Make the Most of Your Look-See Trip

THE LOOK-SEE TRIP: TAKING THE LAG OUT OF JETTING

By Travis Murray

For expats taking up assignments overseas, there is usually a prelude to the big move called a Look-See Trip. This 3-7 day foray to their soonto-be new home is meant as a kind of orientation during which assignees will take a closer look at potential neighborhoods to live in, schools for their kids, healthcare options and generally get a feel for the city. The trip usually happens in the spring, although the timing and duration will vary greatly among the new crop of assignees arriving in expat hubs across Asia and the world.

Across the board, expats describe these trips as a blur of experiences crammed into a timeframe that is far too short to be truly effective. Part of the reason for this is that most expats are travelling to the other side of the world, which carries with it a complete reversal of daily time and meaning there is a 12 -13 hour time difference. This reversal causes jet lag which Merriam Webster describes as:

A CONDITION THAT IS CHARACTERIZED BY VARIOUS PSYCHOLOGICAL AND PHYSIOLOGICAL EFFECTS (AS FATIGUE AND IRRITABILITY), OCCURS FOLLOWING LONG FLIGHT THROUGH SEVERAL TIME ZONES, AND PROBABLY RESULTS FROM DISRUPTION OF CIRCADIAN RHYTHMS IN THE HUMAN BODY.

Resetting one’s circadian rhythms usually takes a day or two for most people, although for some a feeling of normality will only return after a week or more of regular, restful sleep. One positive to the Look-See Trip is that assignees will be sleeping in a 5-star hotel with all the creature comforts that come with it, including a luxurious bed to fall into after a hard day buzzing around one of Asia’s mega-cities, or rougher second-tier cities. While having a 5–star sleeping experience certainly helps, there are also natural remedies that you can use to reset your circadian rhythms more quickly, which is extremely helpful on your Look-See Trip, given its abbreviated nature. If you are better rested and feeling closer to 100%, your ability to absorb information and process it more effectively will be increased significantly and may have a positive effect on your assignment overseas for years to come.

MOST EXPATS REPORT THAT THEIR LOOK-SEE TRIP IS LITTLE MORE THAN A BLUR

How to avoid your Look-See Trip feeling like this!

Here are some remedies that have been shown to help: (source: health. com)

Melatonin

Melatonin, a natural hormone also sold as a supplement, regulates the body’s sleep-wake cycle. Levels rise after dark, peak overnight, and then fall in the morning. In some studies, taking melatonin has been shown to help fight jet lag.

Experts recommend taking melatonin after dark on the day that you travel, and for a few days thereafter. For people flying east, some recommend taking melatonin in the evening (at around 6 or 7 pm) for a few days before your flight.

Melatonin can interact with medications and, if taken incorrectly, can actually disrupt sleep, so be sure to consult your doctor before trying it.

Lavender oil

Lavender oil (also known as lavender essential oil) is a proven sleep enhancer. In a small 2005 study conducted by psychologists at Wesleyan University, lavender was shown to act as a mild sedative, promoting deep sleep and leaving the people who took it feeling more refreshed the next day.

Health.com’s natural remedies expert, Sara Altshul, who tends to experience insomnia when she sleeps away from home, always takes a small bottle of the oil when she travels. “I shake a few drops on my hotel pillows and the lovely aroma immediately relaxes me,” she says.

Pycnogenol

This dietary supplement, which is a trademarked extract of the bark of French pine trees, reduced jet lag symptoms in a small 2008 study conducted in Italy.

People who took 50 milligrams of Pycnogenol three times a day for a week, starting two days before their flight, had substantially fewer symptoms of jet lag (including fatigue, insomnia, and mental slowness) than people who took a placebo, while symptoms people in the Pycnogenol control group did experience lasted just 18 hours on average, compared to 39 hours in the placebo group.

As with any supplement, you should consult your doctor before trying Pycnogenol.

Soak up the sun

When flying west to east, you’re likely to feel sleepy on the day after your arrival. Getting as much sleep as possible the night before will help, and so will getting some sun. “To keep awake, get bright light early in the day by turning on a bright lamp or taking a walk in the sunshine,” says sleep expert Dr Carlos Schenck. And avoid naps, he adds, because they tend to prolong jet lag.

If you fly from east to west and arrive in the afternoon, Dr. Schenck suggests recharging by getting some late-afternoon sun, and trying to stay awake until your usual bedtime back east.

Get ahead of schedule

Adjusting to the time zone you’re traveling to before you get on the plane can help you stay ahead of jet lag.

If you’re flying east, you might go to sleep an hour earlier than usual each night for a few days before your flight. If you’re traveling in the opposite direction, stay up later than you normally would. (This is generally only useful if you will be at your destination for more than two days.)

Making the adjustment gradually is essential, according to Dr. Schenck. “Do this in steps over a period of days,” he says. “Otherwise, sleep could become a problem even before the trip.”

In addition to trying one of the above methods or remedies, it is also critical to educate yourself as much as possible before your Look-See Trip. Understanding your potential new home and the choices you will have to make prior to your trip will be essential to bemg able to look back on the viit as a successful one.