It happens to all of us travellers at one time or another – we arrive at our dream destination but find ourselves to exhausted to enjoy it.Instead of soaking in the sights and sounds of a new city all we want to do is soak in a bath.
What a lot of people don’t realise is that travel is hard-work. Living out of a backpack, sleeping in unfamiliar rooms, jet-lag, night trains, unfamiliar food, new languages, the heat – it’s no wonder many travellers, especially inexperienced ones, spend most of their trip-of-a-lifetime’s with bags under their eyes.
But it needn't be this way. Below are some top tips to stay well-rested when you are on the road.
1. Sort out your pre-trip preparation
The worst way to start your trip is to leave home already feeling rundown and exhausted, yet so many of us do.Eliminate any last minute surprises, such as lost passports, by packing your bag a week in advance – not the night before.
2. Beat the jet-lag
Jet-lag is the worst.It can make you feel completely and utterly zombified for the first few days at your new destination.While it can be hard to eliminate the phenomenon completely there are a number of steps you can take to mitigate its impact.One tip is to gradually alter your own bedtime by 30 minutes a night in the week before you leave home. This will help you synchronise up with your intended destination.
Tip two is to do with your in-flight behaviour. As soon as you step on the plane change your watch to match the time at your destination. Work out if you should stay awake as much as you can or sleep as much as possible. This might mean skipping some films. Sorry!
Tip three is to stay hydrated. One of the main reasons will feel so zonked out on arrival at our destination is due to the simple fact we don’t drink enough water in transit. Cabin pressure causes a lot of dehydration. So do your body a favour, skip the free in-flight booze and down as much H2O as you can.
For more tips on how to get a first class ticket to sleepytown each flight, check out the experienced tips from the Sleep advisor blog.
3. Research your room
When it comes to staying well-rested on your travels your choice of accommodation has a huge impact. So, do your research.
The internet is your friend here – so use it. Check out the reviews of your chosen hotel, hostel, campsite online. See if there are comments about the place being particularly loud – maybe the reason your room is so cheap is because it’s located in the middle of 10 lane motorway. Better still, check out the accommodations own website. This works particularly well with hostels. If they boast about their in-house bar and claim to host ‘the most bad-ass raves in town!', then chances are you won’t be getting much sleep.
On the other hand, if your guesthouse has notices about alcohol being banned on the premises or curfews, probability is that it's on the quieter end of the scale.
4. Be realistic with your itinerary
It always boggles my mind when I’ve met bleary-eyed backpackers who have arrived in town on a night bus, plan to see the sights that day and then leave that night on another night bus.Why? Well, the usual answer is because they don’t have the time.The advice I’d give is isn’t it better to see a smaller part of a country well, than to rush through and not really see any part at all.
For instance, Vietnam is a 1,000 miles long, there is no chance you will see all of it in two weeks, so don’t even try. Pick two or three key places and spend a good amount of time in each.Travel should be about taking time to get a true feel of a place, rather than just ticking destinations off a list.
What a lot of people don’t realise is that travel is hard-work. Living out of a backpack, sleeping in unfamiliar rooms, jet-lag, night trains, unfamiliar food, new languages, the heat – it’s no wonder many travellers, especially inexperienced ones, spend most of their trip-of-a-lifetime’s with bags under their eyes.
But it needn't be this way. Below are some top tips to stay well-rested when you are on the road.
1. Sort out your pre-trip preparation
The worst way to start your trip is to leave home already feeling rundown and exhausted, yet so many of us do.Eliminate any last minute surprises, such as lost passports, by packing your bag a week in advance – not the night before.
If you are heading away on a big trip and need to say goodbye to your friends and family, then make sure to move your leaving party forward a week. Definitely definitely don’t have it the night before you get on the place. That is just asking for trouble.Your travel insurance won’t pay out if you’ve missed your flight due to a hangover – I found this one out the hard way!
photo credits >> here
2. Beat the jet-lag
Jet-lag is the worst.It can make you feel completely and utterly zombified for the first few days at your new destination.While it can be hard to eliminate the phenomenon completely there are a number of steps you can take to mitigate its impact.One tip is to gradually alter your own bedtime by 30 minutes a night in the week before you leave home. This will help you synchronise up with your intended destination.
Tip two is to do with your in-flight behaviour. As soon as you step on the plane change your watch to match the time at your destination. Work out if you should stay awake as much as you can or sleep as much as possible. This might mean skipping some films. Sorry!
Tip three is to stay hydrated. One of the main reasons will feel so zonked out on arrival at our destination is due to the simple fact we don’t drink enough water in transit. Cabin pressure causes a lot of dehydration. So do your body a favour, skip the free in-flight booze and down as much H2O as you can.
For more tips on how to get a first class ticket to sleepytown each flight, check out the experienced tips from the Sleep advisor blog.
3. Research your room
When it comes to staying well-rested on your travels your choice of accommodation has a huge impact. So, do your research.
The internet is your friend here – so use it. Check out the reviews of your chosen hotel, hostel, campsite online. See if there are comments about the place being particularly loud – maybe the reason your room is so cheap is because it’s located in the middle of 10 lane motorway. Better still, check out the accommodations own website. This works particularly well with hostels. If they boast about their in-house bar and claim to host ‘the most bad-ass raves in town!', then chances are you won’t be getting much sleep.
On the other hand, if your guesthouse has notices about alcohol being banned on the premises or curfews, probability is that it's on the quieter end of the scale.
4. Be realistic with your itinerary
It always boggles my mind when I’ve met bleary-eyed backpackers who have arrived in town on a night bus, plan to see the sights that day and then leave that night on another night bus.Why? Well, the usual answer is because they don’t have the time.The advice I’d give is isn’t it better to see a smaller part of a country well, than to rush through and not really see any part at all.
For instance, Vietnam is a 1,000 miles long, there is no chance you will see all of it in two weeks, so don’t even try. Pick two or three key places and spend a good amount of time in each.Travel should be about taking time to get a true feel of a place, rather than just ticking destinations off a list.
With that in mind, always try and be realistic with your itinerary.
Final Thoughts
Well-rested travellers are better travellers, they are more relaxed, more open to adventures, less likely to make silly mistakes and are simply, funnier, better looking and smarter.
The last three there might seem like a bit of a stretch but they aren’t. Study after study has shown that well-rested individuals have better cognitive performance, are more attractive and have a better sense of humour. Doesn’t that sound like the traveller you’ve like to be? Get some rest and it will be.
Sweet dreams and happy travels.
Final Thoughts
Well-rested travellers are better travellers, they are more relaxed, more open to adventures, less likely to make silly mistakes and are simply, funnier, better looking and smarter.
The last three there might seem like a bit of a stretch but they aren’t. Study after study has shown that well-rested individuals have better cognitive performance, are more attractive and have a better sense of humour. Doesn’t that sound like the traveller you’ve like to be? Get some rest and it will be.
Sweet dreams and happy travels.
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