The Secret to Time Zone Hopping

Whether hopping time zones for business or pleasure, or both, you can beat the jetlag international travel brings with a few simple tricks ... and some help from your tech.
Fighting jetlag? There's an app for that! The Jetlag Fighter app by Virgin Airlines gives you a personalized daily calendar, a real-time graph of predicted adjustment, in-flight tips based on the length of your trip, a jetlag-fighting guide, and an alertness meter to see how you're actually doing. (Love the "alertness meter" ... how many times would we all score low on that in our own time zone!)


Getting enough rest means shifting your sleep schedule by a couple hours before you travel (if possible), sleeping on the plane, and taking short naps as you adjust. Come to your flight equipped with the right sleep tools: Sleep masks will keep out the light that tells you it's time to be awake, and a cashmere travel pillow will help you sleep no matter where you're seated on the plane.


Herbal remedies may even help shift sleep rhythms faster by resetting the circadian clock that tells us to stay awake in daylight and sleep when it's dark. Jetlag formula, Jet Zone, and melatonin are said to help with this adjustment in a natural way. (You can keep them travel-friendly in Muji pill pots, a pill container shaped like a giant capsule, or a slick silicon mini-container.)



Gadgets can help you fight the grogginess, too! Respect the new time zone with the help of Sam Hecht's Jetlag clock or time your sleep with a sound therapy travel clock. The AllHours app will show you three time zones at once, which can help in planning your next stop or calling someone in another country.


Of course, there are low-tech tricks like making sure you drink plenty of water. 321 makes a beautiful bottle that even filters your water for you, and the collapsible Vapur bottle will fit in your pocket. And if all else fails ... caffeine! Make your own coffee on the go with the mypressi TWIST or use the BeanHunter app to find the best cup of coffee near you.


What are your time zone tricks?

See more from NOTCOT:
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5 Excuses to Watch TV - Without Your TV!
5 Tech Finds That Make Life Easier
Kitchen Gadgets That Could Change Your Life

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Jean Aw is the founder of NOTCOT: Concept, Content & Creative, Editor-In-Chief of the NotEmpire*. . . Design Addict + UX Designer + Shopaholic + Tech Connoisseur + Design Writer + World Traveler 

*NotEmpire = not an empire, composed of NOTCOT.com, NOTCOT.org, NotCouture.com, and Liqurious.com