Travel · Anchor Protocol

The Travel Protocol — Every 6 Weeks

Enough time to recover. Not enough to forget how bad it was.

Target state: Planned Shift and Structured Recovery

Symptoms addressed: Predictable jet-lag week, early waking or late-night alertness, digestion off for days, low energy on return

Fasting: No fasting — destination-time meals

Supplement pillars

I. Clock Shift: Timed light (seek + avoid lists), Melatonin 0.5–1 mg, route-timed, Destination-time meals, Caffeine cut-off 6 h before bed
II. Transit Floor: Compression socks on journeys ≥4 h, Aisle walk + calf raises every 1–2 h, Drink to thirst, Low-gas pre-flight meal
III. Nervous System Floor: Protected sleep window, Slow breathing ~6/min, 5 min, Magnesium Glycinate (Thorne), Noise cancelling + mask + earplugs
IV. Barrier & Defence: Ceramide moisturiser + occlusive lip balm, SPF 50 (Anthelios UVMune 400), Hand hygiene + food/water safety, ORS (Dioralyte) for illness

Time	Items
3 days before	Shift sleep 1 h/day · light seek/avoid per route
Flight day	Socks on · destination meals · move every 1–2 h
Days 1–3 away	Light plan · outdoor walk · short early naps only
Evening away	Caffeine cut-off · melatonin at planned time (where legal)
Return days	Recovery days = zones crossed (planning guide) · daylight walk first thing
Between trips	Back to your normal Anchor routine — no travel stack needed

Oura Ring 4 / WHOOP 5.0: Sleep, resting HR and HRV trends across trips — trends, not diagnosis
Luminette 3 / Re-Timer: Light at the right time when the sun won't cooperate
Timeshifter: Route-specific light, sleep and caffeine schedule
Bose QC Ultra / AirPods Pro 2 + Manta mask: Noise and light control for on-board sleep
CurrentBody LED / NuFACE / PowerDot: Optional skin and muscle tools — comfort and cosmetics, not jet-lag treatment

Pick your clock before you pack: home time or destination time — half-adjusting to both is how jet lag gets a second week
Light is the strongest lever and the easiest to get wrong — follow the seek/avoid plan, not the sunrise
Sleep is protected, not optional; caffeine never replaces it
Journeys ≥4 h: socks on, move every 1–2 h; clot history, pregnancy, hormones or recent surgery = doctor first
Between trips, stop the travel extras — the protocol is for trips, not your whole life