How to beat jet lag when flying long-haul? Try a recovery stopover

For the first time in years I’ve returned home from a European holiday refreshed and not suffering with jet lag for 2 weeks. The older I get, the longer it takes me to recover from these long-haul journeys, but I think I’ve finally cracked the code.

I’ve spoken about the beauty of a stopover before but now I’ve flipped it and turned it into a relaxing vacation on the way home. An opportunity to rest, recover away from the daily grind that awaits. It made all the difference and now I’m sharing with you because it’s such an underrated hack to not only see more of the world, but make it work in your favour.

Everyone I spoke to about my travel plans looked at me with confusion when I explained my itinerary. They couldn’t quite grasp the multi-continent plan which perhaps wasn’t a typical selection or sequence of places to visit, but I had my reasons and it was perfect. Designed by me, for me.

Long-haul travel and jet lag recovery

Long haul travel from Australia is its own kind of endurance sport. Stuck in a middle seat overnight, everyone around you asleep, terrible food, and somehow you’re also rationing water because getting up means climbing over three strangers. Nobody warns you it’s this specific kind of exhausting.

That exhaustion always doubles for me on the way home. Often taking a few weeks to recover from jet lag, up at 2am answering emails and napping during the day. As much as I know what I should do, it always seems to turn out this way.

This time however, I tried something different, and it actually worked. I think I’ve finally found a real fix for beating jet lag travelling east from Europe, and I suspect it applies wherever you’re flying home from.

What if we start to plan for the return?

Generally, we’re only planning for the vacation not the recovery, often returning home exhausted either from the travel itself, the jet lag or from trying to do too much in a short space of time.

On this occasion, I planned my vacation around having a stopover somewhere warm, on the way home that gave me the chance to rest. Enter Bangkok into the equation.

I chose to fly with Thai Airways specifically so that I could stop in Bangkok on the way home, which turned out to be one of the better decisions of the whole trip. Great service, better food than I’m used to on long haul, and the stopover was already built into the ticket price. Many airlines offer stopover programs or ground inclusions such as tours & accommodation so it’s always a good idea to check what’s available before booking. You can read more about planning a stopover here.

The stopover in action

Arriving at 7am into Bangkok after flying around 11 hours from Milan overnight, the first hurdle was to get through the formalities and then make my way into town to the hotel. Normally check-in is after 2pm but I’m so grateful that I could get a room by 10am, as I was a complete and utter zombie by that point.

Day 1: Pretty much just sleep until very late, then trying to find dinner. I ended up at good old McDonalds on this occasion as it was nearby and open.

Days 2-3: Waking up just in time for the buffet breakfast as you do, going for a swim in the pool, then a nap into the afternoon, maybe a walk in the vicinity then again searching for dinner quite late in the area.

Day 4: Starting to feel human again and not napping during the day. I was finally able to go and explore the city, and decided to visit the Grand Palace. The day had other plans as I was told it was closed by a random gentleman who claimed to work there. He proceeded to explain that I need to take a tuk tuk to a variety of locations, which I did and it was actually great. A visit to the Golden Buddha, the obligatory tailor selling clothing, Chao Phraya river cruise and finishing up at Wat Pho before a massive storm exploded just as I hopped into the taxi.

Days 5-7: A mix of resting by the pool, reading a book, visiting the shopping centres and trying some local food, along with visiting Talat Noi & Songwat Road.

All in all – by the end of Day 3, sleep patterns had readjusted, the weather was always warm and it was the perfect environment to rest. No emails. No meetings.

Why I think this helps to beat jet lag

Bangkok suited my itinerary, but you can choose a place that suits your plans better. You just need a place to land that allows recovery on the way home before real life resumes.

A few things worth considering when picking your own stopover:

Time zone: This is most important as it has the greatest impact on your circadian rhythm. Bangkok sits roughly halfway between European and Australian time zones, so instead of absorbing the full shift in one hit, my body was already partway adjusted by the time I flew the final leg home.

Climate: This is personal preference but for me, somewhere warm makes doing nothing feel like a deliberate choice for rest.

Direct flight: This means less transit and more opportunity to rest.

Sunlight: This is really important to regulate your body as well, trying to get as much sunlight during the day can prime the body for sleep at the appropriate time.

I used to think a stopover was a nuisance but now I build my whole long-haul trip around having one, on purpose, on the way back.

Give it a try on your next trip

It may have sounded like an odd itinerary mixing Europe and Asia but honestly it was the best decision. Aside from one night’s sleep disruption, the jet lag simply didn’t persist this time. Far less exhaustion and genuinely ready to ease back into normal routines again – except for the holiday blues.