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Beat Jet Lag!
1. Maximize your sleep time on the plane. I always eat dinner before I get on the plane, and go to sleep just as soon as we're allowed to recline our seat backs. No movies, no games! Really, is the joy of eating an airplane meal or watching a bad movie that you can't even hear properly worth blowing your whole first day of vacation for? Eat at home, and use that boring plane ride for sleep!
2. No alcohol during the flight. While some people use liquor as a way to put them to sleep, in fact it's a counter-productive measure. Drinking makes you dehydrated (and you're going to be even more dehydrated just from the air on the plane itself) and it also makes you a lot less peppy when you wake up. Not to mention, the more cans of lager you put away, the more times you'll have to wake up and climb over your seatmate to go to the bathroom.
3. Strategize for sleep. If you're not lucky enough to have the flat bed in BA's business class that I usually enjoy, you can still find ways to get in at least some real shut-eye. The key item to have is the inflatable neck pillow—it may look silly, but it works! As soon as the seat belt light goes off, puff that thing up, lean back, pull up that blanket, and start snoozing away. I also always use earplugs and eyeshades so I won't be disturbed. If the airline doesn't provide them, bring your own. Finally, think about where you'd like to sit. I'm fanatical about an aisle seat just because I'm a bit claustrophobic—but you may want to get a window or inner seat just so you won't be woken up by your neighbor climbing over you.
4. Once you've arrived, stay up until bedtime. This is tough to do in some situations—it depends on what time it is at your destination when you land—but it's very important. To get acclimated to your new time zone right away, resist the urge to pass out in your hotel bed as soon as you check in at 2 PM. If you really can't stay awake, it's OK to take a nap for an hour or so, but then force yourself out of bed and into the world until it's really bedtime in the place that you're now in. You'll be tired that first day, but push through—after one night, you should be good to go in your new location.
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