Dealing with Jet Lag

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Whether your time change is 3 or 17 hours, dealing with jet lag is not fun---especially when sleep is so closely tied to health. Some people can sleep anywhere at any time, but if you're not one of the chosen few (I'm not!), here are some strategies to help you deal with jet lag. A special thanks goes out my elite travelling friends Kathryn and Christina {literally, they both have elite status} for contributing to this post...

{Sometimes I approach jet lag with fear and trembling because if I don't get enough sleep, I get sick within a day or two. Yet, recently I've learned to take a figurative jet lag chill pill . If I can't sleep on the plane, I either watch a movie and relax, or close my eyes and rest. When I was in NYC this weekend, I was still adjusting to a concert of time zones from Sydney to Vancouver to New York, as a result, one night I feel asleep at 5am. Thankfully, I didn't get sick and just "went with it" sleeping in until 10am.}

Jet Lag Strategies

• Christina gets into her new time zone right away, switching her watch and phone to the new time as soon as she gets on the plane.
• Close your window shade.
• At all cost, try and sleep on the plane during night flights. Noise-cancelling headphones and a serene playlist are helpful for this. Kathryn, who travels back and forth between Vancouver and Hong Kong for work, told me that even if she sleeps on and off for six hours during a 14-hour flight, it makes a big difference.
• Find out if the flight is full, and if not, select a seat in the back of the plane where less people are likely to book. You might score a three-seat section you could use to curl-up and get some zzzzzs.
• If you can't sleep on planes, take the rest approach. Watch a movie or close your eyes and count sheep. {Trip Styler Tip: For a more natural approach, whether I'm at home, on the plane or in a foreign land, I take a calcium magnesium pill to help me sleep. No kidding, for me, it works better than sleeping pills because calcium has a calming effect.}
• Drink lots of water on the plane to keep hydrated {though, I limit my water intake while I sleep so my rest isn't interrupted by hourly visits to the bathroom}. Normally I try and fill an empty water bottle post-security so I have a water with me at all times on the flight.
• This one's a no-brainer, but avoid stimulants like caffeine inflight. Once you get to your destination {especially if it's morning}, go for it.
• Even if you're tired when you get off the plane, try to follow the patterns of the new time zone as soon as you arrive, eating and sleeping as usual.
• Don't think about what time it is at home.
• Getting a minimum of 5 hours (for the bad sleepers out there) those first few nights is key to adjusting quickly.
• I once read that Gap Adventures' CEO works out before and after flying on multi-hour flights. Working out energizes you for a flight, and if you're head-bobbingly tired upon arrival, can instantly wake you up.
• Once home, after a rest day of sleeping in and getting laundry done, get back into your home routine as soon as possible.

If you have any tried and true jet lag cures or therapies, add your comments below!

[photo by ChrisDag]

Credit Card Travel Insurance

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Did you know most major travel credit cards come with built-in travel insurance? If you like to pay with plastic AND get points for travel, check your travel credit card's fine print to determine what insurances and protection features are included. See below for some ways I've *almost* used my credit card's insurance...

As an example, here's what's included in my card {TD Travel Rewards Infinite}: - Trip Cancellation Insurance {covers $1,000/eligible person up to $5,000/per trip} - Trip Interruption Insurance {covers $5,000/eligible person up to $25,000/ trip} - Travel Medical Insurance {8-day trips if under 65, 2-day trips if 65 or older} - Common Carrier Travel Accident Insurance - Auto Rental Collision/Loss Damage Insurance - Delayed and Lost Baggage Insurance - Emergency Travel Assistance Services

What About Other Travel Insurance? Normally, I make sure I have one or two travel insurance policies going at one time to make sure there are no coverage gaps. For example, for short trips I rely on my travel above credit card's insurance, but since it only covers me for 8-days, for longer trips I default to my medical plan's built-in 6-month travel medical insurance.

A Lost Bag and a Loophole Recently my husband booked two tickets through his Business Travel Rewards Visa {with same features as above}---one for himself and one for his business partner. Upon arriving at their destination, my husband's business partner's bag didn't. It turns out that even though my husband booked his business partner's ticket with his card, the lost bag insurance only applied to him, his wife {me} and any offspring {non-existent}. Therefore, the loophole is unless you book the ticket yourself, or are a spouse or child of the ticket purchaser, you won't be covered if your bags are lost aside from making a claim to the airline. Air Canada did provide a $100 sorry your bags didn't arrive for a few days kick-back, but that didn't help much.

Swine Flu Debacle A few years ago myself and 13 other girls were about to leave for Mexico on a triple-bachelorette when swine flu broke out. Travel plans had to be changed. Aside from lending my trip styling skillz to select the destination and most appropriate trip style for 14 girls {an all-inclusive in Los Cabos}, a travel agent made the booking and she was thankfully able to get each of us a refund given the circumstance. But, I'd booked the flight myself. Knowing my credit card had travel iterruption insurance, I thought getting my money back on the flight would be easy-peasy, but I was wrong. I had to submit a form and wait three weeks for my credit card's insurance provider to make a determination on my case, but I was supposed to leave in 3 weeks so wasn't willing to risk the uncertain wait. Thankfully I was able to re-route my Cabo flight to Vegas.

Insurance is a strange concept. We need it, but it doesn't always pan-out to protect us. Either way, we have to have it and seem to learn more about its intricacies when something goes awry. When you travel, make sure you have the appropriate insurance---whether from your travel credit card or a purchased policy---to protect you from harm's way.

Simply The Best {Flight}

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Booking a flight takes time and money: time to research the best flight, money to seal the deal.

Recently a member of the TS community asked me about tips and resources for booking the best/cheapest flight without spending hours of research. After giving my two cents---and recently going through my own research process for flights to Australia and New York---here are my top 5 tips for finding the best flight.

5 Commandments for Booking the Best Flight 1 - Know thy destination/price range {5-10 mins} - get a sense of which airlines fly there from your departure point{s} and the price range by doing a quick search on Kayak - don't rule out smaller airports near you

2 - Know thy budget/path {5 mins} - how much money do you want to spend on your flight? - are you willing to spend more for a direct flight? - would you rather spend less for multi-leg, all-day journey? - consider the airline alliance with which you collect points, sometimes the 'best' flight might be $75 more

3 - Seeketh and findeth the best options {up to 15 mins} - knowing which airlines fly to your destination and how you'd like to get there, start looking for seat sales and deals on the airlines' websites, facebook groups and twitter feeds.... Trip Styler Tip :: if you choose only one place to look for seat sales, go to the sale section of the airline's website

4 - Followeth thy rules of flight booking {up to 15 mins} - booking your flight on a tuesday night or wednesday morning are your best bets for fare deals - avoid flying friday and sunday {unless you absolutely have to} - know that last-minute flight deals are a usually a myth - booking 15-30 days in advance usually posts the best price

5 - Findeth the best online resources {3 mins} - see a list of Trip Styler's go-to travel website here - don't forget about discount airlines---some of which are not indexed by travel meta search sites like Kayak

Related How to Save on Airfare Fight or Flight The Airfare Dance {When to book your flight} The Chicken or the Egg {Booking your flight or hotel first?}

[photo by @tripstyler, taken on a runway at Wilson Airport in Kenya]

From the Archives :: Always Carry 1s

{Today's From the Archives post was originally published Feb 4th, 2010, and is the last entry in March's Travel Etiquette feature. The reminder to always carry USD one dollar bills {or the local equivalent} when travelling is rooted in travel etiquette because, like it or not, thanking those who help you with words and action is deeply embedded into North American societal expectations...}

Based on recent experience, my newest travel resolution is: Thou Shalt Always Travel with Multiple US One Dollar Bills. I know, I know, I’m Canadian, but it’s not like the rest of the world appreciates the loonie and toonie like I do. With our strong dollar, maybe one day they will?

On-Demand I'm not suggesting you walk around with a wad of cash sticking out of your pocket in Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous form, but, carrying enough ones so you can always tip on-demand is the mark of a discerning traveler.

Second Time's a Charm? The mental news flash leading to this resolution occurred one year ago in Jamaica when I only had seven $1s in my possession. Even though I was going to an All-Inclusive that doesn't allow tipping, there's always incidentals like transport which isn't included. Second time’s a charm? Another experience I had was in Maui, sitting in a rental car shuttle bus back to Kahului Airport (OGG). On the ride, I realized I didn’t have any ones left; all I had was a toonie. Wanting to at least thank the driver AND knowing that the Canadian and US dollar were pretty much on-par at that point, I handed over my toonie. The driver was gracious, but I know he thought I was out to lunch. Unless you're tipping in Canada, no one wants a coin. {Trip Styler Tip: Go the bank before your trip and ask for multiple dominations of small bills for tipping rather than expecting you'll be able to make change with your bigger bills once at your destination. Alternatively, sometimes {Canadian} banks only have a limited supply of US cash, so visit at various intervals throughout the year, in order to accumulate a little package of $1s for travel.}

100% Let your mind rest on vacation. Go to the bank before you leave to make sure you have enough one dollar bills... a) so you're never in a lurch, and b) to thank people for their service 100% of the time.

PS - One of the BEST travel apps for tipping etiquette is by our friends at Frommers. It not only suggests what you should tip in every country, but helps you calculate it!

Related Plane Etiquette Hotel {Guest} Etiquette Tipping Etiquette Etiquette Apps

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[photo by photosteve101]

Travel Etiquette :: Flights

{Thank you to The Sky Steward, plane etiquette expert, for the above sneak peak at your Jetiquette Card. More info and the full card below!}

Unless you're flying in Singapore Air's all business class plane {yes, please}, air travel can test your patience.

Whether it's the stinky guy sitting beside you, the lady with a toddler a day shy of 24-months sitting on her lap while eating off your tray table for an entire 8-hour flight, or the dad who abandons his wife with a screaming baby {all situations that I've witnessed or been on the receiving end of}, plane etiquette is important as far as extending common courtesies to the people you're riding with for up to 15 hours. So, let's make it great.

Plane Etiquette Aside from our regularly scheduled content, this month's feature is travel etiquette. As part of the series, two weeks ago we gave some travel tipping suggestions, last week we discussed hotel guest etiquette and this week we're broaching plane etiquette. Here are the dos and don'ts of passenger air travel:

Overhead Bins

• If you follow airline baggage requirements, you should be able to fit your carry-on suitcase into the overhead bins straight in, wheels out and down. Don't put your bag in sideways and make poor use of the bin's precious real estate.
• At all cost, put your bag in the bin directly above or slightly in front of you, so you don't have to backtrack when everyone's exiting the plane.
• If you're able, offer to help someone who is struggling to get their bag up or down.

At Your Seat

• Don't be a kicker or knee-er of the seat in front of you.
• Share the arm rest with the person beside you. It's generally accepted that the person in the middle seat gets both armrests, since the outside seats have a little more space.
• When reclining your chair, double check the person behind you doesn't have water on their tray table, etc...
• If you like to drink a lot of water, opt for an aisle seat for frequent trips to the washroom.
• When it's time to sleep or watch a movie, close your window shade.
• When you land, don't get on your cell phone and have a lengthy conversation when you're surrounded by people. Unless you're Lady Gaga, no one wants to hear about your personal life.

Bathrooms

• Be courteous about the amount of time you spend in the bathroom.
• Men, put the seat down when you're done, no joke, it happens every flight I'm on.
• Clean up the toilet seat.
• Empty the sink's drain.

Overall

• Don't wear bear feet. Gross.
• If you like to fly sans shoes and wear travel socks like me, bring washable slippers for wearing in-flight and to the bathroom.
• Make sure you are recently showered, nobody wants to smell your armpits for 10 hours.
• Go easy on the perfume, cologne or smelly lotion.
• Don't bring on smelly foods like tuna, opt for blander foods so the entire plane doesn't feel like they're eating your lunch with you ...

Check out the great visual air below. For more information about the Jetiquette Card and all things Jetiquette related, check out The Sky Steward, a flight attendant, media presonality and flight etiquette ambassador!

[Images by The Sky Steward]