Melatonin has worked wonders for me when I’m trying to forcibly reset my body clock. It’s gentle and doesn’t give you groggy hangovers the way sleeping pills can. I won’t travel without it. Also, using ear plugs throughout the flight can help reduce that “I’m so tired from sitting” feeling that long flights are so good at producing.
A word of advice on getting around on public transport in Sydney: the ticketing systems are incompatible, out-dated, complicated, and arcane. And although an innocent look and an American accent will likely help, the Transit Officers are ruthless. Luckily, there is a sensible thing called a “Daytripper” ticket. Just go to any railway station and ask at the ticket window. It’ll cost you about A$15, and you can travel on all suburban trains, government ferries, and government buses until midnight. If you’re going to more than one place each day (and of course you will), it’s worth it. Leave the singles, returns, off-peaks, weeklies, Travelpasses, Traveltens, and the like to the locals - buy a Daytripper.
Don’t be tempted to hire a car unless you’re going outside the metropolitan area, or you have business to do in the outer suburbs. You don’t want to be stuck in Sydney traffic in peak hour, jetlagged, and trying to indicate a left turn with your windscreen wipers.
I always carry books with me on long flights, and end up uninterested in them. So I would stress a variety of different amusements. For me, this includes puzzle magazines, stitching work, mp3 player, and a notebook to write letters in. I can usually kill an entire hour looking at the SkyMall magazine.
I’m an extremely anxious flyer so I usually cannot sleep whatsoever, and my forays into medications that might put me out has always backfired. They make me tired and anxious, which is awful. I know I’m a bit unusual in that way, but I don’t think it’s really good to lean on a crutch like that.
I love the tip about backlogged NPR! Definitely bring something that will engage your mind.
I usually spend the last hour chewing my nails and gripping the armrests.
Have fun!
I thought my mom was the only one like that.
About 3 hours into a San Francisco to London flight, she told the flight attendent she had to get out.
At least they were kind enough to put her in a flight attendent seat and give her oxygen. They must get something like this fairly regularly.
If you intend to use sleeping pills please try them out before you leave. My mom-in-law took one for the very first time about 3 hours into our flight from LA to London. It didn’t immediately put her to sleep so she took another. That worked…When we were about an hour from our destination we all began getting ready to leave the plane – except mom-in-law, who was sitting motionless with one shoe in her hand for about half an hour. When we finally got off the plane she could not walk. The lovely Brit with a golf cart thingy who gave us a lift asked her “too much vino???” To this day she remembers nothing of the flight or the arrival or the first full day at our destination.
Good books and judicious amounts of booze. Be careful though. Flying lowers your tolerance dramatically. But, whatever you do, dont be a total schmuck like me and vomit over everyone sitting in front of you. No amount of “I’m soooo sorry” can really repair that situation. (I’ve never seen a Japanese guy so pissed off before :eek: )
Since you’re leaving at night and arriving in the morning, then you definately want to sleep on the plane and stay up all day in Sydney. Get out in the sunlight as much as possible. In my experience, staying up on the plane in hopes the exhaustion will beat jet lag usually results in you being both completely exhausted and still have jet lag.
If you’re flying economy, then you might want an inflatable neck pillow, eye shades, ear plugs/noise cancellation ear phones and a do not fucking wake me up goddamnit sticker. Make sure you buckle your seat belt over the blanket, so the attendant won’t wake you up with the fasten seat belt sign comes on.
After doing the transpacific thing for 20+ years, all I can say is Ambien (or equivalent) is your friend. I take one on the flight after the meal and a few drinks, and usually the flight attendant is waking me up as we land. I also take ambien for about 5 nights on both sides of the trip. You still get jetlag, but you’re body is not exhausted.
Flying Firat Class ceeratinly helps 
These are my personal tips gained over the years from frequent 14-hour flights from London to East Asia and beyond:
Wear those dorky thrombosis socks and take an aspirin as we’re sitting on the tarmac. Another aspirin 7 hours into the flight.
Don’t rely on the airline to get you a really good eyepatch - you can buy velveteen ones that have a cushion that goes up to your eyelids and excludes all light.
Take your favourite MP3 player and headphones, or earplugs, or use the plane headphones, but they’re not always that comfortable, to cut out the inevitable squalling baby noise.
For insomnia, bring a pen and puzzle books and a good novel or two. If you can’t sleep, walk around - make sure you exercise your leg muscles a bit. Flex your toes and ankles when you’re sitting down.
I take a nicotine inhaler for when the cravings get too strong for comfort.
Avoid alcohol completely - the plane atmosphere is very dehydrating, and alcohol exacerbates this. Keep hydrated with water or juice.
No sleeping tablets. I like to think that, should the untoward happen, I would be alert enough to cope with it. Also, a sleeping tablet will tend to cause you to remain inert, increasing the likelihood of muscle pain on arrival, or worse, blood clots.
When sitting or lying down, always wear your seatbelt. As China Guy says, clip it over the blanket when you’re sleeping.
BTW, I tried melatonin once, and it gave me the screaming heebie-jeebies. It’s not for everyone. Sunlight on arrival is good.
Also, congrats: Sydney rules. It’s one of my favourite cities in the world. My tip is to try the ethnic restaurants at Surry Hills. Fantastic food. And stock up for a lunchtime picnic at the seafood market, early in the morning. Freshest seafood ever, and mindblowingly good. The best oysters I’ve ever eaten.
Oops, no wonder I can never find the airport code. :smack: I like Sinny better anyway.
My last post (Sri Lanka) was a 27 hour flight from the U.S., and I’ll be flying to Kabul from San Francisco in September.
Key points:
–Ipod or other music player
–Business or first if you can for the room and better food
–Hydrate, take water whenever you can
–Lotsa books. 2 more than you think you’ll need
And plan on being a zombie when you arrive. Frequent laps of the cabin stave off boredom.
I disagree about the use of alcohol or drugs. I have tried all sorts of things and nothing makes me feel better or helps me adjust to the jet lag. I just gut it out now.
A lot of magazines. A long poem to memorize. Lots of water, barefoot walks in the aisles. Sleep when you are sleepy only.
Handy thread to read, this. I’m planning a trip in t’other direction to most of you – Auckland to LA in a couple of years’ time. Sleep (where possible), hydration and exercise is what I have so far on my checklist. Definitely no alcohol.
Dress smart - change into a track suit while the first meal service is in fiasco.
2 x 10 mg Temazepan with red wine is a good soporific
The cabin crew are acutely aware of the punters.
Try to go as long as possible without sleeping before the flight.
I have done quite a bit of long haul travelling - it all sucks, and there is nothing you can do but wait. Try to get an airline which offers on call movies etc (like Singapore Air and Air NZ).
But as for sleeping pills, while they seem like a good idea, I am pretty sure I have read that they can make you pretty motionless for a long time, and that can increase your risk of DVT. It is better for you if you keep regular movement going, which, as painful as it is, means sleeping under normal conditions. Plus as others have mentioned, you can’t choose when to flush them out of your system
Drink lots of water, and avoid alcohol - due to the cabin pressure, it affects you far more than at ground level, and therefore its dehydrating effects are more severe.
Move around when you can, walk down to the end of the plane, do stretches etc. The inflight mag should have a set of in seat exercises you can do too.
Bring as much entertainment as possible, as you won’t be sure what you feel like doing - mags are good, as they don’t require too much concentration if you are tired. I tend to plug in the earphones and listen to classical music if I am trying to sleep, and use an inflatable pillow and my own pashmina to wrap up in, avoiding the scratchy airplane blankets. A change of socks and underwear/wet wipes is good for the 30+ hour flights, but I probably wouldn’t bother for a flight this length. Instead, I would try to shower at LA airport before you board. Bring gum (fresh breath and equalises pressure) and lip balm for your lips and nose (things can get pretty dry).
When you arrive, accllimatise yourself immediately. Go have a shower and breakfast, and keep moving all day - aim to not go to bed before 9pm or so, otherwise you will find it really hard to kick the jetlag. Expect to feel slightly crappy for a couple of days (from LA not so bad, from London it’s a killer!)
Eh, I don’t find flying so traumatic. I did Boston->Dunedin, NZ which was a 36 hour end-to-end ordeal with 10 hours time difference and I got into Dunedin at 6pm, went to bed at 9pm and I was fine the next day. Magazines are better than books as reading material because you can toss them away once you get to the other side and you’re not stuck lugging a bunch of books around your entire trip.
My biggest tip is to get a tiny travel folder which you can hold your tickets/passport/a pen/a book and a bottle of water in. Keep that in your hands at all times and with you in your seat pocket when you’re on the plane.
I would bring a Nintendo DS or PSP if you like games. A small DVD player with your favorite movies might work. I usually save mini-series and long movie for the plane ride. Watch Band of Brothers if you haven’t yet. Even better idea is to buy a season of a good TV show. Things like 24, The Sopranos or The West Wing will keep you comfortable for the whole flight.
If you like books then save a really good and long book that you were meaning to read for the flight. Read it until it will put you to sleep. Though it is kind of hard to concentrate on books for the whole flight, so I would not recommend it.
Wear something really really comfortable.
When you get to Sydney, drink alcohol to maintain your sleep cycle.
Australia to London- 24 hours if you are lucky. Wear the stockings. Avoid alcohol. Drink heaps of water. Take an MP3 player. And also some sweets or something to snack on.