Today’s business travelers are wired—in more ways than one.

Plugged into voice mail and e-mail, hovered over laptops far into the night, business travelers have nowhere to hide from the pressures of work. Other stresses such as crowded highways, overbooked flights and unexplained delays can make just getting to a destination downright miserable.

With more business travelers on the road than ever before, it’s no wonder today’s road warriors are seeking ways to relax. According to the Travel Industry Association of America’s National Travel Survey, 197 million trips were taken in 1998, with each business traveler taking an average of 5.4 business trips a year.

So how can the nation’s road warriors cope with all of that travel? Here are 10 tips that just may take the edge off business travel.

1. Take a mental vacation
   That’s what nearly all business travelers do when they’re traveling by plane. Ninety-five percent do not consider work their first priority during flight, according to a poll conducted by Harris Interactive for Delta Air Lines. Leisure, rather than work activities, is mentioned more frequently. In fact, more than half (55 percent) take advantage of onboard entertainment and 64 percent use the time to sit and think. A whopping 81 percent read for pleasure, topped only by the all-time favorite activity for business fliers—looking out the window.
2. Escape in a book
   If you’re among those who enjoy reading to relax, Country Inns & Suites By Carlson has an in-hotel library program called Book It And Return that lends guests free books such as The New York Times best-seller “Tuesdays with Morrie.” “With more than 80 percent of business travelers reading for pleasure during their trips, we encourage our guests to borrow a book from the in-house library. When they’re finished with it we ask that guests return the book to any Country Inns & Suites North American property upon their next visit,” says Yvonne La Penotiere, vice president of sales & marketing, Country Inns & Suites. “For each book that is returned, the company will make a $5 donation to Laubach Literacy, up to a $20,000 annual donation.”
3. Get some exercise
   After sitting in meetings and seminars all day, it’s not unusual to feel the need for exercise and fresh air. More than one fourth of U.S. travelers have used a fitness center or gym while traveling. And last year one in eight played golf while on a trip of 100 miles or more away from home, according to the Travel Industry Association of America (TIA).
4. Find another outlet
   Is shopping your sport? It is for many travelers, including those on business trips. Outlet shopping malls are becoming major attractions, with 55 million travelers visiting them annually. And while the shopping experience isn’t necessarily the primary reason for most trips, many consider it another diversion from the daily grind. After all, walking around a mall is a form of exercise, too.
5. Create your own spa
   A business trip is the perfect excuse to pamper yourself. Why not turn your hotel bathroom into you own personal spa? Pack some scented candles into your overnight case. Fill up the tub, throw in some bath oil and wallow in self-indulgence. Paint your toenails pink. And no one will see you if you use a bright blue facial mask.
6. Eat anything you want
   When you’re tired, stressed and frazzled, a club sandwich won’t do. Splurge on room service and order a thick, juicy steak. Top off your meal with chocolate mousse and strawberries. Or forget the idea of a balanced meal altogether and have hot, buttered popcorn for dinner, and watch the in-room movie in your PJ’s.
7. Tune everything out
   Late night revelers keeping you awake? Bring along a sound machine. You can find portable battery-operated or plug-in models in gift and gadget stores. Some units even have cartridges for special effects, so you can drift off to the restful sounds of ocean waves, crickets or rain showers—there’s even a “white noise” version based on the sounds of a mother’s womb.
8. Ask for it—they just might have it
   Following U.S. lodging industry trends that point to customized hotels for business travelers, Country Inns & Suites hotels offer guests the comforts and conveniences of home. According to www.countryinns.com, you can expect a variety of amenities, ranging from in-room coffeemakers and irons, to a “Did You Forget?” program that offers guests more than a dozen personal care items, from a toothbrush to a sewing kit.
9. Bring the family
   If your business trip takes you away from the family, bring them with you. More travelers are taking family members along with them on business trips, and extending their business travels into leisure vacations. Two out of 10 business travelers (21 percent) combined business and vacation on their last business trip, according to the Travel Industry Association of America.
10. De-stress the drive
    An often-overlooked segment of the business travel market includes people who drive to their destinations. If you’re among them, you’re not alone. According to D.K. Shifflet & Associates, a Virginia market research firm, U.S. business people spend 1.1 billion days a year on out-of-town trips, and more than 62 percent of the journeys are by car. While in the car, Americans bring a variety of tech toys with them—as many as 57 percent, according to a survey by electronics retailer Best Buy.

Among the gizmos designed to take the bite out of travel, a surprising 16.5 percent of the survey’s respondents, including 70 percent men, said they would choose a global positioning system (GPS) as their most desired product to bring along on a trip.

No matter how much things change, some travel truisms stay the same: When it comes to coping strategies, it seems most people would rather use a GPS than ask someone for directions.

Although the availability of webcasts and conference calls has decreased the amount of business travel, for many parents business trips are still a necessity. The following tips should help to make the adjustment easier for the entire family.

• If you travel frequently, create a list of household instructions, routines, and emergency contacts that can be re-used. Then add the information just for the current trip, and you won’t need to re-create the instructions every time you plan a trip.

• Put stickers on a map or globe to show the children in advance where the parent will be traveling. Add one for home base. As the trip progresses, the children can follow the parent’s progress.

• To show how long a parent will be gone, make a calendar and indicate where the parent will be as well as the activities happening at home. Children can cross off the days to better understand when the parent will return. Older children can give parents a schedule of their activities, so the absent parent will know what activities the child has.

• Leave a package of small gifts (books, bubbles, note paper, markers, stickers) or notes at home and suggest the child opens one each day the parent is away. Counting the remaining items is another way for children to understand when mom or dad will return. Discussing which gifts or notes have been opened is a good topic of conversation during phone calls with the parent.

• Make phone calls more productive by asking specific questions like, “How was the Little League game?” “What did you do when you went to the park today?” or “What did you have for dinner tonight?” when you call. Using a speakerphone will allow everyone at home to hear what the parent has to say. If a young child wanders away, the conversation can still continue. Calling right before bedtime may be more difficult then after school or in the morning.

• Fax machines can be used to send or receive detailed messages. They can even be used to help with homework or see a special drawing or school report.

• E-mail is another great way to stay in touch especially when different time zones make telephone contact a challenge. If possible, send a few pictures of the area mom or dad is visiting. Postcards are fun for children to receive, but frequently parents are back home before the postcards arrive.

• Pre-record some of the children’s favorite books, so that the parent at home can play them as a bedtime story. If parents are so inclined they could even take a duplicate copy of a favorite book with them and read it to the child over the phone while the youngster follows along at home.

• Children are thrilled with a present from the returning parent. Try bringing a gift representing the area where you traveled, such as a small doll in native garb or a tiny model of the White House from Washington, D.C. Some parents will bring home a new book and make a habit of reading it to the child the first night they are back home.

• Readjustment is inevitable. It may be at this time that a child will lash out with increased tantrums or rejection. Patience and empathy will go a long way towards facilitating the readjustment period.

Before and after the trip, parents need to be aware of the signals they give regarding business travel. If parents complain constantly or seem overly stressed, the children will pick up on these signals. Business trips need not mean parental guilt trips, and the positive parenting tips above should make business travel more enjoyable for the entire family.

Prepare Your Caregiver

• Write down your child’s routine, including wake up and bed times, meals, naps, chores, and any household rules.
• Post your schedule and phone numbers where you can be reached at all times.
• Make a list of favorite foods your children like to eat, or better yet, prepare and freeze meals ahead of time.
• Discuss any medications your children take.
• If you’re divorced, explain any visitation or calling arrangements.
• Ask your caregiver to write down any problems or concerns that arise.

Prepare Your Children

• Discuss well in advance when you will be leaving and for how long.
• Look at a calendar and mark down where you will be on each day of your trip.
• Tell your children when you will be calling.
• Talk about all the fun things your children will do with the caregiver or relative.
• Ask your children to keep a journal or collect mementos from their activities so you can share in their experiences when you return.

Follow-Up When You Return

• Talk to your children about any worries or bad feelings that they had while you were gone.
• Exchange stories about your experiences.
• Review any problems with the caregiver to see what could be changed for next time.

When you must travel for business, it’s best if your children are taken care of by the other parent or a close relative such as a grandparent. If that’s not possible, your children should be very familiar and comfortable with the non-related caregiver. With some thought and planning, business travel can be relatively smooth for both you and your family.