Great advice i got from DTW LCA on my first TOE headed to Amsterdam-sleep when you’re tired, eat when you’re hungry. Don’t try to trick your body. It also helps a tremendous amount if you can nap in the bunk. Even if it’s only for 30 mins.

 

Done international at a few carriers (including Big D).

First suggestion: if you find your body can’t handle it (me), don’t do it. Bid off ASAP. but by all means try and see how you like it.

Second suggestion: when you’re in the aircraft bunk on crew rest, sleep without an alarm without a care in the world.

Believe me. The other pilots want their rest too. They’ll wake you up. (Personal note: couldn’t do this myself, fretted constantly about oversleeping.).

International: some love it. Some hate it. You never know until you try.

 

i gained a lot of weight that I had to loose during the pandemic by heeding this advice 😂😂😂 your results may vary.

 

Yeah. I’ll blame it on the pandemic too. Friggin Covid.

 

I never could hit the ground running. Usually all I can think about when getting to the hotel is sleeping. I set my alarm for 4-4:30 hours from the time I turn out the lights. Then curse the alarm when it goes off and contemplate sleeping the rest of the day. But I dont and head straight to a shower else I would head back to sleep. Then head out grab a coffee somewhere and explore the town for a couple hours or go to gym for a workout. Typically the crew meets up at hotel that evening around 5-6 if you want company for dinner. Have an awesome dinner at a nice spot with a beer/glass of wine and now realize why international is so much better than domestic.

 

If I slept on the flight at least an hour and a half, stay up and go site see. If I get no sleep due to first break and the clank and bang of the meal service, 3 hour max nap. Little blue pill used to do wonders (no, not that one) now it’s illegal. I’ve heard mixed reviews about the legal remedies.

 

When it comes to international flying, you'll soon learn that East is least and West is best. Always will have a tougher time adjusting when going east.

As mentioned above, sleep in the bunk. If you can't sleep on the airplane, bid domestic.

The key to making the best of your layovers is discipline. If you need a powernap (and powernaps are great) then set an alarm for an hour later and do wake up when it rings.
If you oversleep then you'll feel like crap the rest of the day.

Hitting the gym for a light workout helps with the body clock. Even though it's tempting to have that Wiener Schnitzel in Germany, eating light meals helps with the fatigue.
You probably don't wanna hear this but alcohol makes it difficult to sleep and makes you dehydrated. So by all means have a beer with the crew at dinner but if you overdo it then you'll be up all night (local time) stressing that you can't sleep.

When you get home you might be a zombie for a day or two.

 

I’d add to pay attention to your arrival time when making your sleep plan. Most European destinations have an arrival between 5-8 am. Pre Covid (not sure if they are still operating) we had a flight from SEA to AMS that would land around 11 am and you’d get to your room around 1. At this point, it didn’t make much sense to sleep as it could ruin your chances of falling asleep at night. In any case, just don’t oversleep during your nap. Count on waking up questioning your life choices and be thankful the windows don’t open else you may jump. It all becomes worth it once you clear the fog and hit the town!

Side note: If you are a coffee drinker, plan on the in room coffee being the instant packets with a hot pot for the water.

 

I always napped after getting to the hotel. Your body needs it. Wake up with an espresso and a workout. Meet the crew for dinner and have a few beers (otherwise, what's the point exactly?) Back to the room. Melatonin. Crash. Breakfast buffet, more espresso. Fly home. Toss and turn in the Delta One seat. Give up and eat/watch a movie. Be a zombie for a day. Live the dream.

Now Asia. No way to tame that beast. The best description from fNWA types: A ten day trip is ten days awake punctuated by a series of 4-hr naps. Not that we do 10-day trips anymore. But when you're there during the day you're body is saying, "Dude, it's the middle of the night." And when it's night, "Dude, it's the middle of the day." Back side of the clock is right. Europe is much easier on the body.

Or do 4 legs/day and enjoy the airport Holiday Inn. There's something for everyone at a legacy.

 

As a west coast guy, I found Asia to much better on my body than Europe. Get in later in the day, grab an Asahi, a canned cold brew, and a shower then good to go for dinner and crash. Wake up and don’t feel like death, unlike the European nap wake-up.