Tag luxury

In 1966, the Los Angeles Times posted an article containing the first use of the term “jet lag.” It stated that jet lag was a “debility not unakin to a hangover” and that it is caused by a jet traveling so fast it “leaves your body rhythms behind.” Now 50 years later, we are still dealing with the consequences of jet lag. While our bodies have yet to adapt, as a society, we have made several advancements towards understanding jet lag and how to combat it.

There are plenty of tips for avoiding jet lag or decreasing its effect, as well as some luxury items that have slowly begun to edge into the marketplace. Listed below is a look at some of the remedies for preventing jet lag before, after and during a flight, as well as some luxury items that were designed to diminish any effects of jet lag.

Before The Flight

Gradually Adjust Inner Clock – When it comes to avoiding the effects of jet lag, one of the best plans is shifting your sleeping schedule. So if traveling west, a few days before the flight you should start going to sleep later and later and waking up later, and vice versa for traveling east.

Avoid Overnight Flights – Since you lose time when traveling from west to east, it is considered a tougher flight. Even though we can’t always dictate which way we will be traveling, we can do our best to avoid the flights that will cost the most hours of sleep. Most redeye flights offer daylight alternatives, so look for those; if unavailable, opt for a flight with an arrival time that coincides with the late afternoon/evening at your destination.

During The Flight

Eat Lightly – A less-commonly known fact about jet lag is that it can disrupt your digestive system. This could mean hunger attacks in the middle of the night or loss of appetite during the day. To avoid these symptoms, skip heavy meals before or during your flight to allow time for the digestive tract to adapt.

Use Sleeping Pills Wisely – While it may create a more tranquil sleep during the ride, sleeping pills can have adverse side effects. It is recommended only to use sleeping pills when: the flight is longer than 7 hours, flatbeds are available, and the medicines have been used before.

After The Flight

Give Yourself Time – Rather than jumping into plans, allow your body a few hours to adjust to the time difference.

Consider Melatonin – An extensively studied jet lag drug, melatonin is a hormone that tells the body when to sleep and when to wake. So taking it when you want to sleep allows the reset of the body’s sleep-wake phase.

Luxury Items

Light Therapy Glasses – These glasses essentially expose your eyes to strategically colored light to regulate sleep patterns and can help reset body clocks.

HumanCharger – This brain stimulator features earplugs that emits light to photosensitive regions of the brain. 8-12 minutes a day provides the needed amount of light daily.

Since my husband and I are successful entrepreneurs and life coaches, our work takes us all over the world. From New Zealand, Fiji, my husband’s home in the United States and mine in Australia, our family had been fortunate enough to afford to travel frequently and in the form of luxury. Not only does this provide a unique experience the whole family can enjoy, but my children are gaining a very enriching cultural experience early on in life that neither I nor my husband had the opportunity to experience until we were well into our twenties.

Providing my children with these experiences is a very rare opportunity a parent has. Since it is so rare, there aren’t too many written rules about how to keep your children disciplined while they’re on a trip few children — or even adults — receive in their lifetime. Below are a few of my guidelines that I personally use in my family that you could perhaps instill on your children one day.

Educate Them About Their Opportunities, and Tie It Into Schooling

How about a field trip to explore the geology of the rocky shores of Australia? Or watching White Faced Herons hunt for prey near tide pools on the New Zealand coast? Since we travel all around the world, our kids are exposed to a variety of nature’s wonders that many kids only learn about in textbooks. Our kids learn about these things in person, and we make sure we make it fun, yet educational, by reading signage with information about the area and its wildlife, as well as attending guided tours. Your kids will feel grateful that they’re learning this in person instead of through a textbook in a classroom.

See How Others Live

If you’re going on a luxury vacation, you probably have spas and days spent at the beach and pool in mind. Although those luxuries are certainly relaxing (and may be well needed for you and your family!), it’s also important to remember that you should also expose your child to the austerities life may bring to others. For example, volunteer to hand out meals at a food shelter for a few hours. Or if the area has recently suffered from a natural disaster, purchase necessities and encourage your kids to pass out blankets, water, food and toys to victims.

Set Expectations

When kids are on vacation, it can be easy for them to forget rules that are typically set for the home. Just like you establish house rules, you have to establish vacation rules as well — and it’s best to keep them similar to maintain consistency. You should still set a curfew for bedtime, set the expectations for good public behavior, and encourage healthy eating habits — with a little indulgence because it is vacation.

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Rachel Krider, a successful personal development life coach and entrepreneur, is the co-host of Born to Prosper’s Mind Power podcast. Along with her husband, Rachel travels the world in luxury to speak to aspiring entrepreneurs at conferences and workshops to inspire them to find their own pathways to success. Rachel Krider is part of The Prosperity of Life Network, a United States-based personal development business with a presence in 52+ countries.