Comments on: Jetlag is a Bitch. A Few International Flying Tips

By: Terence Patrick

Terence Patrick — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 15:23:17 +0000

A few minor tips that have helped me with long international flights:
1. drink lots of water, especially on the second half of the flight before arriving. helps with feeling more alert and refreshed.
2. use saline solution nasal spray (OTC at most drug stores) by spraying, blowing, then spraying again. the air on planes is dry and recirculated. the saline solution keeps the sinuses from drying out and also cleans out any dust and crap in the air.
3. alcohol wipes for cleaning trays, arm rests, and the buttons/vents overhead. have you seen how dirty the grooves are in the vent knobs? sounds kind of OCD, but the last thing one needs is to be sick the day of a big international job.

By: Carl

Carl — Tue, 24 Feb 2009 15:15:07 +0000

Nick–Loving the blog. Question for you as a Roller Bag fan. Assuming you have your gear in the roller and your laptop, etc… in a briefcase/messenger, how do you pack your clothes? Is that checked or carry-on too? If checked, do you end up towing two roller bags around? Have you run into issues towing a roller bag in rougher terrain such as beaches, outdoor locations?
Also, do you ever bring any small lighting kits with you, or is it all or nothing (ie; the full commercial lighting package vs speedlights). Just hoping you could expand a bit on that.
Thanks–looking to following your awesome blog.
Carl

By: Mark Leibowitz

Mark Leibowitz — Sun, 22 Feb 2009 11:44:15 +0000

I find going for a swim on Ipanema beach also does wonders. Nick Onken, you are the man!
BTW, also check out http://www.boingo.com for some great wireless connectivety throughout airports and other locals. They have a great software that finds their hotspots so you can log-on in one click. Works on wi-fi phones too and saves you $$ on roaming charges (especially with the iPhone).

By: Jun

Jun — Sun, 22 Feb 2009 02:29:34 +0000

I completely agree on trying to sync up with the time zone of my destination as a way to beat the jetlag. The problem is for me, I always end up watching a lot of the in flight movies and so sometimes I don’t sleep on the flight when I should (if it’s an overnight flight). There are too many movies to watch now!

By: Michael Schulz

Michael Schulz — Sat, 21 Feb 2009 21:46:19 +0000

Great post as usual. What I also found to be very helpful is to get the window seat if possible. That way you can sleep and nobody needs to wake you up to go to the rest room. It’s better to wake other people up .
As soon as I get on a plane I also set my watch to the destination time zone which helps with the adjustment and “thinking” in the local time.
As for sleep meds I use Tylenol PM which works great for me.
Wear comfortable shoes you can easily take off in the security line but also on the plane. Your feet will “expand” while in the air which can be a pain.
Your stomach might take a ‘lil longer to adjust to the different time zone so if possible eat when hungry (which may not be at the same time when everybody else is ).
Mike