The Travelista

  • Home
  • About
    • Collaborations
    • Press
    • FAQ
    • Contact
  • Travel
    • Destinations by World Map
    • Hotels
    • Airlines
    • Restaurants
    • Itineraries
  • Life
    • Yorkshire
    • Style
  • Motherhood
  • Inspire Me
    • Adventure
    • Beach
    • City
    • Culture
    • Mountain
    • Tropical
  • Shop
    • E-mail
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
    • YouTube

My 5 Steps to Better Sleep Whilst Travelling Abroad

21/08/19 ᛫ Add a Comment

One thing about blogger press trips is that you’re expected to hit the ground running, no matter how many time zones you’ve flown across to get there. The itinerary starts as soon as you land, and so does the content! So whenever I fly long haul, I have a ritual that helps prepare my body for the new time zone before I’ve even arrived. I’m collaborating with sleep experts and mattress specialists TEMPUR®  to bring you my 5 step guide to better sleep whilst travelling abroad. Try them out next time you go long haul so you can make the absolute most of your time on holiday.

better sleep whilst travelling abroad in a luxury hotel room

Sponsored Post

Before Your Flight

Step 1: Adjust your bed time and wake up times before you travel

If you’re really determined to combat jet lag and get better sleep whilst travelling abroad, think about making sleep adjustments before you travel. For 3 nights before your flight, try shifting your bedtime by 1 hour each night (earlier or later depending on your time zone). By the time you fly your body clock will have adjusted closer to the time in your destination.

Example; You’re flying to Thailand on Thursday. Thailand is 6 hours ahead of the UK. You usually go to bed at 10pm, but on Monday you go to sleep at 11pm. On Tuesday you go to sleep at 12pm. On Wednesday you go to sleep at 1am. Your body clock will be 3 hours closer to Thailand before you even board the plane.

Step 2: Pack an eye mask and ear plugs in hand luggage

We all know that a plane isn’t the easiest place to get some sleep, but these items can help to give you a fighting chance, and I never fly without them. The eye mask will keep you in darkness regardless of when the cabin lights get turned on, and the ear plugs will help block out any unwanted noise. You might also want to try a travel pillow too.

Ready to fly to Florida! I always take a travel pillow with me on long haul flights

In Flight

Step 3: Set your watch to your new time zone as soon as you fly

Don’t wait until you land to get your head around the new time zone. Get one step ahead and update your watch during your flight. If you arrive at your destination at night, you’ll want to try and stay awake for your whole flight. If you arrive at your destination in the morning, you’ll want to see your flight as the ‘night’ and try to sleep as much as possible.

Step 4: Minimise alcohol and maximise water

It sounds obvious, but avoiding alcohol really does make a difference if you’re determined to beat jet lag and get better sleep whilst traveling abroad. Because of the low barometric pressure in the cabin of a plane and the lower level of oxygen in your blood, you’re likely to feel the effects of alcohol sooner than on land. Alcohol also reduces REM (rapid eye movement) which is essential for quality sleep. Find out what happens to your body when you drink alcohol on a plane. Avoiding alcohol is one of the best ways to feel good after a long haul flight.

Top Tip: Water is usually rationed out in small cups on board flights and its nowhere near enough to stay hydrated, so I bring a re-usable water flask and ask the cabin crew to top it up for me. This also saves on wastage of copious plastic cups.

Get better sleep whilst travelling abroad on the TUI dreamliner

On board the TUI Dreamliner en route to USA

After Your Flight

Step 5: Be strategic about the first sleep in your new time zone

If you’re arriving at your destination in the day time, it may not be the best idea to go straight to sleep. Going to sleep in the evening of your new time zone can help you beat jet lag all together. If you are completely exhausted, try taking a 1 hour cat nap then see it as ‘starting the day’ again in your new destination. This is what I did when I flew to Bali and although the day felt so long, my body quickly caught up to the new time zone.

Mangos poolside in Bali. Get better sleep whilst travelling abroad.

Resting and recharging after a long flight at the Four Seasons Jimbaran Bay, Bali

My Review of the TEMPUR® Comfort Travel Pillow

I’ve been testing out the TEMPUR® Comfort Travel Pillow and have slept on it for the past 2 nights at home. Despite being much more compact than my usual pillow, I was really surprised by the support and firmness despite its size. I’ve always loved a firm pillow and often find that plush featherdown pillows in hotels flatten down to nothing when you lie on them. Some of the amazing hotels I have stayed at have offered ‘pillow menus’, but I love the idea of being able to travel with a pillow that I know is the perfect firmness. It would be ideal for camping, long journeys and flights too.

How do you beat jet lag and get better sleep whilst travelling abroad? I’d love to hear your own tips, so please do share them in a comment below. Jess x

This blog post has been sponsored by TEMPUR®. All words and photos are my own.

coconut with a straw in Bali

Beating the jet lag with a hydrating coconut in Bali











Add a Comment

Related Posts

  • My First Time in First Class with Air Mauritius
  • My 5 step evening ritual for a great night’s sleep
  • Flying First Class with Virgin Atlantic
« A Travel Mums Best Friend: BABYZEN YOYO Review
Going Back to Work after Having a Baby »

Spark a conversation! Cancel reply

Jess is an an award-winning UK travel blogger based in North Yorkshire, providing you with inspiration for both local and global adventures.

Read More

Looking for something in particular?

Subscribe

Never Miss a Post!

Latest Posts

Mediterranean Cruise Itinerary: Visiting 6 ports in 7 days

Family-friendly glamping in the Lake District with Feather Down Farms

An Indulgent Escape at Columbia Beach Resort, Cyprus

Follow on Instagram

What can I say, ya gals a foodie 😝🍴 #trave What can I say, ya gals a foodie 😝🍴 

#travelfoodie #eattheworld #globaleats #worldeatery #eeeeats #worldfood
Hello 2023! 🤍 A clean page, a fresh start. I h Hello 2023! 🤍 A clean page, a fresh start.

I had too many words about 2022 for a caption, so I’ve put them all into a blog post. 

My “2022 year in review” is live on The Travelista. It’s a longer, personal blog post about lessons, learnings, achievements and travels from year just gone, as well as my hopes and goals for 2023. I’ve put a link on stories for anyone interested. 😊

Wishing you a healthy, happy, adventure-filled New Year ✨

Photo: collecting shells on Cleethorpes beach during Twixmas 🐚
My 2022 travel recap ✨ 17 destinations across My 2022 travel recap ✨ 

17 destinations across 9 countries. My son stepped foot in 3 new countries and I got to bring him on 6 trips with me, including his first cruise. Wow ♥️

I’m finding a new rhythm for travelling with (and sometimes without) a little one and can’t wait for what’s to come in 2023.

Whether you’re new here or you’ve followed my journey for years, thank you so much for being here, for every like, comment and share. It is this amazing, supportive and loyal community that has enabled me to quit my job this year and return to doing this full time again post Covid. 

What was the most memorable place you’ve visited in 2022? ♥️

Where I went in 2022: 

Abu Dhabi
Cyprus 
Marbella 
Bruges 
Amsterdam
Guernsey 
Lake District 
Newcastle
Edinburgh 
Whitby
Lake District II
Almuñécar
Barcelona 
Gibraltar 
Marseille 
Rapallo
Florence

That’s a wrap! See you in 2023 🎥
A little snapshot into our Christmas, the first on A little snapshot into our Christmas, the first one in our new home, blending our families and hosting for 9. ☺️🥂 Hope you all had a lovely day 🎄

Merry Christmas from my family to yours ♥️.
Before I sign off for a little Christmas social me Before I sign off for a little Christmas social media break, here’s a festive photo dump of the past week + sharing my favourite poem🕯🎄🥂

Featuring 

➕ A lunch to @bettys with the girls. Making a new tradition. 
➕ A family visit to @castle_howard for their spectacular #IntotheWoods Christmas experience. Phenomenal. We go every year and it just gets better and better.
➕ Carols by candlelight at our local church - magic - but so many layers because the heating was broken!
➕ Dust if you Must by Rose Milligan. The perfect tonic in the (potentially stressful) build up to Christmas. 

We are hosting family this year and I’m excited! I’d love my house to look like a festive show home but it doesn’t, and that’s ok. (I have a 4 year old making mess twice as fast as I can tidy it). 

Fellow hosts, don’t be so busy ‘dusting’ that you miss all the little moments of magic! I’m reminding myself of this too. Swipe to read the poem and you’ll get it. ♥️

Wishing you a perfectly imperfect Christmas 🎄 

Love Jess x
ad Come with me and my Mum to do some last minute ad Come with me and my Mum to do some last minute Christmas shopping at @junction32. 🎁 

We are all feeling the pinch this year with the rising cost of living, so I set myself a challenge to find gifts for under £30. By shopping at outlets like Junction 32, which has over 80 brands offering up to 60% off the retail price, your money truly does go so much further. ♥️

What gifts I bought;

✔️ Slippers from @radleylondon RRP £40 J32 Price £20
✔️Himalayam charcoal gift set from @thebodyshop RRP £36.00 J32 Price £29.50
✔️Wax cheese wheels from independent retailer @themousehouse_lincoln £3 for £16
✔️Children’s cutlery set from @procookuk RRP £10 J32 Price £7

As usual J32 had some brilliant items on offer and a huge amount of choice, even this far into December.

Have you got any last minute Christmas shopping to do? I think I am finally done! 🛍 

#outletshopping #junction32 #junction32shoppingcentre #j32 #yorkshireoutletshopping

Subscribe

Never miss a post! Subscribe for Travelista updates and newsletters

The Travelista on YouTube

  • 3847likes
  • 19680followers
  • 9865followers
  • 2070subscribers

Copyright © 2023 · Design by Gatto

Copyright © 2023 · The Travelista on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in

  • Privacy Policy
  • FAQ
  • Contact