WHAT TO DO ABOUT JETLAG

That I here in New York wake up wide awake every morning at half past 6 next to my bed I find very nice, but of course it's not strange because I prefer to start heading to bed by 9 PM. Yep, a jetlag.

Lies and I always look incredibly enviously at business class when we walk into a plane, but even then you always come out a bit disheveled and need a few days to get back into a normal rhythm. You can't really prevent a jetlag, but you can speed up the process of getting over it a bit.

• Drink plenty of water on the way. Preferably no alcohol. Okay, if you have a bit of a fear of flying it's allowed, but as much water as possible. In the air, you dehydrate and that can give you a headache and make you feel really drowsy. Just a tip.
• Try to keep moving during the flight; staying in the same position for a long time is not good for your body. I can tell you this because I once took a sleeping pill on a flight from Bali to Amsterdam and seriously skipped all meals and coffee and tea rounds. 16 hours sitting with my head against the seat in front of me. Can you picture it? When I woke up, my calves were so swollen, it took months before they returned to a somewhat normal state. Really not fun.
• So I'm not really a fan of it, but Lies does very well with a sleeping pill. Just take a light one. If you have a flight where you must sleep to have as little severe jetlag as possible, that can be handy.
• You could do what Lies and I did on our second night, which is to go to bed at half past 3 in the morning after going out, thoroughly drunk. Just count on being able to sleep in. Only, then you will have a threefold worse hangover than you would have in the Netherlands. You need to keep that in mind.
• Oh yes, eat healthy and light on the plane. Because the rhythm of your body is disrupted, the digestion process also slows down. That makes you very tired.
• And lastly; immediately go along with the rhythm of the country you have arrived in. No afternoon naps, just push through. Perhaps the most obvious tip, but also the most efficient.