12 Smart Habits of Highly Effective Business Travelers

When I worked for the feds, I traveled for work all the time. At first, I loved it. I grew up in Rhode Island, and I'd never been west of the Mississippi River. Flying out to Pocatello, Idaho; or Ventura, Calif., was a perk, not a burden.

Then it got old. I remember one night at Los Angeles International Airport, lined up with all the other miserable zombies, pushing midnight, waiting to board a delayed red-eye. A young woman a few places ahead of me was talking to nobody in particular.