NuNomad

Starving for a Jet Lag Remedy

By Ricardo

Jet lag hits me harder than a jalapeño margarita. I don’t mean, simply, restless sleep for a night or two after a long (trans-Pacific) flight, but all encompassing type of jet lag: dizziness, inability to sleep more than four hours for up to six days, nausea, the acute awareness that my mind and body are not in sync—the full-on zombie enchilada. This condition is realized at least a couple of times a year—for about eight years now. So, I’m way weary of this dilemma. When I fly from Los Angeles to the far east, and especially when I travel west to east on my return trip (the mother of all hellish routes—jumping 15 time zones) I know I’ll be out of commission for at least five, maybe six, days. I simply dread it. My curiosity was, therefore, quite peaked when I read a recent on-line article (Starving yourself may fend off jet lag) announcing a Harvard University study about the relationship between one’s internal clock and how it is affected by meals. In a nutshell, it concluded that fasting during long flights may trick one’s body into lessening the impact of jet lag.

Let me state, first of all, that I am not one of those new-age, holistic, “power-cleansing” type of guys. To me fasting means missing a meal. And since the Science study stated that one should fast at least sixteen hours of the flight time from their example set forth (Tokyo to Los Angeles), I had to seriously equate—what I was sure would be a torturous ordeal—with the benefit of not having to suffer five to six days of feeling crappy afterwards. I decided, in the interest of jet lag-relief science, to be the lab rat and test out this so-called remedy.

Last week I flew from Bangkok to Los Angeles. My flight departed at 5PM. At the airport, right before the first leg of my flight (there would be a quick plane change in Taipei), I ate a big meal. This would be my last meal for 18 hours. Additionally, I followed another common remedy which is to not sleep—an option not mentioned in the study, but seem equally logical to me. “Yeah, right”, you are no doubt thinking. “No food and no sleep on a (combined) flight of 15 hours, that’s not possible.” But, I did it. No food at all, just lots of water. And after about five hours of flight, my hunger actually dissipated. It was like my brain was saying “Oh, it’s past dinner time. You must no longer be hungry.” And by the time the plane was about to land, I had also noticed that I was not nearly as tired as I should have been. I was landing in Los Angeles at 8PM and my body was feeling like a person that was (more or less) 8PM tired (granted after an exceptionally hard day) and only a couple of hours late hungry.

That first night in Los Angeles I wolfed down two plates of pasta, had half a glass of red wine and went to bed at about midnight—my normal time. The following morning I woke up at 6AM. I felt rested and not at all loopy. This, however, did not convince me that I’d dodged a bullet. My jet lag usually does not hit me until several days after the flight. But the fact that throughout that first full day back I was, for the most part, clear headed and energetic was promising. I was even able to get quite a bit of work done on the computer.

The second night’s sleep, however, was not as sound. I got in only about 5 hours—but that could have had something to do with going out to a 3rd street tequila bar with my hosts. That second day I was a little more tired than the first day—due to not getting my full eight in, not the tequila—but, still little jet lag was felt and I was still able to work several hours. That night I slept six hours and the following day (day 3), at around 6PM, I felt like taking a serious power-nap. But as I laid there on the sofa of my friend’s home, with my head begging for some nap time, my body was not concurring. I could feel how out of sync the two were. So, I sat up and forced myself to stay awake. An hour later, and after a couple of episodes of Family Guy, I was no longer sleepy. That night I slept for nearly 8 hours. And on the fifth night back, I again slept well. On day four—the day I’m usually impacted the hardest by a trans-Pacific flight—I still felt pretty good, even though I had flown eastward another two time zones that day. That night I slept nearly nine hours and that day I declared myself jet lag free.

Conclusion? The combination of fasting and not sleeping during a long flight makes a big difference. As sensitive as I am to jet lag, it was a relief this time to have gotten past it with relative ease. Yes, there was still some residual jet lag, but only about half (perhaps even less) as severe as in previous years. So, on your next long flight, starve yourself. What do you have to lose?

How's This for an Office View? Heredia, Costa Rica

Unlike my Nu Nomad partner Ricardo, who nomads continually and has for years, I have not broken away from a home base that completely. For me, nomading has meant developing my coaching business until it is completely mobile and having the freedom to work from wherever I like for as long as I like. However, having 3 children of school age we do stay home for extended periods.

Today, though, I am enjoying my ability to nomad. When my mother in law decided we should all go to Costa Rica I knew I could continue to work so our family was able to double our time with her here as compared to the extended family.

We flew in yesterday to San Jose and have spent our first night in La Condesa Hotel in Heredia (a neighboring area to San Jose. This must be one of the most beautiful locations anyone has ever found to build a hotel and the place that was built is quite grand in a "grand old hotel" way. The picture I'm including is the view from our room. The rooms are 2 floors high with a loft layout so that each room has it's own staircase. The central dining area is open air and the grounds are extensive. There is free wifi in the room which I'm using to write this blog.

This isn't a place most of us could stay for an extended nomading experience because the price isn't cheap, but if you wanted to treat yourself to some luxury for a night or two this is definitely the place to do so.

Heredia is a charming place with many small shops and the hustle-bustle of lots of pedestrian traffic. Many cafes boasted "Internet" on signs so I'm led to believe it would not be difficult to work in this town. You can expect numerous church spires rising from this town that sits at the base of small mountains. We were also treated to the site of many fruit vendors, a lovely town square, and homes from cute little bungalows teeming with flowers to the gated homes of the president's extended family who made their fortune in coffee.

I would definitely encourage anyone to check it out! Today we move on to an eco-lodge in Sarapiqui.

What Makes a NuNomad Friendly Accomodation?

When you think about accomodations for a vacation, most people are looking for great location, comfortable and clean rooms, and great prices.  As a NuNomad there is more to think about.  Here are some things to keep in mind:

1) Location is still important.  If you are planning an extended stay, think like a native.  What is the cost of living in your destination? What kind of public transport is available?  What area will ease your day to day life the most while giving you the opportunity to enjoy the surrounding area?

2) Cleanliness and comfort are also still important.  Most of us don't enjoy cockroaches or lumpy mattresses.

Here come the nunomad specific criteria:

3) What is the availability of wifi or internet either in the place you are staying or in the surrounding area?  If it is available where you are staying - is it free or is a fee associated? Be sure to ask.  Many hotels boast wifi in each room only to find it's $10.00 US per day.  This can add up. 

4) What access do you have to telephones? Can you use the phone in the house you are renting for long distance? If not, is there mobile service in that area?  Can international calling cards be purchased for reasonable prices in the area?

5) What are the safety issues?  Will you feel comfortable walking in the surrounding neighborhood with your laptop on your back or even leaving it in the apartment while you are gone?  If not - think twice about that location.

6) Will someone be available if you have questions?  If you are renting a house or apartment, is there a management office to consult with for daily issues or will you be completely on your own?

Generally, I have found that renting houses or apartments where native people live is my preferred type of accomodation over hotels or other institutions geared towards tourists.  Having access to a kitchen, laundry, etc., greatly eases your travel experience and saves money.  In addition, your neighbors will be experts in the area, unlike being surrounded by other tourists who know as little as you.  Many websites exist now for apartment and house rental in other countries.  Take a look!  Above you see the bedroom of our apartment in Paris. 

The Human Side of the NuNomad

One thing I've realized on this trip has been that although my technology set up for the most part went off without a hitch, I as a human being was not so infallible.

When you are living as a NuNomad (taking your profession with you abroad) it's important to factor in your human frailties.  For instance, I was not prepared for how many days of mental cloudiness I would experience as a result of jet lag.  This would have gone unnoticed if all I had to think about was the next restaurant to choose, but it became an issue when trying to juggle client hours and four time zones.

Secondly, no matter how lightly I tried to pack, my suitcase became heavier every time I had to move it. The need to carry a laptop, related wiring, camera, cell phones, their related wiring, extra batteries, etc. should be taken really seriously on the physical level. Whatever you can do to minimize the weight of your equipment should be done.  What feels ok when you give a trial lift in your living room can feel like a dead elephant when you're getting up the fourth flight of subway stairs on a 98 degree day with no air.

I have also learned to factor in more time between each move before scheduling work.  Each time we moved from one place to another unexpected issues arose.  The more crash time I could get on the arrival end, the more likely I was to be clear headed and organized by the time I started work.

I guess the biggest piece of learning for me was this: It is much easier to stay put for extended periods in one place and do sight seeing day trips than it is to physically move your location from place to place.  The more you can minimize the number of times you move during one journey, the less stressful both mentally and physically your experience will be and the better able you will be to continue your work.

So - do I wish I stayed home after all the stress? No way!! All I have to do is remember what my office looked like and I am 100% sure it was all worth it.  We're still on the final leg of our journey now - the beach in Connecticut - and planning to extend our time here. Take a look at my French office below

Time Zone Challenges, Goofs, and Good Times in Paris

Nous sommes arrivees en Paris!  We arrived from the Hague by train yesterday.  We were unable to get high speed reservations from the Hague because the trains were full.  However, we were able to take a slow train 30 minutes earlier than the high speed from the Hague to Brussels and catch the same high speed in Brussels.  How's that?  Turns out the high speed lines from the Hague to Brussels haven't been built yet so the high speed train isn't exactly high speed.

Each of us has a back pack and a suitcase on wheels.  The kids are pushing the smallest suitcases with wheels possible.  Still, when we arrived at our metro stop and found 4 flights of steep stairs topped with a last flight containing a broken escalator followed by about 1/4 mile walk to our apartment building we were all at our wits end.  We were very glad to see the apartment manager soon after we arrived who let us in to a very happily decorated apartment with geranium filled balcony.

I was scheduled for 3 clients the next day.  Here is the lesson learned. Completely exhausted after our arrival in Paris, I turned on my computer to look at the next day's schedule.  There I saw two clients scheduled.  One client emailed to let me know that my time change (which has caused us to move appointments to her early mornings) was not working for her.  Down to one appointment I thought.  With this schedule in mind we went off sight seeing.  I returned in the afternoon to another email from a second client asking where I was.

What happened was that in my exhaustion I did not notice my calendar was set to the wrong week.  Although her appointment was correctly placed for today, I was looking at last week.  Total goof.

If I were to do this all again, here would be the change.  I would try to give myself a little more leeway between arriving at a new location and speaking with clients.  I have not planned sufficiently for how much energy it takes to move from one place to another.  When I'm tired I make mistakes.

As for the client who is unhappy with the new schedule - we have decided to postpone until my return to the US.  I am happy to retain this client but it is also money lost this month.

It's going to take a bit to perfect this!

In the meantime - we've seen some great things.  Click on the pictures on the left of the Eiffel Tower and Le Jardin de Luxembourg.

Time Zone Clock Works Great Through Time Change - but

This was the week that my new Zonetick Desktop Time Zone Clock (if you want one, look on the left side bar) was to be put to the test.  We sprang forward over the weekend.  Not only that, but Australia fell back as they begin to go into winter.  That is important to me because I have a long standing coaching client in Sydney so one of the clocks on my new desktop gadget is set to Sydney Time. 

"Now we will see if this thing really works", I thought. (somehow I still don't believe that computers easily can perform functions that are difficult for my brain)

My Australian client does a lot of international work and she has always been on top of the time zone changes.  They get tricky for us because sometimes we change in the same week and sometimes not and also because we change in different directions.  Nevertheless, she has always seemed to know exactly how it will work.  We began an email correspondence last week and found that indeed we would change on the same weekend this year.  She wrote that we would be 8 hours apart after the change.  I looked down at my desktop clock and saw that we would be 9 hours apart if the clock were correct.  Was my gadget correct?  Was my client correct? She is on par with a computer in my opinion, so it was a toss up.

Score!! My clock won.  For the 1st time in 6 years I was able to be on top of the time zone change because of my new gadget.  I was so excited!  I suddenly appeared to be on a higher level of organizational capability than my client.  This was very satisfying.

So what happened with my normally organized client? Get this - the country of Australia decided to put off their time zone change for the Commonwealth Games sending their entire nation to function for days with all their computer clocks incorrect so as not to inconvenience their sport!  You've got to love Australia. But I have to ask you, Australia, couldn't you have set the time for the games an hour earlier those days and let the rest of the nation go about their business? Just a thought.

Anyway, my desktop time zone clock now has my complete confidence and I feel good about staying organized during my upcoming trip.

Time Zone Clock Frenzy

So if I'm going across the world and am going to continue to talk to my clients, I'm realizing there are going to be huge time zone challenges.  How am I going to keep track of when I'm supposed to be on the phone?  I'm horribly absent minded.  I can imagine really botching this. 

I went out on the web and googled time zone converters only to find there are a bunch of products out there from free downloads to ones you can buy.  I noticed some of the ones you can buy tout that there is "no hidden coding that will take over your computer".  Suddenly the free ones looked a little suspicious.  Not being a techie, how would I know if a free one had evil code?

I settled on a 30 day free trial with one I'll have to buy eventually if I like it, and I downloaded it.  (If it turns out to work well, I'll tell you which one I chose) Now my tool bar on my desk top neatly displays Sydney, Amsterdam, and Austin time.  Cool!  I've been working with someone in Sydney for years and now I'm finally getting around to this.  I feel almost like a techie now!