Morning Rituals on the Road: Keeping Your Routine, Exercise and Energy

By the third week of a long trip through Portugal and Spain I no longer knew what day it was, which sounds romantic and felt more like a low-grade cold.

I was sleeping badly, eating late and starting each day by working out which way the bathroom door opened. What fixed it was very small: the same twenty minutes, in the same order, every morning, in whatever room I happened to wake up in. The scenery can change as much as it likes, as long as one thing doesn't.

Twenty minutes before the city wakes up is the only part of the day that always belongs to you.

A twenty-minute routine for a small room

All you need is a floor space the size of a bath towel, which also serves as your mat. There is no jumping, because somebody is asleep underneath you, and no kit. Do it before you look at your phone.

On a bad morning, do the first three minutes and the last three. Six minutes that actually happen are worth more than twenty that don't, and the point here is to keep the habit alive. Some days I do it in a bathroom. Once, in a very small room in Porto, I did it with one foot under the desk.

Getting out early

If the routine leaves you wanting more, go outside. Cities are at their best before eight: Lisbon's viewpoints are empty, the Thames paths belong to the runners and the delivery vans, and in Tokyo the gates of Meiji Jingu open around sunrise, which is useful if jet lag has already woken you at five. Walk for half an hour with no destination and a coffee at the end of it. It costs almost nothing, and it often turns out to be the best bit of the day. If that appeals, our piece on slow travel takes the idea further.

Jet lag, sleep and coffee

Jet lag

Your body clock takes roughly a day to adjust for each time zone you cross, and flying east is usually harder than flying west. London to Tokyo, at eight or nine hours ahead, deserves some respect. A few things really do help:

• Set your watch to local time when you board, and start eating and sleeping by it as soon as you land.
• Get outside in daylight on your first day. Light is the strongest signal your body clock has.
• If you must nap, keep it to twenty minutes, before mid-afternoon. Set two alarms.
• Keep the first two days light. Do not book the expensive thing you came for on the morning after you land.

Sleep

A small kit goes a long way: earplugs and an eye mask, both of which weigh nothing and go straight into the packing checklist. Keep the room cool if you can, and try to get up at about the same time each morning, even after a late night. It is the getting up that sets the clock. If you are awake at 3am, read something dull on paper. I find a railway timetable works well.

Coffee

I love coffee and would not presume to take it away from you. But have water first, because you are probably dehydrated, especially after a flight. Then wait until you have been up for a little while, which also gives you something to look forward to during the plank. Stop by early afternoon, as caffeine stays in your system for hours and an evening espresso in Lisbon will still be with you at 2am. Alcohol on the plane may make you drowsy, but it also makes for poor sleep. I have tested this thoroughly.