Vi i familjen flyger till Nordamerika (oftast San Francisco eller Denver) 1-3 ggr om året. Följande fungerar bäst för oss både praktisk såväl som kroppsligt:
1) Make flight connections in an intermediate country, not in the destination country. It is easiest to clear customs with all of your baggage at your final destination. We almost always connect through London, but Frankfurt, Amsterdam and Paris all work as well.
2) Getting too little sleep the night before you leave isn't necessarily a bad thing if it makes it easier for you to nap on the flight over. Have everything that you need to help you sleep on the airplane. Good earplugs and an eyeshade are a must for me. I watch the first movie and have wine with dinner on the long flight, take a walk, stretch out, and then try to sleep as much as possible.
3) Lots of good water and juice on the flight is good, but not too much alcohol.
4) Try to schedule the flight to arrive in the early afternoon. The key is to have enough time for the excitement of arrival to wear off by the time you plan to go to sleep on the first evening. Arriving in the evening usually results in me staying up past midnight and not being able to get to sleep the first evening, which throws me off for a few days. Arriving in the morning usually makes me succumb to a nap late on the late afternoon, which also throws me off. When I must arrive early I try to schedule some light exercise on the first afternoon to keep me going until it is time to sleep.
On the way back we have found that arriving home in the evening is best. It isn't usually a problem to just unload everything and crash in one's own bed. Even if you do manage to sleep for a few hours on the flight back and get a full night's sleep the first night, be prepared for difficulty concentrating and holding your eyes open during the first several days back. It usually hits me the worst just after lunch. Arriving in Stockholm in the morning after a flight from the San Francisco makes everything much worse for us. I once came in from a 9 AM arrival and went straight to work. Not a good idea.
