I am planning a once in a lifetime trip from the UK to Auckland. Any tips on jet-lag and solo travelling?

Question

I am planning a once in a lifetime trip from the UK to Auckland. Any tips on jet-lag and solo travelling?

Answer 1

The best way to avoid jet lag is to immediately immerse yourself in the new timezone.  So don't sleep unless it's night and force yourself to get up at the normal time even if you feel you need to sleep more - it really does work!

I travelled around NZ by myself.  You need to start by thinking how you want to travel - at one extreme you have all-inclusive trips like Contiki, then hop-on hop-off buses like Kiwi Experience, then buses like Intercity (similar to National Express in the UK) or you can buy or hire a car or campervan and travel yourself.  I bought a flexi-pass from Intercity, as it seemed like a good compromise between having some independence while also meeting people.

If you go with an organised trip, your accommodation will be sorted for you.  Otherwise, I'd recommend staying in hostels, which you can book as you go along (do book at least a couple of days in advance if you're going somewhere busy at a popular time) - YHA and BBH are the best options.  You'll meet plenty of people at hostels, so don't worry about being on your own.

See http://www.backpackerboard.co.nz for loads of useful advice from others who've done the same thing.

And the most important tip of all - enjoy yourself and savour every minute of the trip!

Answer 2

To minimise the jet-lag I always try not to sleep too much in the plane and to stay awake on the day of arrival until 9 or 10 PM. Then I get up at 8 AM in the morning and usually am fine, because I slept deep and well.

For travelling alone I made good experience with backpacking. There are 2 organisations here that help you with the bookings, bus transfer and sightseeing:

Kiwi Experience (http://www.kiwiexperience.com/) and Magic New Zealand (http://www.magicbus.co.nz/).

Have fun in this great and unique country

Answer 3

Ok, if you havnt booked the flights yet, its best to leave in the evening here. Stay awake for as much of the first leg as you can. Then hopefully by the time of your second leg youll be shattered and sleep right through. Due to the time zone it'll be morning when you arrive so your be all set.