Dan Stephenson

In article <[email protected] .com>,
EuroTravel <[email protected]> wrote:

    > If we arrive at London Gatwick at 3:30 AM, what transportation is
    > available into London and are there budget hotels with ensuite
    > bathrooms that allow very early/late night check-ins?
    >
    > One option would be to just find some place very near the Gatwick
    > airport so we can get to bed quickly, then check out the next morning
    > to find a new room in town.
    > If transportation into London isn't too bad, then we could also just go
    > into London so we won't have to keep switching hotels.
    > Recommendations?

The train into London Victoria Station takes almost an hour. I know
staying up after arriving after such a long flight (presume from
America of couse) is no good, but sleeping for a few hours like that
will also screw up your jet lag recovery. So I recommend finding a
place in advance, in London, preferrably someplace that is open at ~4AM
- like a hotel maybe but not a B&B, and just go there, drop off your
luggage, get caffenated, and just struggle through the next day best as
possible. Yes, it will be all bad, but on that second day you should
be OK and time-adjusted too.

--
Dan Stephenson
Photos and movies from US Parks and all over Europe:
http://homepage.mac.com/stepheda

Frank F. Matthews

Dan Stephenson wrote:

    > In article <[email protected] .com>,
    > EuroTravel <[email protected]> wrote:
    >
    >
    >>If we arrive at London Gatwick at 3:30 AM, what transportation is
    >>available into London and are there budget hotels with ensuite
    >>bathrooms that allow very early/late night check-ins?
    >>One option would be to just find some place very near the Gatwick
    >>airport so we can get to bed quickly, then check out the next morning
    >>to find a new room in town.
    >>If transportation into London isn't too bad, then we could also just go
    >>into London so we won't have to keep switching hotels.
    >>Recommendations?
    >
    >
    > The train into London Victoria Station takes almost an hour. I know
    > staying up after arriving after such a long flight (presume from
    > America of couse) is no good, but sleeping for a few hours like that
    > will also screw up your jet lag recovery. So I recommend finding a
    > place in advance, in London, preferrably someplace that is open at ~4AM
    > - like a hotel maybe but not a B&B, and just go there, drop off your
    > luggage, get caffenated, and just struggle through the next day best as
    > possible. Yes, it will be all bad, but on that second day you should
    > be OK and time-adjusted too.
    >


I suffer more from sleep deprivation than from jet jag on the long
flights but a short sleep helps me significantly. The key for me is to
take the edge off my fatigue but to remain tired enough to sleep the
next night. Three hours or so does fine. The jet lag problem is fixed
by simply getting a few hours in the sunlight in the late afternoon.

I guess that folks are just different.

Chancellor Of The Duchy Of Besses O' Th' Barn

Frank F. Matthews <[email protected]> wrote:

    > Dan Stephenson wrote:
[]
    > > The train into London Victoria Station takes almost an hour. I know
    > > staying up after arriving after such a long flight (presume from
    > > America of couse) is no good, but sleeping for a few hours like that
    > > will also screw up your jet lag recovery. So I recommend finding a
    > > place in advance, in London, preferrably someplace that is open at ~4AM
    > > - like a hotel maybe but not a B&B, and just go there, drop off your
    > > luggage, get caffenated, and just struggle through the next day best as
    > > possible. Yes, it will be all bad, but on that second day you should
    > > be OK and time-adjusted too.
    > >
    >
    >
    > I suffer more from sleep deprivation than from jet jag on the long
    > flights but a short sleep helps me significantly. The key for me is to
    > take the edge off my fatigue but to remain tired enough to sleep the
    > next night. Three hours or so does fine. The jet lag problem is fixed
    > by simply getting a few hours in the sunlight in the late afternoon.

Just to point out that as the poster is flying from Spain, jet lag isn't
the issue- sleep is. If it were me, I'd just stay up during the day, and
go to sleep at the usual time at night. As you say, however, people are
different, and many people can barely function if they haven't slept
well. I'm not a good sleeper when I'm on the move. If I _could_ get a
couple of hours on the plane, that would be fine for me.

--
David Horne- www.davidhorne.net
usenet (at) davidhorne (dot) co (dot) uk

Keith

"Dan Stephenson" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:050220050846140480%[email protected]...
    > The train into London Victoria Station takes almost an hour. I know
    > staying up after arriving after such a long flight (presume from
    > America of couse) is no good, but sleeping for a few hours like that
    > will also screw up your jet lag recovery. So I recommend finding a
    > place in advance, in London, preferrably someplace that is open at ~4AM
    > - like a hotel maybe but not a B&B, and just go there, drop off your
    > luggage, get caffenated, and just struggle through the next day best as
    > possible. Yes, it will be all bad, but on that second day you should
    > be OK and time-adjusted too.

Usually that day is just way too tiring and stressful to NOT sleep as soon
as I arrive. I generally pay for an extra night in advance, and let them
know I'll be arriving VERY LATE (like the next day) so that I'm guaranteed
to have a room. The number of beat up, tired, dirty travellers sitting on
the floor of the hotel lobby reminds me this is a good idea every time.

(I've also seen this in NYC where foreign visitors are doing the same)

Although I could risk that a nice hotel clerk might help me out, there's
been too many occasions where they are just too inflexible overseas.

Keith
Pittsburgh