Jet Lag...Big problem or not.

Hi all,

I read a couple of people saying that after travelling from UK to Seattle, Anchorage that Jet lag is a bit of a problem.

Therefore they have suggested it might be better to do the cruise first and then any trips to Denali etc.

Just wondered if anybody here has an views or experience of this.

Thanks

We've just returned from an Alaska cruise. We flew one week prior to our cruise, Manchester via Heathrow to Seattle, the jet lag wasn't too bad adjusting to the time difference did take a few days I was glad we'd decided to have a full week before as there are some early starts onboard to enjoy all the excursions available. We would have managed and I'm sure you will if you did decide to cruise first. The week before made it far more enjoyable for us, as we were already relaxed and fully adjusted to the time difference but if you have an opportunity to explore Denali, I'd be tempted to cruise first - the first day is generally a sea day and we'll need to fly out at least a day so you may have overcome any jet lag by then.

Jet lag is a very subjective thing. Will you sleep on the plane? That makes a huge difference.

I 'm ok when i fly home from England because it's a day flight ... a long day,. But I struggle with the flight TO England. I prefer nonstop which is usually an overnight flight arriving mid morning. I arrive exhausted because I've been awake all night and I still have a full day ahead of me. Takes me a couple of days to adjust. I have to fight taking a nap in the afternoon.

My BIL flies to Japan every month and he has no trouble at all. He falls asleep before the plane takes off and sleeps for most of the trip, arriving fully rested.

If you're going to struggle with jet lag, feeling sleepy and wanting a nap, do you want that to happen on the first few days of the cruise or on a bus/train/car near Anchorage?

Jet lag does affect different people more or less than others; hopefully you've taken at least a few trips across multiple time zones to have some idea already how you in particular can handle it. One thing that is common to all is that Westbound travel is easier to adjust to - it's much easier to stay awake when you are tired than it is to force yourself to sleep when you aren't tired. The general rule of thumb I've heard most often is you can handle about 3 hours adjustment in one day westbound, but only 2 hours per day of adjustment day eastbound.

With family in the UK, we've traveled many times from Vancouver (only 1 hour different than AK) and had them come see us too. We find that we can easily adjust to be functional again in PST after one night's sleep, but for our less-well-traveled visitors it takes at least two nights. That's even with all the good behaviours that help adjust - getting out into sunlight, keeping mentally and physically active but not over-exerted, trying to eat on local time right away, not going to bed until your normal bedtime in the local timezone.

I think it's dubious to generally recommend what to do first from a time zone perspective with only one exception - if you plan to drive yourself around then most definitely do NOT do that as soon as you arrive, it's dangerous! If you 'lose' a day of vaycay because you're head is all woolly, then you're losing out on whatever you would normally do on a ship or on a tour - for us either of these is bad as we like to actually Do Stuff. If you're someone who literally just slobs around on a cruise, relaxing/napping/eating/drinking, then sure the cruise is better to do first in some respects - but if you're napping in your cabin instead of walking around on deck you may actually take longer to adjust than if you'd stuck to being on land first.

Personally I'd suggest padding your schedule by at least a day before you start either cruising or touring, use that day for just getting yourself acclimated. It's not just the time zone change - especially if you do head from UK to Anchorage without actually hanging around in Seattle/Vancouver, you will have had a LONG day of travel. Unless you're one of those folks that can sleep well on planes you're not going to be able to really take in/appreciate anything until you get some solid rest.

Cheers All.

I guess I would prefer to have got the jet lag over before the cruise so Denali etc first then cruise.

My research into Alask is very time consuming but great fun. Pretty sure we are flying from London to Rek a night in Rek then on to Anchorage.

Not to sure about all the drama of the customs issues so still exploring exactly what that is. Any help greatly appreciated.

Thanks

I'm pretty well travelled and I've never had issues at customs/immigration.

Flight delays are my biggest concern.

Hi Maple,

I think some people were saying about going from London to Seattle then on to Anchorage and mentioned about they did this because of going through customs twice, or perhaps Im talking rubbish and have confused myself again......

Jet lag is very individual. I travel on business fairly often to Europe and Asia from home (US Pacific time zone).

I don't find a difference between going East or West. I adjust fairly quickly (within the first 24 hours effects are usually minor.

There are some things that help me

- keep well hydrated; plane air is very dry and dehydration plays a part in travel stress.

- go light on alcohol during the flight and first few days (dehydrating and can interfere with time adjustment)

- don't think about what time it is where you came from; I've known people who are constantly mentioning it, e.g. "I would be having breakfast/going to bed/etc. now," - a relative was still doing it two weeks after a trip. I feel it interferes with adjusting by telling your body what it should be feeling. I live where I am.

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Hi Maple,

 

I think some people were saying about going from London to Seattle then on to Anchorage and mentioned about they did this because of going through customs twice, or perhaps Im talking rubbish and have confused myself again......

That was if you did UK-Vancouver (you'd have to do Canadian immigration, then US when you flew on to Anchorage).

From Seattle it's a Domestic flight to ANC so whether you fly via SEA or KEF, as long as you have your US ESTA, which you'll need regardless of which route you fly into the US, you shouldn't have any customs/immigration issues. Cruising southbound into Vancouver you don't even need an eTA for Canada as a UK citizen - it's only for air arrivals, not land or sea.

Iceland is a great short visit - just a shame that it won't help with time zones as they stick to GMT year-round, so at best they give you an hour compared to Summer time in the UK.