JEStarr

I'm going to Thailand for my honeymoon in 2 weeks. I'm currently booked on flight 889 in J Class.

The flight leaves at 9:55PM, and gets into BKK at 10:40 AM. Does anyone have a recommendation for beating jet lag? We'd obviously plan to sleep at some point on the flight.

I'm also going to monitor award availability for 1. upgrades to F, and 2. to see if any award space opens on other flights.

Does anyone have a preference for flight times to BKK? Do you like the afternoon flight, or night flight better?

Want to deal with minimal jet lag if possible so that we can enjoy the honeymoon!

Duke787

It all depends on your body and personal preference. Going TPAC I prefer the late night flights like you have because I stay up all day and then eat a big meal at the start of the flight, have a few drinks, pass out for a few hours in the J/F seat and then wake up and it's morning.

However some people prefer an all daytime flight followed by a late afternoon arrival so they can go straight to sleep.

Based on your flights I would encourage you to just put in a full day before the flight and you'll be in good position to eat and fall asleep for a good portion of the flight.

YMMV

jspira

There is no one-size-fits-all practice for combating jet lag but these tips may help.

Quickly summarized, you can 1.) partially change time zones in advance of your trip, 2.) use melatonin, 3.) stay hydrated the day of travel, and 4.) if still tired when you arrive, take a short nap.

How to Take the Lag Out of Jet Lag: 6 Tips for Better Sleep While Traveling
Above appeared in FBT, where I serve as ed.dir.

erik123

Stay awake as long as you can and sleep the final 8 hours of the flight using one simply sleep and one melatonin. Nap on the last leg to Bangkok. Stay awake in Bangkok as long as you can and take another simply sleep/meltonin. Wake up the next morning before 11am. Try to keep to the new schedule as much as possible without napping. Don't overdo it on sightseeing. Pick one thing to do - and return to hotel in afternoon. If tired, go swimming at the hotel. Go out for dinner.

Thunderroad

Despite numerous trips overseas for work and play, I have to confess that I don't have a great recipe for dealing with jet lag. All I will advise is that you two be prepared for the possibility of being kind of out of it and even a bit cranky toward each other or toward others for a day or two. Though I certainly hope that's not the case, it's best to understand that this can happen due to your being jet lagged. That in turn can make any crankiness easier to overcome.

Anyway, congratulations and have a great honeymoon!

Doc Savage

Sounds perfect; go to sleep at a fairly normal time, say 11pm, and wake up in the morning. Have a relatively short first day and hit the sack at 11pm local time.

My current long haul regime includes two NyQuil gel caps and maybe a glass of wine. Zzzzzzzzzz.....

Bear4Asian

Advice above sounds good.

I'd reinforce the advice to stay up in BKK during the day to go to bed at a normal local bedtime.

And it is very helpful to me to get as much exposure to light during the day. Helps me to adjust better.

JDiver

Yes, that works for me too.

Eat sparely, avoid caffeinated beverages a day or two prior to and including travel, minimize the alcohol, westbound try to stay awake until it's close to bed time at destination - if it's daytime flights, only nap.

At destination stay awake until close to bedtime, supper sight and mostly carbs to get blood sugar decrease for sleeping, take a melatonin an hour prior to going to bed. Get up at a good time, drink some caffeine and eat a meal with sufficient value to keep your motor running. Get as much sunlight, especially in the afternoon, as you can. Take a melatonin an hour before bedtime. Rinse and repeat.

Do not do this if you have any health conditions that contraindicated them - discuss with your healthcare professional.

But this has worked for me for a long time. I began traveling globally as a troubleshooter in 1964, mostly to Asia, and after that continue to travel globally. Normally I go to bed ~9 or 10 pm / 21:00 or 22:00, and wake up automatically at about 06:00 / 6 am local time, ready for the day's activity - until last year, work.

What I do currently is my more liberal implementation of the 1983 research performed by Dr. Charles Ehret at the Argonne national energy lab for globe girdlers as such as Henry Kissinger. Link and Link to NY Times article.

I'll have the opportunity to apply this soon on my trip from California to Perth.

GateHold

Just remember that everybody's physiology is different, and that some tactics work for some people, but not for others.

Your arrival time in BKK is advantageous. You should be able to nap a bit, sightsee a little (be wary of the heat and don't overdo it if you're exhausted), then get a good night's sleep and feel refreshed on the second day.

PS

beckoa

This thread looks like an excellent candidate for TravelBuzz ^

~beckoa, co-moderator Information Desk

Redhead

[QUOTE=Duke787;25520585]It all depends on your body and personal preference. Going TPAC I prefer the late night flights like you have because I stay up all day and then eat a big meal at the start of the flight, have a few drinks, pass out for a few hours in the J/F seat and then wake up and it's morning.
/QUOTE]

Italics mine: I avoid alcohol like the plague on flights. Causes me much worse jet leg.

^ Yep. Just suffer the first day and push through until a normal, maybe little early, bed time and take a sleeping pill (i use tylenol pm) that first night

RustyC

Hard to add to what's already been given, but generally you have an easier time adapting to a lengthened day vs. a shortened one. The OP's itin sounds like a "lucky" one, especially in J. My typical one is 3 segments (if lucky, 2) starting out early and arriving in BKK at 11 p.m. (DL and UA get in late). There's enough tiredness to sleep when hitting the pillow in town around 1 a.m., but that doesn't prevent the circadian "crash" around 7 p.m. or so the next evening when the body feels like it's pulled an all-nighter and has to shut down. Those crashes are hard to stay awake through, especially with age.

Then the next night the crash will come at 8-9 p.m., then 90 minutes or so later the next night, and then *maybe* it's more like normal on night 4.

So I'll load up heavily on diurnal things and actually hit the hotel's breakfast on those first days in "jet-lag recovery" mode. Even though I'm not usually a morning person. BKK generally isn't oriented toward morning things, but you've got tours leaving then, the floating market and a different side of the old city to see.

RandomNobody

Add to that: "Get out and get some Sunshine." That'll help bootstrap your rhythm to local time.

lighthand

Try to get a flight that arrive around 1~3pm.

I would advice against too much alcohol during the flight firstly, and lots of water with juices in-between.

Don't overdo the sightseeing upon landing. Go for a nice swim, before a simple dinner (avoid spicy food for the first night). Nice thing about BKK is you can get a nice massage just before you head for bed. If possible and if you did not consume any alcohol prior, take a sleeping assist pill (melatonin is a good choice).

You should be able to shake most of the jet-lag the next day, but try to drink lots of water and stay outdoors.

Btw congratulations.

DieselYVR

Assuming you are on CX889 from JFK>HKG for the first leg. Note that this flight does a stop in YVR. I often take this from YVR>HKG. I would suggest staying awake and enjoying the service to YVR. On departure from YVR plan to sleep as much as possible. For me some drinks OR sleeping medication are in order here. You will then arrive in HKG early in the morning. You should have around 2 hours to kill in HKG so go the one of the lounges and have a shower to freshen up. Then try to power through the day without napping too much (ideally not at all).

Hope this helps with your specific flights. The others here have all posted excellent advice as well especially not over-doing it and getting some sunlight.

Congratulations!