Avoid Jet Lag With These 5 Tips

Frequent travelers know the bane of jet lag.

They probably also know a bunch of tips for avoiding it. But for everyone else -- folks who end up taking just one or two business trips a year, for example -- might benefit from knowing great ways to beat The Lag.

Recently, Secrets from the Yumiverse rounded up nine useful tips and packed them into an infographic. Here are the best of the best -- read the original article for all nine. Adjust your sleep cycle. For at least a few days before your trip, adjust your sleep hours. If you're headed west, wake up and go to bed one hour later.

If you're going east, make it one hour earlier. Eat right. On the day of the flight, eat a light and healthy meal. Most importantly, be well hydrated by drinking a lot of water. Live the new time zone.

On the day of the flight, set your watch to the destination's time zone and try to start acting accordingly right away -- don't wait for the plane to land at the final destination. Equip yourself for sleep. If you need to sleep on the plane to adjust to the new cycle, bring a sleep mask, ear plugs, and pillow. Alternately, if you need to stay awake, get up and walk around the cabin as much as you can.

You can also eat a lot of protein (like nuts). Stay outdoors to stay awake. If you arrive at your destination in daylight but your body craves sleep, stay outdoors and get as much sunlight as you can. This will help you stay awake until evening when you can go to sleep and get on the right cycle.

No word on whether taking off your shoes and "making fists with your toes" -- Bruce Willis's advice from "Die Hard" -- actually works.

Holiday-Hoarding Workers Urged to Hit the Road

With Australians accruing more than 118 million days of annual leave, holiday-hoarding workers are being urged to hit the road to rejuvenate their lives and Queensland’s touring holiday industry.

According to research, one in four Australian full-time workers have more than 25 days leave.

Caravanning Queensland CEO Ron Chapman said Queenslanders needed to do themselves and the local tourism industry a favour by discovering their backyard.

“People come from across the world to see Queensland’s beaches, outback and rainforests. Queenslanders need to take some well-earnt time out to discover the state’s treasures for themselves,” he said.

“Queensland’s caravan and tourist parks have bounced back from the start of last year and invested heavily in new facilities which improve the visitor experience.   Forget what you thought you knew about touring holidays – these days there is something for the budget camper through to the deluxe motorhome devotee.

“Whether you’re a solo traveller, couple or large family, a growing number of Queenslanders are discovering the freedom, flexibility and affordably of local holidays.

“There is a reason why Queensland is the destination of choice for road travellers across the country during autumn and winter, when there is perfect weather for perfect escapes.” 

Today, there are about 400,000 caravans, motorhomes and camper trailers registered in Australia, making it one of the world’s most caravan-friendly countries. There are 112,000 registered in Queensland alone.

Travel enthusiasts are expected to roll into Brisbane’s RNA Showgrounds in their tens of thousands when one of Australia’s largest caravan exhibitions, the Queensland Caravan, Camping and Touring Holiday Show, sets up camp between 6 and 12 June 2012.