How To Avoid Jet Lag

So, it's been 3 years since I've traveled far enough to have to deal with jet lag in any form. We'll be doing a double jump this time: Spending the day in Baltimore (a 3-hour time difference) then heading on to Paris (a 9-hour time difference). This means I need a good strategy for our flights. 

Knowing how I've been able to avoid jet lag in the past is going to be a big help for us on this trip, as Eric and I have already talked about our ideal flight plans.

If nothing else, we know how to sleep on a plane

Adjust Your Schedule

The sooner you can get on your new schedule, the better. If you can do so before you leave home, that's optimal, but if you have to work and can't really do that, then start on your plane ride. Immediately set your watch to what the local time will be and do what you normally do at that time. If it's time to sleep, then sleep, but if it's not, make yourself stay awake as much as possible. I take a quick nap, but occupy myself reading, watching a movie, playing a game or coming up with new post ideas (maybe you journal instead). If you are traveling with someone, break out a card game and make them play with you. In other words, keep your brain busy. 

When you get to your destination, stay on schedule. If it's daytime, do some sightseeing. If it's nighttime, then go to bed. Simple! And don't forget to eat on time. Have problems getting on a new schedule? Try a time adjusting app!

Since we'll be flying overnight, our plan is to stay up on our Portland to Seattle leg, then sleep as much of the flight from Seattle to Baltimore as possible, since we'll be arriving at 6am. 5-6 hours is just enough sleep to be awake and not feel like we're going to drag in the middle of the day. We'll have something like 8 hours to walk around and sightsee, giving us the exercise we need to tire us out. 

The flight from Baltimore to Iceland (where we basically have enough time to change planes) is 6 hours. We'll be flying on a budget airline without any extras, so napping most of that flight shouldn't be difficult and fairly ideal. The next 3 1/2 hours to Paris are a toss-up. I will use part of that time to eat something and maybe zone out listening to a podcast or audio book.

Stay Hydrated

Not getting enough liquids in your body can cause you to be sluggish. Bring a big bottle of water with you on the plane, avoid dehydrating drinks like soda and alcohol, and continue drinking extra of water for the first couple of days of your trip. This can also keep you from getting sick. A great alternative to water is tomato juice. It's known to be one of the best beverages for flying, because it's hydrating and full of vitamins. If you're thinking this sounds super gross, just try it. The altitude from flying dulls your taste buds a bit, so it's actually tastier than you think.

Because we have to pay for any of our beverages or snacks on Play!, we'll be bringing two reusable insulated water bottles. I'll be drinking a lot of water on the plane, possibly with flavoring, because it's easy and hydrating, and if I don't drink it all on the plane, it travels fine. 

Eat Light and Healthy

Eating is really important, but you don't want to eat a huge meal before getting on the plane. You also don't want to eat fried and junk food. Find something light and healthy (or as much as possible) to eat before your flight that'll keep your going, but not weigh you down and make you sleepy. You'll also want to bring snacks. Protein-packed, healthy foods like nuts or fruit are great options. If you want to know more about a jet lag "diet", see my post here. 

I've already decided we'll be bringing a bag of snacks with us on our trip, including an insulated container of cheese and fruit. I might grab a few bananas in Baltimore, but we'll also be nomming on some lobster rolls before we get back on the plane. Those should be light-ish, but filling enough to get us through to another decent meal...that we'll have to snag on our way between flights, and probably eat on the plane. 

We'll be arriving in Paris at local lunch time and may grab a light meal before we get on the train to our rental, before we leave the airport. A quick sushi lunch may be perfect and should keep us energized until dinnertime, since we have tickets to a museum when we get in and hope to hit up another small one after. After dinner, we will probably call it a night and go back to our place to chill for the rest of the evening.

I've lost almost a whole day from jet lag in the past. What's your worst experience with jet lag?

What To Do In Paris, France

By now, you all know I'm headed to Paris next month. While you've seen my personal wish list, I thought maybe you'd like to see what others consider essential, especially for first-timers. As you'll see in this infographic, even on this, our third trip, we still won't have managed 100% of the "essential". Checks are things we've already done and circles are things we plan on doing.

photo credit

Obviously, there are so many more things to do in Paris, besides all the touristy things listed. I love looking for off-the-beaten-track activities, like the Sewer Museum that I just bought tickets for. It's a museum in a working sewer, which sounds gross, but it looks clean and quite cool, despite people saying it has a smell. I'd be surprised if it didn't. 

What things have you always wanted to visit Paris to see, do, or eat?

My 2022 Paris Wish List

I'm packing for Paris right now and working on my itinerary for my short-ish trip. We snatched up a great deal on a flight to Paris last year and decided to use it as an opportunity to hit up Disneyland Paris again. The last time we visited France was in 2013, and we shared that trip with DLP then, too. It was only two days, and we did a lot of regular touristy things in the city. This visit, we have 3 1/2 days in Paris proper to do things we've had on our list over the last decade.

Our wish list is probably longer than this, but I'm looking forward to getting back to a few places I want to explore again and checking out other neighborhoods that I missed before.

Photo by Anthony DELANOIX on Unsplash

Eiffel Tower

Yes, we've been here before, but it's always nice to commemorate your visit with a photo from atop a cool structure. I love everything about the Eiffel Tower, and while I haven't been able to book tickets in advance, I have hope that we can get there in the morning and take a trip up, grab brunch in the lounge, and then move on with our day of walking along the Seine and enjoying gardens and the Champs Elysees. 

Photo by Vince Duque on Unsplash

Canal Saint-Martin

We've traveled down the Seine, but we love a canal. Just walking around this historic area sounds awesome to me, but if I have a chance to take a little jaunt down the canal, we're definitely doing it.

Nicolas Flamel's House

He may not have actually made the elixir of life, but after his wife Pernelle died, he had this stone home built for both his alchemist experiments and as a home for those seeking shelter. It's now the oldest stone building in Paris and has been converted into a posh restaurant.

Photo by Fatemeh Alizadeh on Unsplash

Pantheon

I don't know why we've never visited this before, but we both decided it was something we definitely should check out. Cool architecture is always on our list and I don't entirely know what to expect from the Pantheon, but we will wear our hiking shoes and find out, since we have tickets to visit.

Photo by Divya M on Unsplash

Pere Lachaise Cemetery

On our first trip to Paris, in 2006, I learned about jet lag the hard way, but Eric also took it upon himself to plan a cool afternoon for us when I was sleeping for a thousand hours. He took me to Pere Lachaise and I fell in love with it. I know that sounds weird (he definitely knows me well), but it is such a love letter to departed relatives that it's hard to feel sad there. It's beautiful and we'll be staying about half a mile away from it, so we're going to spend a nice morning strolling the streets of the cemetery.

Photo by Anya Petrovic on Unsplash

Luxembourg Gardens

These gardens seem to be outside all the neighborhoods we visited both times and got missed out for things like Versailles. Now I'm looking for beautiful places that are also free and help us really discover the different sides of Paris. Their gardens have always been some of my favorite spaces.

Photo by Heriberto Murrieta on Unsplash

Sacre-Coeur

I know this is usually on everyone's list, and we probably would have skipped it this time, too, but we're taking the Montmartre tiny train around the neighborhood and then taking the funicular up to the top of some of their tallest steps, where the Sacre-Coeur waits. There will be 300 steps to the top of it to see the view, so I think I get a pass for not wanting to walk up another 222. I'll walk down though. Maybe. 

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Museum of Hunting and Nature

Ever since I read this article about Wes Anderson's Paris, I've been dying to visit this museum. I adore a colorful Wes Anderson vibe and unusual artwork. Some of the best museums we've ever visited have been off the beaten path, smaller museums that are niche. One of my favorites was the Wallace Collection in London, which also had an amazing and affordable afternoon tea.

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Carnavalet Museum

This is another museum I've never heard of, but it's free and close to where we're staying, so I'm down for learning more Parisian history, especially in a city that has very few free or budget-friendly museums. Even when they are, they are time-consuming, since you end up waiting for hours to get in. This is one of the reasons we've never visited the Louvre. 

A few other things I have on my list for if we have enough time:

• Museum of Magic
• Montparnasse Cemetery
• Le Centre Pompidou
• Champs de Mars

And, clearly, we have eating a lot of delicious food on our list. We appear to be staying in an area with some lovely brunch spots (the 11th arrondissemont) and what appear to be upscale vegan eateries. I'm very excited. If you're excited to see our travels, too, follow me on Instagram. Otherwise, I'll do as many posts as I can after the fact. 

Have you been to Paris? If so, what are some of your must-dos, including budget-friendly dining? Let me know in the comments.