Jetlag - Flying to Oz

DublinGuy11 · 11-08-2015 1:51pm #1

In a few weeks, I will be flying to Sydney. I am flying Etihad: Dublin - Abu Dhabi - Sydney. The trip itself is actually a bit mad, I am flying over to be at a family wedding. I am only going to be staying in Oz for just over a week though before flying home. It is not ideal to be travelling such a distance to only stay for duch a short time, i need to return back to Ireland for my own family/work commitments. It is close family member though that is getting married so it is a wedding I could not really miss.

My question however is in relation to the travel itself. Has anyone travelled this route recently? How did they find Etihad? Any words advice on Abu Dhabi airport?

In particular I am looking for recommendations on coping with jet lag. The first flight is 7.5 hours, there is a 4 hour stop over and then a 14 hour flight. I am only in Oz for such a short time and want to make the most of it while I am there. Does anyone have any advice on how they counteracted jet lag for a trip such as this?

Thanks

aujopimur · 11-08-2015 2:09pm

Try to get some sleep on the flight, then a nights sleep when you arrive, it works for me.(8 trips so far).

DublinGuy11 · 11-08-2015 2:15pm

Op here - i am arriving early in the morning Oz time (06:50 am). I was thinking the best approach was to keep going all day if i can when i arrive there so that i will be wrecked tired going to bed that evening

Noo · 11-08-2015 3:04pm

DublinGuy11 wrote:

Op here - i am arriving early in the morning Oz time (06:50 am). I was thinking the best approach was to keep going all day if i can when i arrive there so that i will be wrecked tired going to bed that evening

Are you actually prone to jetlag? with myself and loads of friends and family travelling to and from oz the last few years ive noticed jet lag does not affect everyone. Yes people are tired when they arrive, 24hours of travelling is tiring no matter what timezone you arrive into, but that whole waking at crazy hours because you're used to other timezones I havent really seen. I cant sleep on planes so if I was in your shoes I would have a 2-3hr nap when I arrive (to combat the total lack of sleep I had the entire journey), then get up and carry on the rest of the day as usual and go to bed at a normal time that night, you'll be fine the following day. I try to plan arriving at night so that I can just go straight to bed or if I have to arrive in the morning I just do as above and never suffered jetlag. Try not to overthink it and drink plenty of water while travelling to avoid headaches (such a pain when youre already overtired).

DublinGuy11 · 11-08-2015 3:49pm

Noo wrote: »

Are you actually prone to jetlag? with myself and loads of friends and family travelling to and from oz the last few years ive noticed jet lag does not affect everyone. Yes people are tired when they arrive, 24hours of travelling is tiring no matter what timezone you arrive into, but that whole waking at crazy hours because you're used to other timezones I havent really seen. I cant sleep on planes so if I was in your shoes I would have a 2-3hr nap when I arrive (to combat the total lack of sleep I had the entire journey), then get up and carry on the rest of the day as usual and go to bed at a normal time that night, you'll be fine the following day. I try to plan arriving at night so that I can just go straight to bed or if I have to arrive in the morning I just do as above and never suffered jetlag. Try not to overthink it and drink plenty of water while travelling to avoid headaches (such a pain when youre already overtired).

OP here. While i have never been prone to jetlag in the past, it has been a few years since i have done a long haul trip such as this. I have also never been great at sleeping on public transport. I think because i am in Oz for a short time, i am just conscious of giving myself the best chance of not being a zombie while i am there. So all advice and/or tips are welcome.

Del2005 · 11-08-2015 3:59pm

I can never really sleep when travelling and when I travelled to Australia I slept for 3 days, mostly because I got off the plane and watched a F1 race then went on the beer. Coming back I didn't sleep at all and didn't get jet lag.

What I do now for long journeys is take a nighttime over the counter cold/flu medication to sleep. OP if you're getting in at 06:30 I'd try and stay awake till the last flight and then sleep, you should then be arriving on the correct time so try to stay up till nearly your normal bed time.

First Up · 11-08-2015 4:03pm

DublinGuy11 wrote: »

In a few weeks, I will be flying to Sydney. I am flying Etihad: Dublin - Abu Dhabi - Sydney. The trip itself is actually a bit mad, I am flying over to be at a family wedding. I am only going to be staying in Oz for just over a week though before flying home. It is not ideal to be travelling such a distance to only stay for duch a short time, i need to return back to Ireland for my own family/work commitments. It is close family member though that is getting married so it is a wedding I could not really miss.

My question however is in relation to the travel itself. Has anyone travelled this route recently? How did they find Etihad? Any words advice on Abu Dhabi airport?

In particular I am looking for recommendations on coping with jet lag. The first flight is 7.5 hours, there is a 4 hour stop over and then a 14 hour flight. I am only in Oz for such a short time and want to make the most of it while I am there. Does anyone have any advice on how they counteracted jet lag for a trip such as this?

Thanks

I've used Etihad in Economy as far as Abu Dhabi a good few times and the prospect of another 14 hours is too horrible to contemplate. Always busy flights and serious lack of leg room so my advice would be to try for an exit row or bulkhead (and an aisle seat) to squeeze as many extra inches as you can. Walk about a bit and stretch as well.

As regards jet lag - for a trip that short you might as well just forget trying to adjust. You need at least a day for every hour difference and you won't sleep properly on the flights. Just try to operate in 6-8 hour blocks, with cat naps to keep you going.

punk_one82 · 12-08-2015 1:09am

I did that exact flight in October last year. I had an entire block of seats to myself on the flight to Abu Dhabi so lay down the entire flight. Abu Dhabi airport was a bit boring but which airport isn't? I got myself an emergency row seat on the flight to Sydney. Flight was long and boring but the extra legroom was nice. Overall Etihad aren't bad at all. Ask can you get a seat or two beside you blocked off if the flights aren't full. Makes a world of difference. Re. jetlag, I was affected really badly. Drink as much water as you can and try and sleep at fairly normal local times.

gossipgirl10 · 12-08-2015 1:31am

Just did this journey at the weekend returning from 3 weeks in Ireland. Jetlag has been pretty minimal I have to say... Flew out of Ireland on the Friday night and slept for maybe 3 or 4 of the 7 hours on that flight. Was exhausted by the time I got to board the next flight in Abu Dhabi so slept for maybe an hour or two then stayed awake for a while watching movies and got a few more hours sleep at the end of the flight.

Arrived in Sydney at 7am and thought I would go to sleep for a couple of hours then get up but I couldn't really get to sleep straight away and when I eventually slept and was woken at 12 o clock I felt like I could barely move my limbs I was so wrecked. Made myself get up have a shower and go out and about for the day and managed to stay awake until 9.30pm that night. Slept through until 6.30am the next day and was up for work and feeling great. Have been getting tired at 8.30pm each evening and struggling to stay awake but I would definitely suggest getting into a routine of going to bed at a normal enough hour and getting up early if you sleep in you will only make it worse.

Did the exact same trip this time last year and had a day off work to recover from the jetlag and it made things ten times worse. Slept late in the morning and was awake half the night really wasn't worth it.

Etihad are nice to fly with, Abu Dhabi airport is fine nothing special but definitely not the worst airport I've been through.

Safe travels enjoy the wedding

DublinGuy11 · 14-08-2015 10:48am

gossipgirl10 wrote: »

Just did this journey at the weekend returning from 3 weeks in Ireland.

Is there WIFI on these flights does anyone know? As in, can i get stuck into Netflix for a few hours?

Hasmunch · 14-08-2015 12:36pm

DublinGuy11 wrote: »

Is there WIFI on these flights does anyone know? As in, can i get stuck into Netflix for a few hours?

Yep there is Wifi but you have to pay for it (unless you are flying first class of course:pac:)
Not sure how much it is though.

d.pop · 14-08-2015 3:22pm

DublinGuy11 wrote: »

Is there WIFI on these flights does anyone know? As in, can i get stuck into Netflix for a few hours?

In case you haven't flown long haul with a while or before...
the inflight entertainment system these days will literally have hundreds of movies (new and classics) , TV box sets, documentaries, gaming and music box sets. Like going to the cinema for 24 hrs assuming your TV works ðŸ˜Ÿ long flight if it doesn't.

I haven't flown Etihad but have flown most other carriers over the years and really you won't want for entertainment. Does it make time go faster...? Probably, not fast enough though unfortunately.

You might not suffer from jet lag, my missus flew long haul for years with me and got it for the first time last month! Go figure.

I struggle a bit to be honest with it although more so on flight to Oz for some reason, but like previous posts said try to keep going on first day until bedtime but if you start falling around the place listen to your body and lie down.

InTheTrees · 15-08-2015 1:52am

Jetlag, I find when going somewhere new that the excitement and novelty just takes over.

Especially a wedding. You're not going to have time for jetlag. You'll be wiped out when you arrive, and sleep for a long time the first night, then you're going to get swept up with being in Sydney, weddings etc.

I wouldnt worry about it.

Its when you come home that it hits you, no novelty and back to the old routine.

punk_one82 · 16-08-2015 11:42am

DublinGuy11 wrote: »

Is there WIFI on these flights does anyone know? As in, can i get stuck into Netflix for a few hours?

I had wifi on both legs of the trip. Costs like 20-25 dollars for 24 hours I think but paid just for my sanity's sake.

BailMeOut · 16-08-2015 11:51am

what time do you arrive? If you arrive in morning / afternoon then suffer the tiredness on first day and go to bed as that night. During that day get as much sunlight as possible and drink lots of water. On the flight - avoid booze and drink loads of water and sleep if you can.

If you arrive in evening do not stay up too late go to bed as normal. You will probably wake early but get up. Again loads of sunlight and water on first day.

The trick is to get on the Australian clock as quickly as possible. Same applies for when you come home.

Mellor · 16-08-2015 1:29pm

I fly a lot and I find the best way to avoid jet lag is to follow a sleeping pattern as per your destination timezone.

That means is you are arriving in the morning, to stay awake on the first flight and sleep on the second. If you arrive at night do the reverse.
That way you'll quickly get into a normal routine.
I've seen lots of people mess it up and end up sleeping all day and being awake all night for the firs week.

bennyineire · 16-08-2015 1:53pm

You could try slowing adapting your sleep patterns to OZ time so that by the time of you flight your sleep pattern is 5-6 hours ahead of Irish time. That way you should find it easier to adapt when you get to OZ.
Maybe mover your sleep time by 1 hour each night a week ahead of flying

top madra · 16-08-2015 4:19pm

I can never sleep on the plane so I just try to stay awake for the day I land until it's bed time, I arrived in Ireland over a week ago and it took about two days to be back to normal, but saying that I was fine when I woke up.

I will say though, I've flown with Eithad 3 times now but this was my first time using Emirates and I don't think I'll ever fly with Eithad again, my legs gets seriously cramped on their flights, especially the 14hr trip.

Plus the Emirates was 23 hrs total which just made the trip that little bit 'easier'.

skipz · 17-08-2015 8:08am

Flew with both Eithad and Emirates and Eithad was by far the better of the two airlines. Last October on Eithad I watched premier league games live on the flight! Staff were great and had 3 seats to myself.
Flew Emirates in July on the new A380 and hated every minute of it, food, staff and leg room were crap.

Apparently flying west to east is the hardest for people to adjust and jetlag hits harder. I found if I arrive when its morning time, 7/9 o'clock I get into the swing of things pretty easy.

Noo · 18-08-2015 3:59am

skipz wrote:

Flew with both Eithad and Emirates and Eithad was by far the better of the two airlines. Last October on Eithad I watched premier league games live on the flight! Staff were great and had 3 seats to myself. Flew Emirates in July on the new A380 and hated every minute of it, food, staff and leg room were crap.

I agree, flew both, emirates has the benefit of being a shorter journey but felt like a package holiday flight to spain. But the shorter flight would make me use them again unfortunately. Eithad was just an overall nicer experience. Did the flight with the singapore a380....that was divine!

davepatr07 · 18-08-2015 12:12pm

Have flown a good bit now between NZ/Oz and Ireland and still not used to the jetlag.

Worst flight was with Emirates from Melbourne to Dubai via Singapore on a cramped 777. I couldn't wait for the last leg to Dublin to end especially it being 8 hrs with the headwinds. Red eyed by the time we landed on Irish soil.

Best advice I can give to lessen the jetlag is to try and adjust to the destination time zone as you are travelling.
Leaving Australia or NZ I try to get a night time flight to get some sleep so the last leg can be done awake.

Leaving Ireland at lunch time and getting into UAE at midnight I just stay over where the airline puts me up and get the morning flight to Down Under. The last 5- 6 hours I try and get some sleep as you normally arrive in the morning.

The evening flight from Ireland to UAE I don't get much sleep as I know will have to sleep again on the last leg. This I find is tiring as you think you have missed 1 nights sleep when in fact you are just going ahead of time.

Etihad and Emirates are good but a fan of the Airbuses over the Boeings. Those 3-4-3 seats in economy are a killer.

top madra · 19-08-2015 5:38pm

skipz wrote: »

Flew with both Eithad and Emirates and Eithad was by far the better of the two airlines. Last October on Eithad I watched premier league games live on the flight! Staff were great and had 3 seats to myself.
Flew Emirates in July on the new A380 and hated every minute of it, food, staff and leg room were crap.

Really? I was the complete opposite, for once my legs weren't crammed all the way thru the seat in front of me.

20-08-2015 9:26am

Melatonin.

Works for me, helps reset the body clock. Never taken it for more than a day or two after arriving away or home again.

Ireland, Dubai, Perth, arrived last Saturday evening, was fine Monday.

First Up · 20-08-2015 9:47am

323 wrote: »

Melatonin.

Works for me, helps reset the body clock. Never taken it for more than a day or two after arriving away or home again.

Ireland, Dubai, Perth, arrived last Saturday evening, was fine Monday.

Yeah, but when are you going to get to Australia? Perth is only half way.

Slideways · 20-08-2015 3:52pm

First Up wrote: »

Yeah, but when are you going to get to Australia? Perth is only half way.

Only half way? To Vegas maybe..

I've flown Dublin-Heathrow-Singapore-Perth and back 3 days later for a job interview. I did as had been mentioned and stayed awake for the first flight and slept for the 2nd as I was landing in the morning.

I just flew Perth-Dubai-Dublin landing at 11 and did the same. I found the 777 way easier to sleep on as the bulkhead is close enough to the seat that you can lean against it. On the A380 you can't do this. Both flights were chockers

Avoid booze and keep hydrated and don't be tempted to sleep when you land of you are landing in the morning. It'll only delay the jet lag if it's going to be a problem

davepatr07 · 22-08-2015 9:53am

Sorry if this slightly derails the thread. Is it ok to carry Melatonin through Dubai? Even if you are clearing customs Immigration on a stop over?

I only ask because of the stories I've heard about being caught with even the most common everyday drugs even natural medicine.

Thanks

Jetlag - Flying to Oz

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