No Jet Lag?

Kia Ora!

We all bought in: Barbara, Sarah, Sue, KC and I. Traveling from New Zealand to the Central Time Zone USA is quite a long haul. Before KC and I left Timaru, I asked the three tourists who preceded us how the product worked. Consider this a tiny piece of research with an n=5.

Sarah and Sue wisely did not reply (introduces bias into research); Barbara quit the tablets as they upset her stomach. Now the n=4; the sample gets smaller.

I had read about this product to counter the inevitable jet lag. Then while browsing through a merino shop on Stafford Street in Timaru, the clerk, another customer and I chatted about travel. The other shopper swore by these tablets called No-Jet-Lag, a homeopathic preparation. I inquired at the chemist (pharmacy) and purchased a package for myself and one for KC for the sum of NZD 12.00 (USD 9.87) per package. Our American guests did the same.

The package calls this preparation "The Perfect Travel Companion." They say that it is natural and effective, with no side effects or interactions, with enough chewable tablets for 50 hours of flying (that sounds like hell!) The compound includes these homeopathic substances: arnica montana, bellis perennis, chamomilla, ipecacuanha, and lycopodium. Flyers are to chew one tablet on every take-off, every two hours in flight, and on every landing. Intervals of up to four hours are permissible if sleeping. The taste is not flavored, but not unpleasant either.

Perhaps I was not careful about those intervals or take-offs and landings. Regardless, these things didn't work for me. I am experiencing the worst case of jet lag than I can remember any time before this. This is day 11 and I am still having trouble sleeping at night. The daytime sleepiness was controllable after three days.

Final report of this small study sample, n=5: jet lag 4; no or limited jet lag 0, dropped from study 1.

Would I try this product again? Probably, I would. I quit taking the tablets when we encountered the disaster in Los Angeles. The extra stress that event caused, plus two uncovered time zones yet to go before landing in Texas may have diluted or negated the effectiveness of the homeopathic medication. 

If you would like to try this product, you can. They are available for purchase at Magellan's (www.magellans.com), a company specializing in travel products. Our catalog, which arrived in the mail yesterday, sells this product as well as Drink Ease (if you imbibe too much) and Trip Ease (for motion sickness.) The Magellan cost for No-Jet-Lag is USD 13.50, about 3.63 USD more than the NZD 12.00 I paid in New Zealand. For the cheaper price, you need to go to New Zealand, where these products are manufactured.

Cheers,
Kiwi Traveler

Flying to New Zealand

Kia Ora!

We started our long journey from our "home" airport in Austin, Texas. Flew to Houston with a hour and half layover and boarded a United flight to Los Angeles international airport (LAX). There may be those who love L.A. but that is not our sentiment about this airport. LAX is the most inconvenient international terminal I have traveled from yet. One must leave the domestic terminal, catch a bus or walk from terminal 6 to the international terminal 2 and once more be groped or photo-stripped by TSA. Furthermore, signage at the terminals is scanty. Who knew there were two levels of traffic? Of course we wasted time waiting on the wrong level for the bus. While we have enjoyed the 20 minute walk in the past, finding our way in the dark was intimidating and we finally found the correct bus.

 

We upgraded our reservations to Premium Economy. This Boeing 777 had the most comfortable seats at this level yet. The configuration was two seats abreast with aisles separating three rows of seats. We were in the last two seats in the middle row. In this location, there was no visual of the outside. We could have been in any confined conveyance. The sense of airplane motion was nil. Only the map on the screen in front of our seats assured us we were indeed crossing the Pacific Ocean.

As we prepared to take off, the requisite safety instructions were presented in the most creative video yet featuring a Brit named Bear Grylls promoting NZ scenery, tramping activity, wild life. It has gained a life of it's own on You-Tube (bear grylls new zealand full episode) and is worth watching.

The food was pretty good even though dinner was served about 11:30 PM by our time. We were both able to get decent sleep (we take Ambien to ensure rest.)

We landed in Auckland International Airport and were greeted by a new entry point since we were last here, a most intricately carved doorway in Maori style. We passed uneventfully through passport control and immigration and pushed our luggage the one-half mile to the domestic terminal (resting on the way) where we rechecked our bags to Wellington, capitol of NZ where KC needed to pass the approval of the Medical Council before he could assume the job he was already hired to do.

 

Lunch at the terminal included Monteith's ale, a favorite obtainable only in NZ.

Then it was on to our home for the next few months, Timaru in South Canterbury. This time our airship was a 20-seat Beechcraft. Luckily it was a relatively calm day and the airsickness bag pictured was not needed on this 1 1/2 hour prop flight south. However, it again expresses that delightful Kiwi sense of humour: "how ever you say it it all comes out the same."