BA planeI don’t know about you, but I travel a hell of a lot for work, both within the U.S. and internationally. Over the years I’ve learned some tips that might help you be savvy with your time, energy, and money–even if things don’t always go as planned! Having just come back last night from a week (was it only a week?) in Paris for business, I thought I would share a few practices while they are still fresh in my mind.

My experience is that traveling for work and traveling for pleasure are really different; I’ve also tried to mix the two, and I’m not sure it works. (I took my partner Rob with me to London last summer for 2 weeks: he got to stroll around taking in the sights, while I was tied up almost every day and returned each night a big ball of stress.)

Traveling for pleasure, it’s easier to take your time. Your flight is delayed? So what? So you get to your hotel a little later. When traveling for business, a screw up can really matter. A late arrival might mean you miss your connection, or you miss your client altogether. A lost bag might mean you attend your meetings looking like crap. Lost sleep can equal a shabby performance. So here are a few suggestions.

First off, if your company offers the slightest possibility, you must be assertive and negotiate to fly overseas in “business class.” Business class in the U.S. is no big deal, and I see it as primarily a way to show other people how snooty you are. Domestic business class gives you slightly larger seats, somewhat better food, and free booze, but look, for a few bucks you can pack your own food treats and buy the booze on board if you want it. The flight isn’t that long anyway, even coast to coast; so even in a tiny seat near a crying baby, you can probably deal with it.

Internationally, business class makes a big difference! First off, business travelers (or elite frequent fliers) get their own check in counters, with much shorter lines and much more helpful customer service agents. My usual airline, British Airways, actually hides the Business Class check in at JFK airport way down the hall and around the corner, totally out of sight of the average traveler. This allows them to do something truly sneaky: basically reserve a security check point entirely for Business and First Class travelers.

On just this last trip, in the very short line for this “hidden” security checkpoint, I listened in as the security agent checking passports and boarding passes said to the couple ahead of me “Oh, you don’t want to use this checkpoint, you’ll have to walk all through the terminal to get to your gate; just go down the hall and use that security line, and you’ll be much closer.” Rubbish! There are only about 10 gates in this particular area, and they aren’t that far apart. But what’s happening is the “lesser” travelers (coach, or Premium Economy, a slightly better coach class) are being sent away to stand in line with the masses. So the Business class and First class passengers get to scoot on through: I’ve never seen more than 2 people ahead of me at this checkpoint, and frequently I’m all by myself.

Business class travel also gives you access to the airport lounge, which is nice for a host of reasons: it’s quiet; they have food; they have newspapers and Internet terminals; private bathrooms. Some of them even have shower stalls, free toiletries, and free massages (I’m not kidding: check out British Airways’ lounge in London Heathrow). When you take an overnight flight, British Airways also has a very nice buffet dinner in the lounge before you board, with several hot entrees, salad, dessert, wines, all you can eat or drink. This allows you to skip dinner on the plane and just get to sleep straight away.

When you are finally on the plane, most airlines’ Business Class now have seats that can lie flat, so you can actually sleep: important on a long haul. There are larger video screens, much nicer food, and hardly ever a baby or even small children, because these seats are pretty darn expensive. The few children I have seen are with their (probably very wealthy) parents and (so far) well-behaved.

But sometimes you can’t fly business. It’s expensive! My company policy is (a) only if the flight is overnight and (b) only if it’s five hours or more. There are exceptions, and I’m pretty good at finding them, but on this Paris trip I took Business class getting over there (overnight), and Economy coming home. So what can you do when you are stuck with Economy seats for an international flight?

Check in online, early. You will have the best selection of seats, and by printing your own boarding pass you can often skip the check-in line altogether and just drop off your bags (if any). Bring water! Planes have very low humidity, and on a long flight this will affect you. In Business class they practically shower you with water; but in Economy you are on your own. Since bringing liquids through security is now practically impossible in the U.S. and Europe, buy your water from shops that are past security. If that’s not possible (some airports don’t have shops airside) then bring an empty bottle. Despite some reporting, airplane water from the tap in the bathrooms is safe to drink, even if it’s not your first choice.

In Business class international travel, they will hand you a toothbrush, toothpaste, soap, moisturizer, eye masks, socks, etc. In Economy, remember to bring your own. Even on an overnight flight in Economy, with freshly brushed teeth, washed face, combed and/or washed hair (yes, it’s possible to wash your hair in airplane bathrooms) and enough water to drink, you can feel pretty ok in the morning.

On long haul flights in Economy, you might find the airplane’s choice of entertainment meager. I once took an overnight Economy flight from China all the way back to the U.S., and every TV channel but one was in Chinese (which I do not speak). And I couldn’t sleep. And I had nothing to read and very little to eat. It was miserable. But never again! I have invested in a video iPod which I always load up with a few movies or TV episodes before every flight; I bring a few magazines that I’ve saved to read; at least one book; and of course my laptop if I get TRULY desperate and decide to work. And snacks–you must have snacks.

Whatever class of travel you fly: bring a few light items of clothing in your onboard bag. Maybe a change of shirt, underwear and socks, and also something relatively light that can still keep you warm, such as a light jacket or sweater. Sometimes at high altitudes the plane gets so cold the little airplane blankets don’t really do the trick.

Finally, and most of all, know your destination! How will you get from the airport to your final destination, whether it’s the office or the hotel? On several trips, I failed to change currency before I left (sometimes because no foreign exchange booth were open) and on arrival I had no cash to hire a taxi (and they don’t always take credit cards). If you can reserve a car service, the guy who waits for you with a little sign, great! Problem solved.

But many times that’s not an option, so I have a “travel box” at my house that holds my passport, my travel toiletries, and enough cash so I can hire a taxi–in as many currencies as countries I regularly visit. I’ve actually built up a small stash (about $80 each) in pounds, Euros, Swiss francs, Thai baht, Indian rupees, Chinese renminbi, Singaporean dollars, and Japanese yen. Sure, it’s a few bucks that could be earning interest in my online “emergency fund” but I’ll tell you: cash is king, especially when you are all by your lonesome in the middle of the night in a foreign country. That’s a real emergency!