11 Expert Tips To Beat Jet Lag Every Time

How do travel professionals and experts beat jet lag? Steve Madgwick talks to a doctor, a former long-haul flight engineer and a travel professional to see how they suggest to combat it.

The Doctor

Dr Brian Morton, Chair, Council of General Practice, Australian Medical Association (AMA)

What causes jet lag?"

Quite simply, it occurs when we cross time zones and our body clock hasn’t adjusted to the different time zone. Normally bright light/sunlight sets our wake-up and sleep cycle and it’s this change in exposure to light where it begins."

Any long-term effects for frequent travellers?

“It may affect not only people’s moods but their behaviour and relationships too. Your interaction with people can be more aggressive, you can display poor judgement and, of course, be more drowsy than usual. Attention span, memory and reasoning abilities change so smart companies get their executives there the day before a critical meeting."

Some people say it’s possible to be jet lagged on a flight from Sydney to Perth?

“It is an east-west time difference so maybe there is some true jet lag in it, but it’s probably mainly sleep deprivation. The AMA meets in Canberra so it flies over Perth doctors, who usually come the night before, but if they come in on a morning flight, you watch them wilt during the day, virtually asleep in the meeting after lunch."

Can you beat it entirely?

“People do adapt but it’s down to changing your behaviour and knowing how to cope with it – mothers looking after young babies and shift workers do get tired, but some adapt quite well. But if you assess a passenger’s performance after a flight, with physiological tests, I think that they wouldn’t perform as well as when they’re not travelling across time zones."

The Doc’s jet lag busting tips:

1. “Take some melatonin, a natural hormone – Circadin, for example. That will help you sleep and adjust to the time difference. Simple hypnotics, such as Temazepam, can help you to adjust to a sleep cycle, but melatonin is more natural – although it doesn’t seem to work after three weeks straight."

2. “Fly during daytime if possible and then go to bed at night as normally as possible."

3. “Try to immediately adjust to the new time zone: go to bed at the right time, avoid fatty meals and caffeine, and not too much alcohol on the flight. Make sure you’re well hydrated!"

4. “If it’s still daylight when you arrive, try to expose yourself to outdoor light or high intensity artificial light – especially if you arrive at 4 or 5 in the afternoon."

The Long-Haul Flight Engineer

David Gilmore, Qantas (retired), regularly flew long-haul Sydney to London, Sydney to Los Angeles and Perth to Johannesburg as in-cockpit flight engineer.

How do airline crews deal with jet lag?

“It’s almost impossible to avoid, but it’s made easier for the crew because there was no alcohol involved, which is a contributing factor. Flying at altitude, the humidity is very low, because the cabin constantly air conditioned, so the smart ones drink water."

Did you get used to it, after 20 years of flying?

“It was worse when I was new to flying – you live in one timezone and then all of a sudden you start travelling regularly and across numerous timezones. It seemed to be harder flying to London and back. Most of the sectors were flown at night – so it should be daytime for your body but it sees that it’s night time and automatically wants to rest."

Did Qantas have guidelines?

“The consensus is that you must get some sleep before you fly. And when you’re on a stopover, if you are tired try to sleep, if you are hungry try to eat. Listen to your body, but temper it with where you are. So if you in London and it’s two in the afternoon, and you are really tired, have one or two hours sleep and set a wake-up call for yourself. So you can sort of have a normal day, without waking up at three in the morning. We had a couple of guys who tried to stay on Sydney time wherever they went but that meant they led a very isolated life – they were trying to sleep when everyone else was out enjoying themselves. They would spend two or three days by themselves."

Long term effects on you?

“I don’t think so, maybe my sleep patterns a bit. I’ve always worked broken hours so even now it’s not uncommon for me to wake up at 4.30 and 5.30 in the morning."

What the flight crew do

1. “Get as much exercise as you can. Even in your seat you can do leg stretches. When you arrive, and want to go sightseeing, walk instead of catching a cab."

2. “Hydration! An aeroplane cabin can be dryer than the Sahara and you can be there for 13 hours."

3. “If you tired have a short sleep, if you are hungry eat."

The Travel Professional

Quentin Long, owner of Australian Traveller and International Traveller magazines, travels between four and five return long-haul (plus numerous domestic) flights each year.

Does jet lag come knocking?

Yes, it’s getting worse as I get older. I wake up like a lightbulb, at all sorts of hours, and I get very tired. Now that I have two kids, I’m used to being half awake so jet lag is just an extension of this. I think I’m getting better at dealing with it though.

Your worst case?

I went to the Yukon in the middle of the Canadian summer – where the sun sets for two hours and even then it’s only just darkish. I was jetlagged at the same time so I didn’t know whether I was Arthur or Martha. I was at a hotel bar, at 30 minutes past midnight, and two blokes walked in just after finishing their golf round for a couple of beers. I was like “please, let the sun go down so my body knows when to sleep!"

Sounds punishing, any serious physical or physiological effects?

When I was working for Fairfax and flying economy all over the world (for eight months I was on a flight every week), my thyroid started playing up and my doctor said should I stop flying because of long-term stress on my body.

How Quentin fights the lag

1. “Drink a lot of water on the flight. If you are going to drink alcohol, drink three times as much water (and get an aisle seat)."

2. “As soon as you board the flight try to move your brain to the destination time frame. Sleep if you need to sleep. Sleep if it’s nighttime there."

3. “The Boeing Dreamliner plane’s big windows have made a big difference to people’s comfort and jet lag. Their pressurisation has actually made a difference to people’s fatigue."

4. “I do not travel without sleeping pills any more."

The Great Ocean Road has captured the hearts of Australians with its astounding scenery since 1932, but going off-course can enrich your experience with untouched nature, foodie delights and charming towns.

It’s a chilly 16 degrees. My husband pulls on a steamer and jogs – as all seasoned surfers do – into the water. We’re at Bells Beach , the legendary break on Victoria’s Surf Coast that’s home to the Rip Curl Pro, the world’s longest-running event in competitive surfing. Each year, over the Easter long weekend, up to 40,000 people descend on the region for the event. Today, though, we have the beach almost to ourselves, and the less-than-favourable temperature doesn’t deter my husband from surfing this famous break.

Torquay to Anglesea and Aireys Inlet

The red dome of Split Point Lighthouse in Aireys Inlet. (Image: Tourism Australia)

The nearby surf town of Torquay marks the starting point for the Great Ocean Road . Unfolding our map, which we have marked out with a highlighted route for our children to follow, we set off for lesser-known Anglesea, a chilled-out town 20 minutes south of here. Its wide, sandy beach is a gentler swimming option for our young family. Groms can learn to surf here with Go Ride a Wave, which also runs stand-up paddle boarding on the Anglesea River.

Split point lookout — The lighthouse overlooks the Shipwreck Coast. (Image: Tourism Australia)

After a couple of nights in Anglesea, we hit the road again, first stopping at Aireys Inlet. Here we stretch our legs at Split Point Lighthouse, which was made famous by the 1990s television series Round the Twist, before driving under the Memorial Arch that welcomes us, officially, to the Great Ocean Road.

This 243-kilometre coastal road was built by returned First World War servicemen and serves as a permanent memorial to those who fought and died during the war. Carved into rock using hand tools and horse-drawn carts, it was a huge engineering feat and provided much-needed access to isolated coastal communities.

Lorne to Birregurra

Lorne is a delightful beachside stop for lunch and browsing boutique stores. It’s also the gateway to Great Otway National Park , which comprises a varied landscape of old-growth forests, cool-temperate rainforests, heathy woodlands and rugged coast. With the highest rainfall in Victoria, the region is home to many waterfalls – 10 of which are within 10 kilometres of Lorne.

Turning slightly off the main drag, we wind along a gum-shaded road to Erskine Falls. Here, our son leads the way through the hyper-green rainforest and down 200-plus stairs to the cascade that drops 30 metres into a lush fern gully. We hop over large boulders to get closer to the falls, enjoying the entire place to ourselves; it’s worth the return climb.

From Sheoak Falls Picnic Area, there are walking trails to Henderson Falls, Phantom Falls, Won Wondah Falls and Kalimna Falls, some of which follow an old timber tramway from forest-logging days, which only came to an end in 2008.

You can follow your appetite north to the town of Birregurra, which is part of the Otway Harvest Trail that connects farm gates, markets, wineries, breweries and distilleries. It’s home to three-hatted modern Australian restaurant Brae , helmed by celebrated chef Dan Hunter, set among native gardens and an organic farm, and Otways Distillery, which produces small-batch spirits using local produce and botanicals.

Brae restaurant — Brae is a three-hatted restaurant in Birregurra. (Image: Tourism Australia)

Apollo Bay to The Otways

Back on track, the cliff-hugging stretch between Lorne and Apollo Bay is breathtaking. At Teddys Lookout, we overlook the winding road ahead and St George River spilling into the ocean. We spend languid days in Apollo Bay, a buzzy seaside town that boasts a three-kilometre-long, crescent-shaped beach with a backdrop of rolling green hills. One evening, as the sun sets, we take the steep 10-minute walk to Marriners Lookout, which affords panoramic views of the ocean, hinterland and town.

A 15-minute drive along the road, Maits Rest is a lush rainforest gully that has been protected since the early 20th century. Wandering along the 800-metre boardwalk, we inspect the delicate moss-covered forest floor and the gnarled roots of 300-year-old myrtle beech trees, then crane our necks to see their canopies, some 50 metres above us. It’s therapy in nature.

Cape Otway to the Twelve Apostles

The southernmost tip of Cape Otway is a delightful detour, home to the 1848-built Cape Otway Lightstation, the oldest surviving lighthouse on mainland Australia. We climb the narrow winding staircase to the gallery deck, explore the keepers’ quarters and telegraph station, and enjoy a coffee and some ‘famous’ scones at the charming onsite cafe.

It’s a pinch-me moment to finally see the Twelve Apostles in person. This unmistakable cluster of limestone stacks rising abruptly from the sea were never 12, however. When coined this in the 1890s as a marketing ploy, there were only nine; today, only seven remain after two collapsed in 2005 and 2009. We admire these Aussie icons from the viewing platform, in awe of Mother Nature’s ever-evolving artwork.

The Grotto is another natural attraction within Port Campbell National Park. (Image: Carmen Zammit)

Edging the wild Southern Ocean, this part of the coast – dubbed Shipwreck Coast – is made up of many sea-carved natural wonders including London Bridge, The Grotto and Gibson Steps. After exploring the lookout trails of Loch Ard Gorge/Poombeeyt Kontapool – its English name taken from the site of the 1878 shipwreck – we nestle into the sandy beach encircled by towering sandstone cliffs, as our children splash about on the water’s edge, and soak it all in.

Port Campbell to Timboon

Timboon Fine Ice Cream is part of a regional foodie trail. (Image: C McConville)

Just north of Port Campbell National Park, the region of Timboon is part of the 12 Apostles Food Artisans Trail, filled with purveyors of delicious foodstuffs such as Timboon Fine Ice Cream , Timboon Railway Shed Distillery and Apostle Whey Cheese. As an antidote to the indulgence, the 20-kilometre Poorpa Yanyeen Meerreeng Trail is a self-guided ride or walk between Port Campbell and Timboon through tall forests, over historic bridges and past sparkling lakes and farmland with grazing cattle.

Warrnambool to Port Fairy

Warrnambool building — A 19th-century building in Warrnambool. (Image: Peter Foster)

In Warrnambool, a town rich in maritime history, we take the four-kilometre Thunder Point Walk that traces the coast. The kids squeal when an echidna shuffles out from beneath the wooden boardwalk, and we stop to admire a seal lazing on a rock at the port.

Further along, the streets of quaint fishing village Port Fairy are lined with 19th-century cottages, old stone churches and Norfolk pines. Follow the historic walking trail to see some of the 60-plus National Trust buildings. Port Fairy is also home to Port Fairy Folk Festival (6-9 March), one of the country’s longest-running music and cultural festivals. You could time your road trip with the event for a fittingly celebratory end to any journey.

The Great Ocean Road can easily be done in three days, but we’ve spent a week on the road. The highlighted line on our now creased and well-worn map doesn’t follow the famous route precisely. It has sprouted branches in many directions, leading us to untouched rainforest and charming rural towns filled with culinary delights, and where we experienced some of our most memorable moments on the Great Ocean Road.

A traveller’s checklist

Staying there

The Monty is a highly anticipated, newly refurbished motel with a chic Palm Springs-inspired aesthetic set across the road from the Anglesea River. Basalt Winery in Port Fairy grows cool-climate wines such as pinot noir and Riesling in rich volcanic soil. Stay among the vines in its tiny home, complete with a kitchen, lounge area and outdoor firepit.

The Oak & Anchor Hotel has been a Port Fairy institution since 1857. Cosy up by the bar in winter or bask in the sunshine of the Lawn Bar in summer. The rooms are beautifully boutique with considered details, such as luxe baths for sinking into post-road trip.

Eating there

The Coast in Anglesea is a modern Australian restaurant focused on local ingredients. Grand Pacific Hotel has been a local landmark in Lorne since 1879 and recently underwent a restoration. It serves a mix of traditional pub and Italian fare alongside ocean views.

Graze is a cosy 40-seat dining room in Apollo Bay with a modern Australian menu complemented by regional wines. Apollo Bay Distillery offers tasting flights, a gin blending masterclass and serves woodfired pizzas.

11 expert tips to beat jet lag every time