Have you heard of the Gowwiz application? This application was developed by a French woman in partnership with the University Hospital of Brest to help travelers overcome the effects of jet lag. During a trip to Malaysia, I tested this application in real conditions and I give you my testimony and my opinion.
I discovered the Gowwiz application through a press release proposing me to present this innovative and made in France application on our website gralon.net.
As I was then planning a trip to Malaysia with a time difference of 6 hours on the way out and 7 hours on the way back (due to the switch to winter time at the end of October in France), this trip seemed to me the perfect opportunity to test this anti jet lag application in real conditions.
Moreover, the price of the application (4,99 €) did not seem excessive to me considering the difficulties that many people who had already traveled in Asia had told me.
I had never been to Asia before and was dreading the jet lag that might result because it's usually harder to adjust to local time when traveling to the East.
My previous long-haul flight had taken me to Boston in the US, also with a 6-hour time difference, but in the other direction. I had felt a rather moderate fatigue then, which passed on its own after two good nights of sleep.
For this stay in Malaysia, I was dreading a much more intense and lasting fatigue that might prevent me from visiting the country and enjoying my stay for about a week. It is indeed said that it takes an average of one day of rest per time zone crossed before you feel fully fit.
I was hoping that the Gowwiz app would help me recover from jet lag faster and shorten that time to 3 days, so I could enjoy my vacation abroad as soon as possible.
Once you download the app, it asks you to indicate your upcoming trip :
- either by using the flight number for a direct flight
- or by indicating the departure and arrival airport and the takeoff and landing times (if, like me, you have to make a connection).
The app also asks you to fill out a form about your sleep patterns (wake up and bed times) and any medications you take during the day.
From this information, the algorithm calculates a personalized program that starts the day before you leave and runs for a total of 4 days. The promise of the app is that you can resynchronize yourself over this period, just 2 days after your arrival.
When I downloaded the app, I found it easy to use. Even though my flight was not direct, providing the requested information did not take me long. I was expecting a more complex questionnaire and was rather relieved that I didn't have to spend hours on it.
During this step, I only regretted not being able to indicate several hours of medication taking when I have morning and evening treatments.
I got my personalized program in only a few minutes and then I felt a little disappointed. Faced with my personalized 4-day program, I thought: "And that's all? Later on, the simplicity of the program and the interface turned out to be an advantage, as I was feeling the fatigue of the trip.
At first, I had a little trouble believing that these seemingly simple tips would help me cross 6 time zones... Still, I didn't give up on following the algorithm's recommendations, including wearing sunglasses between 5 and 6am on the day I left.
This oddity earned me some mockery from my family, but I was motivated and scrupulously followed the schedule. Even on the plane, I exposed myself to the light at the right time while watching a movie.
On the other hand, the person who was traveling with me refused to follow the program because she found it tiring to get up so early and a bit ridiculous to put on sunglasses from 5 to 6 am, when it was dark outside. In the end, she didn't take the jet lag as well as I did and it took her about a week to get back to normal.
I landed in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on Wednesday afternoon and felt the effects of jet lag (mostly fatigue) for the next two days.
I felt better by Saturday, which was 3 and a half days after my arrival. I don't know if I can fully credit the app for this, but I was quite happy to be able to start visiting the city and participating in the Deepavali celebrations there.
I think the Gowwiz app has helped me and has real value for long-term travelers, provided they are sufficiently motivated to follow the program.
In summary, I appreciated:
- being accompanied by a program and notifications on my smartphone during this jet lag 'ordeal'
- Receiving a notification to take my medication, but not having too many notifications during this experience
- to have a support reminding me that I should rest and take a nap especially when I get home.
It seemed to me that the return home is also a tiring stage, but one where one can be tempted to unpack and/or get back to work without waiting and without taking it easy.
On the other hand, I regretted :
- not being able to schedule multiple medication intakes throughout the day
- not always succeeding in following the steps of the program exactly at the time indicated, even if this does not seem to have compromised the overall effectiveness of the application.
In conclusion, I hope that my testimonial and my opinion on this French application will help other travelers to leave more relaxed, with less fear of the effects of jet lag.
Author Audrey on 26 May 2021
Travel and Tourism : Stay
Author Audrey on 19 June 2024
Travel and Tourism : Stay