Travel · Anchor Protocol
The Travel Protocol — Once a Year
The annual trip deserves better than a lost first three days.
Target state: Simple Acute Precautions
Symptoms addressed: The holiday that starts with two foggy days, a cold on day four and swollen ankles on the flight home
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
Daily timing
| Time | Items |
|---|---|
| Week before | Travel clinic if needed · pack with the checklist |
| 3 days before | Shift sleep 1 h/day toward destination (optional for short shifts) |
| Flight day | Socks on · move every 1–2 h · drink to thirst |
| Arrival | Daylight walk · destination meals · bed at local bedtime |
| Evening | Caffeine cut-off · melatonin at planned time (where legal) |
| Return | One easy day back before work |
Devices
- 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
Rules
- 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