How to Beat Jet Lag: 7 Tips to Help You Travel Like a Queen
If you ever traveled between different time zones you might be familiar with that dreaded monster called (*don’t know if you’re ready for it*) jet lag.
Sleepless nights, under eye circles, dry skin. Ughhhh, sounds like a nightmare. But if after a long flight you feel like you just want to spend the next week in bed, we are here for you. We can’t offer you a jet lag cure, but we can definitely share some tips on how to exit the plane after a long flight and feel like it was all just (a little shaky) dream.
Disclaimer. We are by no means a specialist. All advice comes straight from our personal experience, research and love of travel.
FIRST THINGS FIRST: KNOW YOUR ENEMY
What is jet lag? While traveling long distances, our body clock becomes temporarily out of sync with the time zone we are traveling to. This means that our body expects sunset and sunrise to fall at certain times, but given the sudden change of the timezones, it gets confused. That affects not only sleep, but also body temperature, blood pressure, hormone regulation, and hunger habits. Jet lag also dehydrates us inside and that reflects in our skin.
1. Shake Things Up
It’s all about the prep. And you can prep your body before the flight! It might sound a little weird, but the trick is to try to live within the timezone you’re traveling to at least two days before your flight. How to prepare? Try to go to sleep and wake up at the time you would do in the new timezone. It will help your body start adjusting so the time change won’t be as extreme. Digital nomad approved. 🙋
2. Prep your Skin
Moisturize, moisturize, moisturize. We can’t stress this one enough. Soak it up...
Flights are dehydrating for your skin. Especially the long ones. The air on board is super drying. Why? Water evaporation occurs 2.4 times faster on an airplane. This means your skin barely gets any natural hydration plus the water leaves our skin twice as fast as when we are on land.
However, it’s not the end of the world and your skin will eventually get back to its normal balance. But it’s better to do something to prevent the damage or at least to reduce the negative impact. That’s why we advise you to try a new, more hydrating skincare routine a few days before the flight. Everyone has a different skin type, so find what works best for you focusing on hydration. Here is a list of the top sustainable moisturizers.
3. Relax
Believe it or not, your skin knows when you’re stressed and it stresses with you. Flight-related stress can actually have a negative influence on your skin bringing on dullness and dryness. So try to relax by meditating or going for a massage. Whatever you need to do to lower stress levels before the flight.
Don’t procrastinate on packing or any other important travel related stuff. Try to organize your outfits and gear a few days before a trip so you don't leave anything to the last minute. Organization = relaxation = happy skin = beating jet lag (at least a bit 😉).
4. H2O magic
Drink your water, Sis!
According to the Aerospace Medical Association, you should drink about a glass of water (8 ounces) per every hour you're in the air. It is important to hydrate yourself, not just your skin. That is a lot of water for long flights, so get yourself an aisle seat with easy-access for bathroom breaks. Your skin and sleep routine will thank you later.
5. On board spa
DIY airplane spa. How does it sound? We know. Lush.
Get your favorite face cosmetics in travel size + a sheet mask (sustainable, of course). We like to reserve some space for rose water and our favorite oil, gel or cream moisturizer. A sheet mask is another must-have and takes no space in the carry on. You can take a look at this list of the best sustainable sheet masks for your skin and the environment.
When you’re at least halfway through the journey and feel like you’ve seen every inflight movie, that’s the time. Grab your DIY spa and let the magic happen. It will not only keep your skin glowing but it will also keep you occupied!
If you are worried what your plane neighbor or other passengers think about you while you're rocking out full ghost mode - don’t. They won’t care. They might give you a double glance, to make sure it’s a person wearing a face mask, and not a hallucinating effect after so many hours buried in one plane seat. But the truth is no one cares. And if it makes you happy, the chances of seeing those people again are minimal. Your skin will be with you for a while. 😉 So keep it happy.
6. Get your Beauty Sleep
Try to sleep on the plane.
If you’re flying for ten hours or more, pack your favorite blanket, sleeping mask, and neck pillow. Download some relaxing instrumental music or white noise onto your Spotify playlist to listen to during the flight.
Why? The key factors to getting good sleep on the plane are light, temperature, and noise. We also think comfort is key. So make sure you’re in a comfy position, with your neck pillow and blanket on hand, as it tends to get cold onboard. A sleeping mask will make it feel like it’s night time. The relaxing playlist or white noise will block the sound of the engine (and your seat neighbors who decide to gossip a bit during the flight). And you’re ready to sleep through the flight. 💁
7. Don’t Let Coffee Fool you
You think coffee will give you energy? No, no. It’s not your best friend. Actually the exact opposite. Caffeine can actually rob your body of its available energy reserves. Which is not ideal, especially while trying to beat jet lag. So in general, try to avoid any caffeinated and alcoholic drinks.
Follow these few steps and you will walk off of the plane a fresh-faced beauty ready to take on the day. If it all sounds a bit overwhelming, don’t worry. To sum things up it’s all about moisturizing, drinking water and relaxing. You got it.
There’s no one yet who has found a jet lag cure. While we can’t guarantee our tips will erase your jet lag, they will definitely help you feel and look more refreshed. Go ahead and give these tips a try. Nothing to lose, right?
xx Jenn