HALLIE EPHRON: Lately it seems I've been traveling. My book tour has (happily) grown to include cross-country jaunts and vacationing recently took me to Alaska. Next week I'm off to Northern California for Book Passage's wonderful Mystery Writing Conference where I get to see Rhys!
It seems to me that going from east to west is harder. That three- or four-hour time gain is still there four days after I've arrived when I'm still waking up at four o'clock in the morning ready for breakfast. When at 3 I'm starving for dinner. And at six I'm ready for bed.
Traveling the other way seems like I just snap back.So here's my question. Do you find it harder to travel back (west) or ahead (east) in time? Does it seem harder than when you were younger? And what are your tips for rebounding?
HANK PHILLIPPI RYAN: Oh, I love going west, but yes, it is confusing. You have to wake up early, so I have breakfast on the plane, then lunch on the plane, and then I arrive in California. Then it is time for… Lunch! Which, somehow, I feel I have to have again. Then dinner. But then, the cool part. Go to sleep California time, and when I wake up. it is so nice and early! And I can get so much done. I snagged three whole extra hours.
The only problem is calling my husband or my editor, since everyone else is on East Coast time. And that somehow becomes absolutely impossible.
But nothing makes me happier than those extra three hours. (I never change my watch though, and that is, I know, unnecessarily confusing. Results in me having to do math all day. Why do I feel compelled to tell myself what time it isn't?)
However. Coming back east? Terrible. Terrible. I always feel like I lose an entire day. And the red eye solution is no solution at all, then you just come back and you are exhausted, and have to go to sleep, and lose the day again. So coming west to east, you just have to give up a day. I'm resigned to it.
LUCY BURDETTE: Completely agree, east to west is easier than west to east. My only beef (as some of you who know me might predict) is forcing myself to stay up that first day until a reasonable time. It might be 9 pm out there, but I know in my heart that it's really midnight. And I am simply not a person who is up at midnight. But I do love the next morning, waking up early and having that jump on the day!Please do not get me started on red eye flights, especially from the west coast of the US to the east. That is not long enough to even pretend to get a decent amount sleep, so you feel like warmed up crud once you get home. And so the day is completely shot.
John would always prefer to take the redeye rather than waste a whole day flying. But I tell him he'll have to do that on his own time!
PS I can do it on flights to Europe or longer, where are you usually don't have a choice anyway. My well-traveled neighbor's advice is never take a nap once you get there. Force yourself to go out and sight see in the sunlight and go to bed at what would be a normal time in the new TimeZone. Hard to do, but it does work!
RHYS BOWEN: Yes, good advice. This is exactly what I do when I fly to Europe. Cat nap and then stay up until their bedtime.
I've just finished a book tour with a new time zone each day. I felt like a zombie! I find traveling west to east much harder, but then I live on the West Coast so it may be different for Eastcoasters. When I have to fly to New York for a meeting and the publisher suggests 9 a.m. that is 6 a.m. for me which means I'm up before five! I always beg conventions not to put me on a nine o'clock panel as I'll be incoherent.
I fly to Europe at least once a year and I find that eight hour difference absolutely impossible. For the first week I want to sleep when I should be awake and the reverse. A nine o'clock meeting with my publisher there would be hopeless. I remember once flying in from California and being interviewed by a BBC correspondent who had just flown in from Moscow. We sat opposite each other and the conversation was so slow that I'm sure lots of pauses had to be cut before it could be aired!Since East Coasters find it easier to fly West to East I'm wondering if it is in fact easier to fly home because the body adjusts itself to home time quite quickly.
DEBORAH CROMBIE: I think west to east is harder. I hate the Dallas--London flight, nine hours going east and ten coming back. I do take a nap, Lucy, it's a rule I made years ago. I get into London pretty early in the morning, get settled wherever I'm staying, take a nap, then try to stay on pretty much a London schedule from there. Fortunately, I don't usually have early morning commitments the first few days. And I'm with Rhys on the east coast conference--no early morning panels or breakfasts!!!INGRID THOFT: My husband says I’m neither a night owl nor a lark, I’m a “middle of the day person” so where does that leave me? This year, I have already traveled between Seattle and Boston seven times, largely because of a family medical situation, but it’s a route I fly often under any circumstances (thank goodness for Alaska Airlines).
Both directions take a toil because my theory is that six (or more) hours on a plane, in any direction, saps your energy. And I have a “No Red Eye” rule, except in dire situations. I can’t sleep on planes, so a red eye just means I’m not productive when I arrive because I’m so tired.
The way I look at it, I’m going to “lose” a day either way so I’d rather make it as painless as possible and take the day flight.
HALLIE: Well, clearly we have no consensus. Here's my theory: If you're a night owl it's easier to travel east to west; if you're a lark, west to east is easier. But I like the idea that 'going home' is always the easiest. Yes? No? Other theories?? Your experience? And please, any tips re-energizing?
When the children were small, we would often take a red eye flight because the children would sleep. But it never seemed to make much difference to me whether we were flying east to west or west to east.
ReplyDeleteUndoubtedly, going home is always easiest . . . .
When I traveled east to west several times a year to see family, I agree with you, Hallie. It's harder to adjust going west. And when I traveled with little kids, the next morning (staying in a relative's guest room), three year olds have no idea and are wide awake at 4 am. Gah.
ReplyDeleteLike Ingrid, I have a No Red Eye rule (except for going to Europe, obviously). For starters, I have to stay up way past my bedtime just to board. By the time I get home I feel physically sick.
But when I lived in Japan in the days before drug-sniffing dogs, I discovered a neat trick. Take a pot brownie onto the plane. Once aloft, eat it. And then you've arrived! ;^) I wouldn't do it these days, obviously, but it sure made a 14-hour flight pass in a pleasant haze.
Ha, ha! Travel tips from the hippie days!
DeleteI love this!
DeleteHow to get yourself sniffed and arrested...
DeleteEdith, you are a hippie after my own heart, lol. If you live in a pot-legal state you can buy edible candy. Wonder if they are sniffable?
DeleteI don't know if they're sniffable, Debs, but I think it's still illegal to transport them across state lines!
DeleteOne would think they'd be most interested in the guns that get thru security and less about ladies carrying pot brownies.
DeleteI follow the blog posts of Dr. Michael Breus aka The Sleep Doctor, and he agrees with your theory Hallie about how different people handle travelling west to east or east to west. I am definitely an early bird, and have more problems going east to west. It took me 10 days to adjust being in Hawaii and California earlier this year but only needed 1 day to adjust to Iceland time from Ontario.
ReplyDeleteI do take red-eye flights going west to east since I am able to sleep on the plane (with earplugs and eye mask) and am raring to go once I arrive.
Grace, years ago, when I was still traveling a lot for business, I checked into a Hyatt (I think) and was given a "sleep package". It contained a CD (player in the room) of Michael Breus's music and relaxation techniques. Until the CD began to wear out, and my husband started to complain, I played the music every night as I was trying to go to sleep. Now I have the music on my phone, downloaded from Google Play. It is so soothing.
DeleteJetting merrily from coast to coast or across the pond is not actually a factor in my life very often, but I think air travel is pretty brutal no matter which way you're headed. I'm a night owl, so I don't recall having any problems adjusting when I used to go visit family in California. The last time I was out there I shepherded my whole band through a performance at a conference in San Jose, which involved lost percussion equipment, forgotten medications, a band member who casually failed to mention his deep vein thrombosis, and lots of rehearsals in odd corners of the convention center. It seemed like every time I took a moment for myself, to go to the bathroom, somebody else called with a new crisis. East or west made no difference. I was exhausted the whole time. Maybe I should have tried Edith's solution!
ReplyDeleteI think it's the suddenness of air travel that causes the problem. I recently spent a weekend in Santa Fe and, while I enjoyed myself, I suffered from mild altitude sickness the whole time. A friend who lives there explained that it was because I'd flown. If I had driven, she said, my body would have had more time to adjust to the altitude changes. Likewise, a friend who loves to travel to Europe, now that he's retired, swears that cruising is the only way to go. He isn't actually a fan of pleasure cruises, but taking the slow boat allows him to adjust to the time changes gradually, and he never suffers a moment of jet lag in either direction.
Like your cruising friend, Gigi, I discovered on my last trip from CT to WA and back, that going by train made that time adjustment easy. Unlike the "jolt" of the change from day light to standard time, an hour change just happens in the course of the day with no noticeable effect on sleeping or eating patterns. Were I ever to cross an ocean though I would have to fly -- seasickness is almost instant as I set foot in any kind of a water craft!
DeleteFrom CT to WA and back by train? What a fabulous trip that must have been, Elizabeth! That makes me green, but only with envy.
DeleteGood morning from Atlanta! Where I am at the Decatur book Festival… And had no ill effects across from traveling north to south!
ReplyDeleteThis post is a lesson in point of view, right? Because what's difficult time zone wise depends on where you start!
Off to my panel…
Yes, I do not think it's the flying, per se. Happy Decatur!
DeleteIt's easier to fly to Europe, force myself to walk all day the first day, and fall into bed at the proper time. For shorter distances in the US, I never really go off east coast time.
ReplyDeleteWhen I lived in WA, I traveled on both business and pleasure west to east and east to west. I found that a red eye in either direction helped me get on local time faster because breakfast is a meal that I can eat at any time before the sun goes down! But now, not traveling as much and being just "a bit older", I get jet lag flying the couple of hours from CT to FL! Exhaustion at both ends of the trip. Takes me at least a day to feel "normal". Happy Trails, travelers!
ReplyDeleteYes, to everything: East to west is easier, if you're a night owl like me. My husband the early to bed guy struggles. When going to Europe, I try to stay up if possible, and I have tried everything (except pot brownies!) to sleep on planes, mostly without success. And driving through time zones makes it vastly easier to adjust, both to the time change and to the altitude change. We drove from Cincinnati to Breckenridge, taking three days to get there, partly so I could avoid the worst of the altitude sickness that plagues me. (It didn't work as well as I hoped. Good thing I wasn't skiing.)
ReplyDeleteThe worst travel experiences for me were those super long flights to the other side of the world. When we went to Sydney we were on the transPacific flight so long that we could watch the sun going down to the front of the plane, and coming up to the rear hours later. Our flights to and from Tanzania were even worse, because the leg from Amsterdam to Arusha is also lengthy, and diagonally to the southeast, almost all overnight. It took two days to figure out which way was up. Talk about being a zombie!
The easiest travel I've ever done was going to South America. Lima, Peru, oddly, is in the same time zone as Cincinnati. And New York. Wrap your brain around that one. I had to keep checking the map.
Rhys, you have traveled EVERYwhere. What is the worst travel situation for you?
ReplyDeleteThat one is easy, Karen. We flew to Bali. 16 hours to Taipei, change planes sit around airport, 4 hours to Kuala Lumpur, change planes, 4 hours to Bali . I threw up when we arrived, so overtired that I couldn't sleep. John slept for acouple of days. Won't do that again
DeleteThe first time in the last few years (I don't count the time 37 years ago) that I flew to Hawaii from Kentucky, my husband and I were asleep by nine Hawaii time and up at 4 a.m. wanting breakfast. When we started looking for some place, we were lucky to find a 24-hour restaurant. The next three times flying there, it seemed easier, and I was able to jump into doing things once I got to Honolulu. I do think that it helps being a night owl when you go from East to West. Coming home, West to East seems so tiring because I'm not jumping into having a good time, but faced with the exhaustion of the trip and dirty laundry.
ReplyDeleteI live in AZ but my family is in CT and MA, so I do a lot of flying back and forth. I always sleep on the plane - something about the drone of the engine knocks me out - so it doesn't matter which direction it's going in, I will sleep. Needless to say, I always wake up refreshed and ready to go. Not terribly helpful, I know.
ReplyDeleteI rarely really sleep on a plane, even in one of those seats that turns into a bed. You are lucky Jenn
DeleteJenn, you are truly a gem.
DeleteFor me, traveling east is the hardest, mostly because when I do that, I am on a 7-8 hour flight to Europe. What we do on arrival at 8 a.m. is get thru customs and find a taxi and get to wherever we are staying, leave the luggage if a hotel, get some lunch and hope to god we can check in before 3 p.m. Unpack, get a shower and maybe a short nap, rest for sure, and then a very early dinner and walkabout, bed and book by 8 p.m., and by the next morning we are usually acclimated.
ReplyDeleteThe hardest trip I've made was a non-stop from SFO to Paris, arrived exhausted. I think that one was about 12-13 hours, way too long to be stuck in a tube, even in business class.
The fact is, I hate to travel, hate the part about "getting there." Once I've arrived and got rested, I'm good to go. We usually rent a car or use a Eurorail pass. That sort of traveling I adore, especially the car part. I love stopping somewhere on the spur of the moment, working my way around a bistro/pub menu, and watching the locals enjoy a three hour meal. Elbows and bread belong on the table.
I think it all depends on where you live, which coast, although there are a few people living in the fly-over states. When I lived in the Bay Area, I despised the red-eye flights but took them because I had too. Whoever decided those were a good idea? You arrive bleary eyed with furry teeth, a great way to start a vacation or a business trip. Yech.
No matter which coast I've lived on, I've found it harder to adjust after a west-bound flight. I can go from Oregon to the UK and function immediately, but when I get home it takes a few days.
ReplyDeleteWest is tough. But now I'm on the Left Coast. Grin.
ReplyDeleteSo I am totally confused--I even confused myself in my comment on the blog. I am a night owl, so at least in the US, east to west is maybe easier for me. West to east is only easier for me on the Dallas/London flight because I give myself a day off on arrival. And because I generally get to set my own schedule and can sleep in a bit the first few days. But coming back, I am so exhausted by the time I get to bed (usually about midnight when it is 6 a.m. London time for me) and then I wake up at the crack of dawn. And right into a regular schedule with no day off. I've seriously thought about coming back and staying the first night in a hotel but I don't think that would go over too well with my family.... Looking forward to Toronto and only an hour shift to the east for me.
ReplyDeleteWhen I worked for the airline, a rule of thumb to share with passengers was one day per time zone for your cicadian biorythmns to adapt. The older I become, the less sleep I need. Cat napping helps the most now days. I also pack the power bars for my pre-breakfast breakfast when on the West Coast. I always fly red eye coming home. I can't sleep well. It feels like the plane is flying backwards, however earning a full day to recover makes it worth it.
ReplyDeleteHum, I'm a night owl that is forced to be a lark for work purposes. That said, I've never had jet lag, either way. I wish I could share the secret, but it seems to be an internal gyro that simply adjusts.
ReplyDeleteOne of the easiest adjustments we ever made was flying from Seattle to Sydney (15 hr. flight). Essentially, the clock jumped ahead 24 hours, so even though we were tired, somehow our bodies stayed on the right rhythm!
ReplyDeleteI'm like Kait! Being a night owl who now gets up daily at 5 am, I simply adjust somehow. Tell me it's bedtime, and I go to bed. Wake me up, I'm ready to go. I do avoid caffeine for a few days before I fly, so I can use it as a boost if I'm dragging the first day or two. I also am that annoying person who slides the window shade up a bit to get sun on my eyelids while flying from the West Coast to Europe on the red eye. I claim that's what helps me adjust, but I just want to catch the earliest possible glimpse of London that I can!
ReplyDeleteSo that's you, lol!
DeleteSorry, Deborah! I try to open it a sliver, honestly! :)
DeleteWhen I was first working, I went on a trip every year, usually flying. Then it got to be so much waiting (even before 9/11) that we took the train for a few trips. Now I want them to invent the Star Trek transporter. Just pop over to London, see a museum, eat, walk around a little and pop back home. You could even check out the weather and construction before you went!
ReplyDelete