Travelling athletes experience travel fatigue and jet lag that intensify their subjective burden and may influence performance and increase illness and injury risk.

Literature on management of travel fatigue and jet lag in athletes is limited. Based on physiological principles and laboratory-based studies, this review and consensus identified the most important interventions to counter.

Travel fatigue: maximise the amount of sleep obtained during travel.

Jet lag: maximise the rate at which the body clock adapts to the new time-zone, by following a guide that specifies 3h periods of light exposure and avoidance.

Other useful interventions include:

Travel fatigue: plan meticulously, prevent illness, formulate hydration and food strategies.

Jet lag: preserve sleep, coincide exercise training with light exposure, adjust meal timing and composition, and sensible use of melatonin at the new destination.

Manipulating exposure to time-givers, e.g. light and exogenous melatonin, may aid in successful circadian re-alignment following travel in athletes. Conversely, inappropriate exposure may be counterproductive and cause detrimental side effects.

Reliable and repeatable multi-centre field studies, over longer durations and involving randomised allocation of potential therapeutic interventions are needed to advance theory and practice in these areas.