Taylor Swift said jet lag is a choice so I flew to America to prove her wrong

During the 2024 Super Bowl, the world was glued to their TV screens as some sports teams did some sporty things. Usher also took us back in time with his medley of 00s club hits, and Taylor Swift reunited with her footballer boyfriend in Las Vegas after flying about ten hours from Japan (which is 16 hours ahead).

The singer looked fresh as a daisy as she partied in her private suite with Ice Spice and Blake Lively, skulling beer and cheering Travis Kelce on as his team made their way to Super Bowl victory once more. Embracing after his press conference, the tight end asked the Grammy-award-winning superstar in amazement the question we were all wondering.

"How are you not jet-lagged right now?" he pressed.

"Jet lag is a choice," Taylor airily replied, as though it should have been obvious—especially given that she had taken the journey on a luxury private jet.

"Interesting," I thought to myself.

There was only one logical thing to do - fly to America to prove the world's most beloved singer wrong.

30 hours of flying later

"How long are you here for?" the US customs official asked me as I went through border security in San Francisco.

"Oh, it's madness," I replied. "Four days."

I had taken a 14-hour flight from Sydney to San Fran (where I thankfully had a row of seats to myself) and would now board a connecting flight to Phoenix and then, after a 5-hour layover, yet another to Moab in Utah.

"Yikes," my new border patrol friend replied. "Good luck."

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30 hours and three flights later, I landed in Moab - unsure of what day or time it was and feeling fairly certain that, while immensely lovely and talented, T Swizz was full of...well, you know, when she said jet lag was a "choice".

However, after climbing into my extremely comfortable bed at Gravity Haus Hotel Moab at around 10 pm, I passed out cold and slept soundly until my alarm woke me at 7:30 am the next morning.

"Weird," I thought to myself. "I don't feel terrible, and I didn't find myself wide awake at 3 a.m. like I usually do after an international flight." With that, it was time to get ready to meet my travel companions and head out on a tour of Arches National Park, thanks to Rocky Mountaineer and Moab Adventure Center.

Keeping busy is key...and so is coffee

Two coffees later, I was en route to Arches - a truly breathtaking National Park with hundreds of millions of years of geological history, vibrant red sandstone and around 2000 documented natural arches.

Our guide, Chris, from Moab Adventure Center was incredibly knowledgeable and friendly as he told us about the extreme elements that had led to the formation of the places we now stood. Between the crisp desert air, the stunning sights and the delightful company of my fellow adventurers, it was hard to fathom that I had woken up on the other side of the world just the day before.

After a lively lunch during which we discussed everything we had learned from Chris, it was time for some free time in Moab. I was starting to feel sleepy, and that very comfortable bed at Gravity Haus was beckoning...but, like Taylor, I made a choice—I was going to push through. And so I went shopping.

Adrenaline hits don't hurt either

Our evening activity consisted of a sunset hummer tour through a trail called Hell's Revenge and, let me say, if I had been feeling sleepy before, this definitely woke me up. Hooning through the desert in a beast of a vehicle, speeding up and down steep and narrow sandstone hills and careening around craggy rock canyons, I not only felt very, very awake - but very, very unsure of whether this particular adventure had been a good idea (spoiler alert: it was an amazing idea).

Adrenaline still surging through my veins, I joined my travel buddies for dinner before retreating to the comfort of Gravity Haus for another solid 9 hours of sleep.

Okay, maybe Taylor was on to something

Day 2 of my whirlwind adventure started with a visit to Dead Horse Point State Park, which overlooks the Colorado River and Canyonlands National Park. It's also where you can see Fossil Point - which features at the end of 1991's Thelma and Louise as the besties decide they would rather drive off a cliff than put up with the bullsh*t of men for a second longer.

We were then dropped off at the Rocky Mountaineer train station so we could board the luxurious train that would take us four hours to Glenwood Springs, where we'd spend the night. Chatting excitedly with my fellow travellers—who were, by now, like old friends—we explored the train carriages (there are two bar cars!), spoke to other guests, and enjoyed the restaurant-quality food served on board.

By the time we arrived in Glenwood Springs - a gloriously sweet little town on the banks of the Colorado River - I was well and truly exhausted and chose to skip evening drinks for a decent night's sleep.

From Glenwood Springs to Denver, Colorado

Now, here's where it got tricky. Remember how I mentioned that staying busy was the key to staving off the jet lag? Well, it's kind of hard to stay busy for 8 hours on a train - even a beautiful one that is mostly glass so you can enjoy uninterrupted views of your ever-changing surroundings.

I'll admit to dozing off for about 40 minutes on this trip as the jet lag briefly overcame my amazement at the magnificence of the Southwest scenery, but hey, a little power nap is allowed, right?

After a day of travel, during which we were treated to awe-inspiring views of red rocks, bucolic farmland and snow-covered mountains in one day, we arrived in Denver, where we were treated to dinner by Visit Denver. It was a wonderful way to end a trip with fabulous people whose company was surely part of why I had been able to "choose" not to be jet-lagged.

A day in Denver

I spent the final day of my trip solo in Denver doing the things I love most - thrift shopping, eating, going to the Art Gallery and catching up with two different friends from New York who now call Colorado home.

As exhilarating as this adventure had been, I was thoroughly knackered and sluggishly made my way to Denver Airport for my evening flight home.

By some miracle, I had an entire row to myself again on the flight's San Francisco to Sydney leg, which enabled me to sleep for about 9 of the 15 hours.

Touching down in Sydney at 7:30 a.m. on Friday (I had left Denver on Wednesday night), I rushed home, smothered my dog and partner with kisses, and got right back to work before picking my son up from daycare.

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Falling asleep in the comfort of my own bed that night—less than one week after I had left it—I thought to myself, "Maybe Taylor was right—maybe jet lag is a choice."

Or, maybe it is simply something we feel when we allow ourselves to be complacent about the magic of travel and the opportunity to meet new people with whom to share these once-in-a-lifetime opportunities.

Yahoo Lifestyle was a guest of Rocky Mountaineer.

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