiarize yourself with the conditions before setting off on a 1,000km ride. Of course YYMV ---
**Author:** ![Spoons](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spoons/32/3141_2.png) [@Spoons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoons)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2013, 6:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flying-to-australia/660357/6 "2013-06-07T06:27:29Z")
Take the extra day, if you can. I’ve flown more than once from Toronto to Perth (via Honolulu and Sydney, a 30-hour trip), and Toronto to Honolulu then Sydney (a 24-hour trip) on a couple of occasions; and I’ve always been bagged for a day, maybe two, after each arrival in Australia. I can get by if I absolutely _must_ do business directly I land, but I’m certainly not at my best. So my advice is to take an extra day, if you can. I’ve found that I manage pretty well the day after I arrive. Maybe not perfect, but a lot better than I can upon my arrival in Australia. ---
**Author:** ![stui\_magpie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stui_magpie/32/11010_2.png) [@stui\_magpie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stui_magpie)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2013, 8:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flying-to-australia/660357/7 "2013-06-07T08:04:13Z")
No comment on the flight other than to say give yourself time to get over the jet lag because as others have said you’ll be riding on the other side of the road so intersections and turns will be counter intuitive. Just curious, you said > [@](#): > > The trip is a motorcycle trip in the Sydney/Melbourne areas. I don’t quite understand. You know Melbourne and Sydney are 8-10 hours drive apart? Is it one or the other or are you riding from one to the other? If it’s the latter, I’d suggest getting off the hume highway and going inland. ---
**Author:** ![Princhester](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3e96dc/32.png) [@Princhester](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Princhester)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2013, 8:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flying-to-australia/660357/8 "2013-06-07T08:51:19Z")
> [@Fear\_the\_Turtle](#): > > Is arriving Monday morning sufficient time to get over any jet lag? No. Takes a few days. 2 at least. You won’t be absolutely properly over it in the sense of having a completely and utterly normal sense of what time it is for at least 3 and maybe more days > [@](#): > > I’m sure I can check into the hotel early and **grab a nap** … Emphasis added Do not do this. By napping during the day (local time) you are just making your body clock even more confused and/or letting it fail to adjust. It’s temporarily painful, but basically you want to grab your body clock by the scruff and ruthlessly force it into the new time zone. Make yourself stay awake and keep yourself in bright light during the day in the new time zone. Keep yourself somewhere dark and make yourself go to bed during the night. This will get you into the new time zone quickest. ---
**Author:** ![Essured](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/278dde/32.png) [@Essured](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Essured)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2013, 12:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flying-to-australia/660357/9 "2013-06-07T12:22:04Z")
I just spoke with my partner who travels back and forth between Sydney and NY / LA reasonably regularly, plus is a motorbike rider. He said, IF you can leave on the midnight flight out of LA AND IF you can sleep reasonably well on a plane, that is very doable. He said if you get on the plane, have a meal and a glass of wine or two, sleep for the majority of the flight, you’ll get in on Monday am, then stay awake all day, but have an early night, he thinks you’ll be fine to ride on the Tuesday, since you’ll have adjusted to the time difference well. But, if you aren’t able to sleep on the plane, you’ll be trashed and not too safe to ride, since you’re jet lag will still be, well, lagged! So, if you know you are able to sleep on planes with little difficulty, go for it. If you’re uncertain or don’t know - take an extra day. You’ll already be dealing with opposite side of the road, different environment, etc, so you don’t want to be struggling with fatigue as well. Hope that helps! ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_the\_Turtle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_the_turtle/32/2926_2.png) [@Fear\_the\_Turtle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_the_Turtle)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2013, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flying-to-australia/660357/10 "2013-06-07T16:04:43Z")
Thanks for the replies everyone. Seems the consensus is take the extra day, with a few “it’s doable, but you have to sleep well on the plane (assuming a direct, 15 hour flight)”. I guess I was more concerened with what to do with 2 whole days in Sydney\* (by myself) then I was about jetlag. I think I’ll take the extra day. **stui magpie** : it’s a 13 day (11 riding days) trip, so we will be riding all over Southeastern Australia. The highlight of the trip is an excursion to Philip’s Island to see the MotoGP race. - I don’t want to turn this in to a “things to do in Sydney” thread. When my trip gets closer I may start such a thread then. Thanks all ---
**Author:** ![Digital\_is\_the\_new\_Analog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a88e4f/32.png) [@Digital\_is\_the\_new\_Analog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Digital_is_the_new_Analog)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2013, 12:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flying-to-australia/660357/11 "2013-06-08T00:32:13Z")
On a different note…do you have noise cancelling headphones? I find they make a huge difference (while awake…I can’t wear mine while sleeping). Especially on a long trip like that. I bought mine just before my LA -\> Fiji trip. We left in the late evening, slept most of the flight, and woke up for Fiji’s morning. Enjoy your trip!