Sit back, relax, and hack the overnight flight.

Flying High

Is it possible to triumph over jet lag? AIR MAIL’s travel guru shares the products and practices that can (almost) make a red-eye feel like a trip to the spa

By Ashley Baker

I could tell you how many red-eye flights I took in 2024, but then I’d have to kill you. As Air Mail’s travel editor, I frequently fly between London (where I live now) and New York (my former and yet forever home) about nine times a year. I also visit far-flung destinations every few months, so overnight flights come with the territory. I’ve developed an absurdly detailed method for arriving at my destination as rested (and, equally important, rested-looking) as possible. It didn’t even fail me during a three-leg, 22-hour journey from Osaka, Japan, to Wichita, Kansas. So go ahead. Call me crazy. I can handle it.

THE DAY BEFORE THE FLIGHT:

I start tweaking my sleep schedule—going to bed and waking up an hour earlier or later, depending on where I’m going. I am not ashamed of using low-dose melatonin when needed—just a milligram or two does the trick without leaving me groggy.