As I write this, I’m in the first hour of a 17-hour plane ride.

(Yes).

In reality, this is just the first of a number of long-haul flights I have this week.

(9 days; 4 continents).

It’s a doozy, and it hasn’t been a trip I’ve been particularly looking forward to. That said, I’ve done a few things to try and make this experience better, and to mitigate the potential fatigue I imagine a few of these flights will provoke.

So, here are a few of the things in my arsenal this week:

Immune Support Pills: I’m not really sure what I’m doing here, but suffice it to say that while packing I found some pills that promise to be a step up from the typical emergen-C I usually take with me. We’ll see, friends, we’ll see.

Sleeping as much as possible: Absolutely key will be sleeping as much as possible this week. Even when I want to be doing other things (like blogging while I watch a TV documentary about visiting Mecca), I should be resting. As hard as I can. My Jawbone Up helps me remember to do this, as it encourages me to track my sleep.

Hydration: If you’ve read one Women’s magazine you’ve read a million. You need to hydrate on planes. Do it. I do.

Trying to keep plane activity to “fun stuff”: This is absolutely key for me, and something that I know most folks don’t do. When I travel, i aim to reduce stress by avoiding working on planes. I definitely know this is different than what many folks do (some swear by the productivity you can achieve on plane rides), but it works for me.

Wear Headphones to Block Out the Noise: Noise canceling headphones rock the house. Even @Lucia has them (see picture). My mother swears by Bose.

Eating Well: I’ve been back on the Paleo train ever since baby Lucia was born 7 months ago, and it seems to be working for me for a variety of reasons. Trying to keep clean eating during my four-continents-in-a-week travel is key.

What do you do to keep yourself healthy when traveling for work?