Jet lag when you fly to New Territories
New Territories is on Asia/Hong_Kong. How much jet lag you get depends
entirely on where you start — how many time zones you cross, and in which direction. Travelling east is the harder direction. Shift your bedtime earlier for several days beforehand and seek bright morning light on arrival.
Jet lag to New Territories by departure city
| From | Time zones | Direction | Distance | Flight (approx.) | Recovery |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15 | → east | 11,645 km | 14½ hours | ~15 days | |
| 12 | → east | 12,944 km | 16 hours | ~12 days | |
| 11 | → east | 18,042 km | 22 hours | ~11 days | |
| 7 | → east | 9,610 km | 12 hours | ~7 days | |
| 6 | → east | 9,614 km | 12 hours | ~6 days | |
| 6 | → east | 10,720 km | 13½ hours | ~6 days | |
| 4 | → east | 5,945 km | 7½ hours | ~4 days | |
| 3 | → east | 4,290 km | 6 hours | ~3 days | |
| 2 | ← west | 7,388 km | 9½ hours | ~1 day | |
| 1 | ← west | 2,877 km | 4 hours | ~1 day | |
| — | same zone | 2,599 km | 4 hours | none |
Distances are great-circle; flight times are rough nonstop estimates. Recovery uses ~1 day per zone east, faster west.
Beating jet lag in New Territories
Jet lag happens because your body clock stays on home time for a while after you land. The bigger the offset between New Territories and where you flew from, the longer it takes to catch up — roughly a day for each time zone when you travel east, and somewhat faster when you travel west, because it is easier to stay up late than to force yourself to sleep early.
A few days before you fly, nudge your sleep schedule toward New Territories time — earlier if you are heading east, later if west. On arrival, get outside: daylight is the strongest signal for resetting your clock. Morning light helps after an eastward trip; evening light helps after a westward one. To see the exact current offset, check the current time in New Territories.
Frequently asked questions
- How bad is jet lag flying to New Territories?
- It depends where you start. From Los Angeles you cross 15 time zones travelling east, which typically takes about 15 days to shake off. From cities in a similar longitude to New Territories there is little or no jet lag at all.
- Is jet lag worse flying east or west to New Territories?
- Flying east — where you lose hours and have to fall asleep earlier — is generally harder than flying west, for the same number of time zones. The table above marks the direction of each route so you know which kind of adjustment to expect.
- How long does it take to get over jet lag in New Territories?
- A common rule of thumb is one day of recovery per time zone crossed when heading east, and a little faster heading west. Bright light at the right time of day and adjusting your sleep before you fly both speed it up.
See also: current time in New Territories · time zones in Hong Kong · all jet lag guides