Queen Elizabeth’s Jet Lag Remedy Costs Less Than $10
Queen Elizabeth may be the world’s best-traveled monarch with more than a million miles under her royal belt. Since ascending to the throne in 1952, Her Majesty has sailed, flown, and otherwise been transported to the majority of the planet’s countries. Does she suffer from jet lag when she travels? Not as often as some travelers, because the savvy royal relies on a remedy that costs only a few dollars.
Her Majesty’s royal travel duties
Before the queen packs her jet lag remedy and travels to a country where English is not the main language, she is required to learn basic greetings in the local lingo. “It is the correct protocol to practice the etiquette of the country or culture you are visiting, in order to show respect,” explains Beaumont Etiquette founder, Myka Meier.
Countries she’s visited the most
Born in London on April 21, 1926, Queen Elizabeth II has journeyed to numerous countries, but there is one she’s visited far more than any other. In 1940, the young princess traveled with her parents, Elizabeth I and King George VI, to visit Africa. Shortly after their return, the royal family announced the princess’s engagement to her distant cousin, Lieutenant Philip Mountbatten. The pair married later that same year, and Her Majesty has been a world traveler ever since. And, of course, she always totes her favorite jet lag remedy.
Since taking the throne, she’s never set foot in Greece or Israel, but the Queen has logged many millions of travel miles. Her first official state visit happened in late November 1953, when the queen and her consort traveled to Panama. Elizabeth has traveled far and wide since then. Reader’s Digest reports that the country she returns to most often is Canada.
The Queen doesn’t need a passport when she travels, but she always brings several items (in addition to her jet lag remedy) every time she leaves England.
Five things the queen always takes along when she travels
1. British pastries When the queen has a hankering for baked goods on the road, she prefers to bite into something from home. That’s why she instructs her royal staff to pack along a sufficient supply of scones, tea cakes, clotted cream, and Scottish fruitcake, explains Reader’s Digest.
2. Earl Grey tea The most-traveled monarch in British history is madly in love with Earl Grey tea and never goes anywhere without her own supply of the bergamot-scented beverage. According to UK Express, Her Majesty’s take-along brew is made especially for her by the Twinings tea company.
3. Globe-Trotter luggage Not only does she prefer Globe-Trotter travel gear, the queen has been traveling with the same set of suitcases since 1947. According to the manufacturer website, the young queen received several Globe-Trotter suitcases as a honeymoon gift and enjoys using them to this day.
4. A somber black outfit In a rule instituted by the queen herself, all members of the royal family are duty-bound to bring along a black outfit, just in case a mournful occasion should arise during their travels, explains Harper’s Bazaar.
5. Her Majesty’s simple and affordable jet lag remedy If you wish to allay travel lag when you fly, invest a few bucks in Her Majesty’s favorite remedy: barley sugar candy. At the time of this writing, a seven-ounce tin of Simpkins Travel Sweets goes for around eight dollars at Amazon. Reader’s Digest reveals that she also takes an unspecified homeopathic remedy when she flies.
Why does barely candy work to relieve jet lag? According to Dr. Nick Knight, the queen nibbles the sweet treat to utilize her body’s metabolic pathway to adjust her internal body clock. The doctor told the Telegraph, eating candy upon arrival replicates the process of eating three meals at times that match her destination.
