Is your practice schedule more intense the bigger the event is or does your practice routine often stay the same?
As long as there are events on the horizon I tend to play 10-15 hours a week. Not necessarily duel though. I play a lot of CTF since I enjoy the game on its own and the community. But as an event nears I definitely put in more time - usually 20-30 hours the week or two before the event. Since the time limit is 10 you can feel like you got a lot more done without necessarily a whole week dedicated to the game as if it's a full time job. I'm going to try to take whatever steps necessary to get in top form whether it means playing a lot or staying fresh and avoiding a burnout. We'll see how it goes.

Speaking of the time different does the travelling hinder you at all? Having to travel such a long way does jet lag and the time difference give your more challenges to overcome?
I think it has and does. For me personally, I tend to stay up late. So for me I believe gaining 6-7 hours isn't nearly as difficult as losing 6-7 hours. Going from America to Europe, we lose hours so it can be very difficult to adjust within just one day of the tournament. This time I intend to arrive 2-3 days early, so there will be no room for excuses. I also play on day 2 of the tournament, so that's even another day. I'm confident that it won't even be a factor this time.