GAY & LESBIAN TRAVEL STORIES

Snooze Control

Flying overnight is never easy. Most folks who've hopped on a redeye flight from the U.S. to Europe, for example, are familiar with the annoyance of being super-excited to arrive mid-morning in France ("Bonjour Paris!") only to find one's self nodding off at the dinner table during the first evening meal in the City of Light. (Once, after an overnight flight from Los Angeles to Amsterdam, I actually did fall asleep at one of my favorite Dutch dining spots. Not cute. And kind of embarrassing.)

Theories abound about how best to approach this dilemma. What I've culled is a rundown of what are reportedly the most successful means of beating travel fatigue, so that you can arrive as rested as possible, or at least get acclimated to your new time zone with the greatest efficiency.

These tips are more anecdotal than scientific; I'm certainly not a doctor. But they've worked for me, and as a freelance travel journalist for about ten years, I've clocked some serious air time.

• Don't leave exhausted. Or hungover. Or drunk. Yep, it's great to have a splashy going away party before you embark on a world tour, but save your body the drama. (Maybe celebrate a couple of days before you go?) Because as glamorous as you might feel slurping down champagne just before you head to the airport to zoom off to Barcelona, you're not going to feel too foxy dry-heaving on a plane hours later. Or arriving hungover and incapable of parading stealthily through Las Ramblas. Get rest before you leave.

• Hydrate. Yep, you gotta drink lots of water. Sure you might have to hop up and down to the bathroom a time or two, but that activity is good for your circulation anyway. And stale plane air can dry you out. Take along some moisturizer too. Your outsides need moisture just about as much as your insides do.

• Don't wait; just sleep. If you're going to sleep on the plane (and you should) don't wait for the meal service. Hit the pillow when you get on board, as in right about then you're pulling away from the gate. Why postpone it? You're seriously not going to miss out on a really good meal or anything, right?

• Stay active up until you board the plane. Meaning, when you get to the airport, take stairs instead of escalators. Walk instead of using the moving sidewalks. This simple exertion can help your body rest once you're on the plane.

How do you beat the snooze blues? Answer our poll!