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. Many hotel chains are following U.S. lodging industry trends that point to customized hotels for business travelers. 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. (...BACK)