As a New Yorker who often travels internationally, I have one rule to avoid jet lag — stay up through the first day, regardless of exhaustion.
Well, on this cruise, I broke it.
After a red-eye flight to Barcelona and a one-night stay in a houseboat I found on Airbnb, where I hardly slept, I was exhausted by the first day of my cruise.
And being six hours from my time zone didn't help.
Once I boarded the ship at 3 p.m., I showered and ate before taking a power nap. I slept much longer than planned and woke up at 7 p.m.
As a result, I was reluctantly awake for most of that first night. I don't remember when I finally dozed off, but I didn't wake up until noon on day two.
The chaotic sleeping schedule left me jet-lagged for days. I napped each afternoon rather than maximizing my time exploring the ship and port stops, and I watched movies in my cabin when I couldn't sleep at night.
My voyage was halfway over when I finally adjusted to the time zone. So, next time, I'll remember what happens when I break my jet lag rule and opt for a coffee over a nap.