Is a week-long trip to Asia worth the jet lag?
The brutal jet lag and long travel time make short trips difficult to justify for some, while others feel the experience is still worth it if flights are direct. Spending less than 10 days on a long-haul journey often leaves travelers worried about wasting precious time recovering from fatigue instead of enjoying the destination.
What people tried
Every workaround mentioned in the threads below. We haven’t tested any of them — and nobody here is claiming they worked.
- 1extending the trip duration to 10 days or more
- 2choosing closer destinations like Europe
- 3Looking for alternative destinations in Central or South America like Costa Rica or Colombia that offer a similar exploratory vibe with shorter flights.
- 4Taking Amtrak trains or looking for airline flash sales to Buffalo
- 5Riding regular long-distance buses
- 6Booking a guided day tour
- 7Considering closer destinations like South America instead of Asia
- 8Comparing flight durations and costs to alternative destinations
In their words
Unedited, most upvoted first, each linked to the thread it came from.
“Personally I don’t go to Asia for less than 10 days. For me, the jetlag is too brutal for only a weeklong trip.”source ↗
“It’s just more the distance for a short time but I think it’s worth it. Life is short!”source ↗
“Yes it’s the short time I’m worried about. We can maybe add one day and have 7 full days. And at least it’s direct!”source ↗
“as much as I enjoyed that side of the world, my body can’t handle 30 hours of travel :(”source ↗
“I’ve been to Phuket twice & it’s my favorite place in the world, but unfortunately travel time is so tiring.”source ↗
“Considered Bali but again travel time is too much (30+ hours).”source ↗
“I’m visiting New York City and considering a trip to Niagara Falls on the US side. I’m trying to find the best balance between cost, travel time, and actually having enough time to enjoy the falls.”source ↗
“My main concern with the one-day tour is that it looks like I would leave before the evening fireworks, which seems like a big part of the experience.”source ↗
“Also everyone says 10 days isnt enough but I never get this much time off because of my job…”source ↗
Where this came up
People with this problem also raised
- 3How to plan a long road trip when you have no clue
- 10How to do a long distance road trip with a cat and dog
- 2How to pass the time on a long flight without sleeping pills
- 5Going on a trip during the off-season
- 3How to survive the long school stretches without breaks
- 4Is a short international layover enough time to clear customs?