How to handle jet lag

I know there are probably more ways to deal with jet lag than I can count. Everyone I know has his or her own way and idea what is best.

However, since I feel that I had a bad case on my hand and am now (on Monday) more or less getting over it, I decided to share how I have handled it so far.

1. Keep hydrated!

Drink, drink, drink… Water is best, so no coffee (or just a small amount). Tea is okay I guess or I have been drinking a lot of a soda that is called VitaminWater which I remembered from Ohio. It says zero calories, so not sure about that, but it tastes so good!

2. Get into a schedule!

The worst that you can do is arrive and go to bed (depending on what time it is). I arrived here around 2PM and I was naturally exhausted after being awake for almost 24 hours. I could have gone to bed at 6PM when I arrived at the hostel, but I stayed awake until 10 PM. That meant a lot of yawning and I swear I blacked out a couple of times. But it also meant that I only woke up once during the night and almost slept for 10 hours. The nights after that I would also wake up once, check the time and go back to sleep.

3. Keep moving!

It can be challenging to keep busy and not decide to go to sleep, take a nap or just chill somewhere all the time for days. I figured out that for me it is better to keep walking, see things, get my mind off of being sleepy. I do have blisters now and my feet hurt (on Saturday I walked 15km – so proud of myself), but it also meant that I was tired enough to sleep at night when it would have been hard because my body was on Munich time.

4. Eat something!

With me, jet lag means also loss of appetite. Basically it seems like my body doesn’t know what time it is and thus decides to concentrate on other things than being hungry. It is important to have regular meals with some greens and vitamins! Get on a schedule for that as well! Have breakfast, even if it means getting up earlier than you want, eat a small lunch and have dinner!

What do you do against jet lag? Any helpful ideas out there?

Cheers

E.

Cool places to eat in Munich: Mexican

I decided to divide my travel postings of my last trip a bit and now and then to fill in a few posts on stuff to do in Munich. Mainly because I think Munich is a great city that has lots to offer and also because I remembered a particular feeling from all my adventures abroad: The moment when you get out a plane, train, bus, you name it and you are absolutely famished. The thing is that all travel guides and blogs tell us a lot about places to go for dinner where you would have to dress up or at least freshen up when all you really want to do is order, eat and leave within 30 minutes. In Munich, as in other cities, there are a few places where you can do that without having to feel stared at.

One of my favorites is a small place called Taco Libre, a taqueria, that serves Mexican/ Tex-Mex food like quesadillas or burritos. Ever since I visited the US, I can’t get enough of Mexican food and with that place I like that it is self-service, but still has tables and chairs and a nice atmosphere, so that you can sit down and chat with friends if you want to. It is also reasonably priced, ranging between 3,90 € and 6,90 €. It is open between 11 AM and 10 PM (I actually discovered it a lunch option) and located conveniently close to the Munich central station.

The quality of the food is extremely authentic (to my knowledge). Both, the burrito and the quesadilla, come in an adequate size with salsa and guacamole, however they always ask whether you want your food spicy or not. I especially recommend the burrito with steak and black beans as the meat seems to be marinated in some special mixture. I never quite figure out what it is, but I can’t get enough of it…