When people ask me how I handle jet lag on work trips, they expect a list of supplements or a fancy app. My answer is much simpler, and it has worked for me on every long trip so far: I don’t sleep until it’s night where I land.
If I land in the US at 10 a.m., I stay awake until about 9 or 9:30 p.m. local time, no matter how tired I am and no matter how many hours I’ve already been awake. That one rule has saved me on work trips to San Francisco and Las Vegas, and it’s exactly what I’ll do when I land in Chile next month at 9 in the morning.
In this post I’ll share how I use that rule, what my long travel days look like, and the small things that help me stay awake (and actually useful at work) on day one.
Why jet lag hits so hard on work trips
On a holiday you can take it slow. Sleep in, nap by the pool, nobody minds. A work trip is different. You often land and have to be “on” the same day or the next morning: meetings, a team dinner, sometimes a presentation.
That’s why I take jet lag seriously. Your body clock (your circadian rhythm) runs on light and routine, and when you cross many time zones, it’s still living in the old one. Flying west from the Netherlands to the US means your body thinks it’s evening while the sun is still high. Flying to South America works the same way: you arrive in the morning, but your body has just had a very long night on a plane.
You can’t skip jet lag completely. But you can decide how many days it steals from you.
My one rule: stay awake until local bedtime
Here’s the rule again, because it really is the whole secret for me:
- Land in the morning → no nap, no matter what.
- Stay awake and active the whole day.
- Go to bed at a normal local time, around 9 to 9:30 p.m.
- Wake up the next morning on local time.
The first day is hard. At some point in the afternoon, the hotel bed looks very tempting. But a “quick nap” can easily turn into a long sleep, and then you’re wide awake in the middle of the night. Staying up until the evening builds up enough tiredness to sleep properly that first night, which is why this rule works so well for me.
What a long travel day looks like for me
To be honest, my travel days are long. For one of my San Francisco trips, my day started at 4–5 a.m. at home to catch an early flight. By the time I reached my hotel, I had been awake for a very long time, but it was still daytime in California.
The same thing happened in Las Vegas. I arrived, and every part of me wanted to lie down. Instead I kept myself awake and busy until the evening. That trip is actually where I filmed a little vlog about jet lag, because it was such a real moment.
Small things that help me stay awake on day one
The rule is simple, but following it on day one needs a little help. These tips make it easier:
1. Get outside into daylight
Daylight is one of the strongest signals for your body clock. Once your bag is dropped, go outside: a walk around the block, a coffee nearby, a look around the area. Sitting in a dark hotel room is the fastest way to fall asleep by accident.
2. Shower and change when you arrive
A shower and fresh clothes tell your brain the day is starting, not ending. It’s a small reset after a long flight.
3. Eat on local time
Eating at local meal times from the first day helps your body understand which part of the day it is, even if it’s just a light lunch.
4. Keep the first day light but busy
If you can, plan easy things for day one: settling in, a short walk, catching up on emails. Nothing that needs your sharpest brain, but enough to keep you moving.
5. Go to bed at a normal time, not too early
On the first night it’s tempting to crash at 7 p.m. My bedtime on arrival day is around 9 to 9:30 p.m. Going to bed much earlier can mean waking up at 3 a.m. and starting the cycle again.
6. Pack smart so the travel day feels lighter
A long travel day is much easier when you’re not dragging heavy bags around. I travel carry-on only for most work trips, and I’ve shared my full list in my carry-on packing list for work trips.
What about the flight itself?
For me, the rule on arrival matters much more than how many hours I slept on the plane. Common tips that make the flight easier: try to rest when it’s night at your destination, drink plenty of water, and get up to walk now and then. Long flights are dry and tiring, and being dehydrated on top of jet lag makes day one even harder.
Coming back home is the other half
Jet lag on the way home catches many people off guard. Flying back east to the Netherlands means your body has to fall asleep earlier than it wants.
The same rule works in reverse: land, stay up until a normal bedtime at home, and get back into your normal routine as quickly as possible. The faster you go back to normal life, the faster your body follows.
If you travel a lot with a full-time job, you might also like how I plan my leave to travel often from the Netherlands.
A quick note on health
These are my personal habits, not medical advice. If you have trouble sleeping, take medication, or are thinking about sleep aids like melatonin, talk to your doctor first. The CDC’s page on jet lag is written for doctors, but it is a reliable place to read more.
FAQ
What is the fastest way to get over jet lag?
For me it’s staying awake until local bedtime on the day I arrive. Daylight and eating at local meal times help too.
Should I nap when I land after a long flight?
I don’t. A short nap easily becomes a long sleep, and then you’re awake in the middle of the night. If you really can’t keep your eyes open, many people keep a nap very short, but I find it easier to skip it completely.
Is jet lag worse flying east or west?
Many people find flying east harder, because you have to fall asleep earlier than your body wants. That includes flying home to Europe from the US.
How do you handle jet lag on a short work trip?
On a very short trip (one or two days), some people stay closer to their home schedule. For longer trips, switching to local time right away is the usual advice.
Your turn
That’s my one rule, and it hasn’t let me down yet. Do you have a jet lag trick that always works for you? Tell me in the comments 👇
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