Train like an athlete. During the regular season, a professional baseball player flies from city to city and plays 180 games under constant pressure to perform. Although your trips might not mean the difference between a World Series championship and a long off-season, your million-dollar deal or valuable vacation time is just as important. So, train like an athlete.

• Get 40 winks. Sleep is the key to restoring your body to a healthy level of functioning.

• Eat right. Carbohydrates tend to promote sleepiness, so eat some cookies before your nap. Protein, on the other hand, helps with alertness, so order some eggs or cheese with your power breakfast.

• Limit alcohol intake. One glass of wine might help you sleep on the plane, but too much can disrupt your sleep waves and prevent you from reaching the restorative stage of sleep known as REM (Rapid Eye Movement) sleep.

• Get your exercise. Once you reach your destination, getting outdoors in the sunlight can help reset your circadian clock and speed your adaptation to the new time zone. Exercise can also help reduce stress and gear you up for an important event.

Lighten your load. If possible, leave the computer at home and carry a USB key or some sort of flash memory device. Since most major hotels and office complexes have computers available for use, I like to carry a USB key loaded with a software program called Pass2Go, which allows me to safely store my passwords on a USB key and securely log in to online accounts from any computer anywhere in the world. A big advantage of this little key is that you don’t have to screen your computer through security.

Carry the right bags. Travelpro has a nice line of luggage that is ergonomically designed to relieve physical fatigue with cleverly designed handles and rollers that adjust to the way you carry your bags. The Travelpro Platinum 4SE bag features a “weigh less, stress less” handle that greatly reduces the chore of lugging around carry-on baggage.

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Reduce ambient noise. A pair of noise-canceling headphones can eliminate the loud drone of the airplane. My personal preferences is for “Solitude” headphones from ProTravelGear.com. I have found them to be comfortable and I enjoy their superior sound quality. Cue up your favorite music or listen to a sleep-promoting program such as Barb Badolati’s “Resting on Cloud 9.”

Stay healthy. An airplane is a great place to pick up dirt, germs and other nasties. TravelKleen has a nifty reusable headrest protector that puts some distance between you and any germs or head lice that previous passengers may have left behind on your seat.

Develop an overall travel fatigue strategy. Serious travelers need a serious program. Look for a comprehensive book on managing stress and fatigue at your bookstore. Better yet, check out my e-book “The Art of Transmeridian Travel” on TransmeridianTraveler.com.

To overcome travel fatigue, you need to call on the body’s unique powers of physiology, psychology, sleep and stress reduction. By properly managing these functions, you can attain optimal performance while traveling.

Joel Widzer is an expert on loyalty and frequent flier programs. He is the author of "The Penny Pincher's Passport to Luxury Travel," a guidebook on traveling in high style at budget-friendly prices. E-mail him or visit his Web site. Want to sound off about one of his columns? Try visiting Widzer's forum.

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