Beat jet lag: 1) Shift your sleep 2-3 days before departure (1 hr earlier per day if going east), 2) Hydrate aggressively in-flight (no alcohol/caffeine), 3) Take 3-5mg melatonin at destination bedtime, 4) Get sunlight within 1 hour of arrival, 5) Stay awake until local bedtime even if exhausted, 6) Light exercise the next morning. Rule of thumb: 1 day recovery per hour time difference if you do nothing — half that with these tactics.
The short answer is in the box below. Read on for the details.
The Short Answer
Beat jet lag: 1) Shift your sleep 2-3 days before departure (1 hr earlier per day if going east), 2) Hydrate aggressively in-flight (no alcohol/caffeine), 3) Take 3-5mg melatonin at destination bedtime, 4) Get sunlight within 1 hour of arrival, 5) Stay awake until local bedtime even if exhausted, 6) Light exercise the next morning. Rule of thumb: 1 day recovery per hour time difference if you do nothing — half that with these tactics.
The Full Guide
This is one of the most common questions our travel desk gets every week. Here is the complete breakdown of what works in 2026.
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Why This Matters in 2026
Travel pricing, rules, and tools have changed rapidly. What worked in 2020 doesn't work today — airline IT systems are more aggressive at preventing loopholes, but new opportunities (consolidator fares, transferable points, AI tools) have emerged.
Frequently Asked Questions
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When to Call vs DIY
| Scenario | DIY | Call an agent |
|---|---|---|
| Simple US domestic round-trip 30+ days out | ✅ Use Google Flights | — |
| International long-haul or Business Class | — | ✅ Consolidator fares save $500+ |
| Same-day or last-minute | — | ✅ Live agent + held seat |
| Group of 10+ | — | ✅ Group rates |
| Post-cancellation rebooking | — | ✅ Multi-carrier search |
| Multi-city / open-jaw | — | ✅ Human-built routing |
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