Okay, so jet lag is something worth mentioning. When you cross the Atlantic there is about a six hour time difference. Google is full of useless tips in dealing with it. You'll swear to prepare for it. You'll promise yourself that you will work to get close to the schedule of your destination in the weeks leaving up to the big trip. You'll plan to go to bed early and get up early in effort to shrink the hour difference between home and your destination.
Let's just skip the theatrics. YOU WON'T. Life gets in the way. For me, I procrastinate most when it comes to going to bed. But really, the hardest part was getting everyone else on board. Overtime at work was piling on. And my husband ended up working a different schedule than usual, meaning he wasn't home by the time I planned to be well on my way to slumberland. And I wasn't going to sacrifice our time together for a little sleep.
My last ditch plan was to make sure to sleep through the entire flight. Okay, okay. Cue the mocking laughter. Yes. Sleeping on a plane is difficult. For one, the excitement of the trip beginning is like a shot of adrenaline that makes closing your eyes especially difficult. Then everyone on the plan is shifting around and chatting. Kids are crying or making loud declarations like "We're in the air! Up in the air!" Cute, but not when you're supposed to be sleeping.
On cross-Atlantic flights they serve dinner. I ate before getting on the plane. Nice planning, I know. But when I smell food, I wake up and I get hungry. Doesn't matter that I just ate a steak salad big enough for two. Don't care that the food probably smells better than it tastes. My tummy gets grumbling and my nose honing in on scents.
After dinner comes dessert. Then the attempt at sleep really begins. They give you a blanket, pillow and eye mask. It helps. So does a good neck pillow. But there's only about four hours before they will start serving breakfast. And of the four you'll probably only actually sleep for maybe two hours.
But we arrived and I was fine! Perfect! Ready for the day. Lunchtime is when the exhaustion sets in. For me the only way through it was to keep moving. Sit when you just can't stand anymore, but keep it brief and start moving again.
It was about four days before I didn't feel the jet lag anymore. Oddly, my husband was fine. His ever changing work schedule helped him to adjust faster than me with my cemented eight to five routine.
So, yes, you will probably have jet lag. My advice is to keep moving, have dinner a bit early, and sleep in a bit the next morning. Do not reserve a table for 8:30pm! Do not schedule a 9am reservation at the Louvre for the next morning! But if you do, at least you'll have plenty of beautiful artwork and countless halls to keep you moving.
