December 12, 2022

7 Ways to Manage Jet Lag (and Even Avoid It) on Your Next RTW Trip

Jet lag isn’t anyone’s friend. But, during a multi-city flight from Melbourne, Sydney or Brisbane to anywhere in the world, if jet lag catches up to you, it can really put a damper on your RTW trip.

What is jet lag?

Before we get to how you can manage and even avoid jet lag, let’s first talk about what it actually is.

When you go to sleep, your body naturally goes through the circadian rhythm. When you fly frequently, or during an RTW trip, you go in and out of different time zones, disturbing the natural process of this rhythm. To combat jet lag, the easiest thing to remember is you should try to fly west instead of east. This way, you can avoid red-eye flights overnight, when you’d usually lose hours.

Symptoms of jet lag include feeling extra tired, more irritable and irritated at those you are travelling with, and sleeping or not being able to sleep at usual hours. Depending on where you’re flying to and how long, jet lag can last for a few days or weeks.

Our top tips to manage (and even avoid) jet lag on a RTW trip

We know how irritating jet lag can be. These are our top tips for managing, and even avoiding, jet lag so you can enjoy your RTW world trip.

Stay hydrated: avoid alcohol, caffeine and sugary drinks when flying

While it’s not the most fun tip to say no to that coffee on the plane or a nice glass of wine, it’s not worth making your jet lag any worse. Alcohol, caffeine and sugary drinks are all delicious. Although they all have another thing in common: they’ll keep you awake. For some, a glass of wine can make you sleepy, but this is only temporary. Each of these drinks also does its best to dehydrate you. Avoiding these also means steering clear of them at the airport bar too. We promise you’ll hate us now but thank us later.

During any RTW trip or multi-city trip, water is your best bet. Flying already dehydrates you enough as it is, so avoiding these drinks is your best bet at preventing jet lag in your upcoming days or weeks.

Add in a stopover

This tip helps to manage, but most likely even prevents jet lag. Turning your stopover into a bonus holiday of its own will do wonders at avoiding jet lag. When you book your RTW trip with Airfare Geeks, you’ll have a specialised travel agent who can suggest where your best stopover would be. For example, in this deal from Australia to Osaka, from just $2589, you can have up to two stopovers in Asia – so why not add a mid-way point while you are at it?

Wear comfortable clothing

There is nothing worse than being on a flight and feeling uncomfortable in your clothes. Long-haul flights are the perfect excuse to wear loungewear and activewear when you’re not exercising. Considering what you should wear on a long-haul flight is crucial for your long-haul trips. We’re a big fan of some fluffy socks, layering up as much as you can, and, of course, an eye mask and even earplugs to dampen the noise. While wearing comfortable clothing won’t avoid jet lag, it will help you with the best chance of having a good sleep on the plane. This leads us to our next tip.

When flying, try to get some sleep

Depending on what timezone or time you’re flying into, during your flight, try to get some sleep. Getting shut-eye when you can will give your body time to adjust and prepare for the next time zone. While staying up watching Netflix all night on the plane can sound like fun, your body won’t be thanking you for it over the next few days.

Get up and move around when travelling

This is the opposite of getting sleep, but if you are flying into a time or time zone where it’ll be daytime when you land, get up and get moving. Of course, you don’t need to be doing star jumps all through the airport, but keeping yourself moving with some light stretching will help, especially if you’re going to be sitting down for the next 8 hours.

Try an app

With there being an app for everything nowadays, it’s no surprise that there’s an app to help you to combat jet lag. If you’re a frequent flyer or you know you’ll be encountering jet lag at some point during your RTW trip, the Timeshifter app is a must. You can input where you’re going, and it will give you cues about when you can have a cup of coffee or times when you should avoid it for ‘x’ amount of hours.

Avoid the fast food

Let’s face it: unless you’re flying in business or first class devouring champagne or caviar on planes like British Airways’ new business class suites, you’re likely bingeing on fast food. You’re reaching for anything sweet or salty that you can get your hands on. It’s ok. No judgement here – we’ve all been there. But, while it’s tempting, avoid it where you can. Fast foods are always high in sugar and sodium, leaving you feeling bloated, uncomfortable, and much less likely to have a good sleep when you need it.

Final Thoughts

While jet lag may only be a small part of travelling, it’s important to manage it so you can make the most of your round the world trips. As we say, the overseas experience is always worth it. Here at Airfare Geeks, we help you plan your dream multi-city trip. So if you’re considering booking a Summer holiday or that trip you’ve been dying for, then get in touch with one of our specialist travel agents and book your trip today.

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