How to manage jet lag as a business traveler
Want to get more out of your next business trip? Learn how to reduce jet lag for more productive business trips.
Business travel can energize you with new places, people, and ideas. However, after long flights, you’ll have to deal with jet lag first.
If you’ve ever traveled across time zones, you’ve probably experienced jet lag yourself. When traveling for leisure, you might just wait it out. But for business travelers, any amount of lost time and productivity counts.
How do you manage jet lag on business trips? Here are some strategies to cope with jet lag – or avoid it altogether.
Jet lag happens when your body is out of sync with the time zone you’re in. Our bodies run on a 24-hour cycle that dictates when we feel awake, tired, and hungry. When you travel to a time zone that’s three or more hours different than your own, your body is thrown off its rhythm.
Symptoms vary for everyone – and even the same person doesn’t always react the same way. Factors like age can impact the severity of symptoms, and older people tend to experience more jet lag than younger ones.
Some common symptoms of jet lag include:
The best way to handle jet lag on business trips is to plan ahead and prevent the symptoms. Here are a few things to consider before your flight even takes off.
If your company’s schedule, budget, and travel policy allow, book your trips with an extra day or two at the beginning to adjust. The best way is to blend a personal vacation with your work trip. It’ll give you time to get acclimated before any important meetings or presentations.
The first day of a trip is usually the toughest, but with some clever planning you can avoid that struggle. Try to book flights that will arrive in the afternoon or evening, so you can head to bed early and be ready for any meetings or work the next morning.
Make sure your carry-on includes all the essentials for a smooth trip and a good night’s sleep. If you’d like to nap on your flight, bring a travel pillow, ear plugs, and an eye mask.
Start adjusting to the new time zone before your trip. Try going to bed an hour or two earlier if you’re traveling east, or an hour or two later if traveling west. For smaller time changes, this can prevent jet lag completely.
Planning the ideal travel schedule isn’t always an option, especially for small businesses or corporate travelers with strict budgets. Even if you’ve meticulously planned your business trip with extra buffer time, an afternoon arrival, and sleep adjustments beforehand, you’re still likely to feel somewhat jet-lagged.
The best thing to do is follow the routines of your destination as soon as you arrive. Get natural light to help your body adjust, and limit daytime sleeping to short 15–20 minute naps.
There are many other factors that contribute to jet lag recovery, including:
To optimize your corporate trips, here are a few more tips to get you going.
There’s no sugarcoating it. Jet lag is a drag. When you’re investing the budget, time, and energy into business travel, you’ll want to get the most out of every moment. With the right preparation before and during travel, you’ll be ready to hit the ground running on your next business trip.
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