All the Nyquil, Tylenol PM, Sleepy pills etc all have Benadryl as the stuff that makes you sleep. Might as well just get plain old generic allergy meds: $4/100 at WalMart in the pink and white bottle. Compared to Ambien, it's slower acting (1-2 hours) longer lasting (8-10 hours) and frequently will leave you with a bit of a hangover affect when you wake up.
I'm a fan of Ambien for knocking down time zones. It's my circadian rhythm defibrillator. That said, DO NOT let the first (or second, third or fourth) time you take Ambien be on a plane or in a strange hotel room.
Try it 5 or 6 times AT HOME, WITH YOUR SPOUSE (or someone you won't mind discovering you had sex with the night before ;-) ).
Also, do not take it before you go to bed. Take it IN bed.
If your spouse is concerned about your behavior while under the influence of ambien (you won't remember a thing), don't take it on a plane.