[TRNRMOM]

72 yr. old female (bp2, hypomania only, no depression) going to barcelona in oct. for 16 days. travel from phoenix to barcelona takes 15 hr. (3 different flights, the longest one (8.5 hrs. is at night and flying business class so i can sleep); haven't traveled internationally for about 5 yrs. and this past yr. has been the very worst as far as insomnia but have found what i hope is magic bullet of 12 mg. seroquel plus 15 mg. temezepam. i have a lot of anxiety and take 1/2 klonopin in the a.m. for years, but already have anxiety about the long-distance travel as i get manic/destabilized even flying somewhere that's 1-2 hrs. away...

already anxious whether i'll get enough sleep, how jet lag is going to affect me, etc. so i am asking for any and all input from those of you who fly internationally and what your best coping mechanisms are to deal with time zones and time changes, etc. at home i have excellent bed hygiene beginning at 6pm and am in bed taking my sleep med combo by 8pm; in barcelona i understand most restaurants don't open til 10 pm so that's another worry added to my long list!

[Daonnachd]

With regard to food, look for tapas bars. The Spanish do these right and they’re available outside regular meal times.

It's good to have "as needed" medications and really use them if there is any suspicion of mood elevation.

I can't speak for others, but if a vacation is way too vigorous for me, my anxiety and mania can go way out of hand. Be sure to find some down time beyond just night sleeping.

If some dinners are hard to make, eat lunch as your biggest meal and buy lunch-like food to eat in your hotel room at night. Also, some hotels serve dinner earlier than outside restaurants.

Airports are hell, especially big airports. I find they are at their worst inbound US and connections, especially a connection to a big airport. The last time I returned home from Europe I became manic at London Heathrow and my home airport in the NYC area. I even became psychotic. My poor husband cried on the airplane. Do your best to prepare yourself for that stress.

[MobiusPsyche]

Tapas bars are a good suggestion. We were in Madrid in January and found restaurants that opened at 8 (which still may be too late for you).

If possible, go at least one day early to get over the jet lag. We both had difficulty on day one of our planned activities, I should have planned one day to get over jet lag.

I tend to over plan activities...that is, I plan so much that we can't possibly do it all when the time comes (I travel with my mother who has mild emphysema). I try to plan on what to drop if needed and tell myself not to feel bad about it. I figure I might make it back there one day, even if my mom probably won't.

The airplane ride and airport will be the worst part of the whole thing in my experience. I always take an extra Klonopin on airplane days but I can now get along without it on other days. The whole thing is so aggravating!

I hope you have a great time!!!