On a Wing and a Prayer

ravel guides for specific destinations are in abundant supply, but what if you simply need advice on coping with a busy travel schedule? How do you juggle work and family responsibilities? What can you do to keep from falling behind in your work while on the road or to cope with business customs in unfamiliar countries? Several recent books set out to help you answer those questions.

On the Road Again, by William Hendricks and Jim Coté (Fleming H. Revell, 1998, $9.99), focuses on how to sustain a healthy marriage in the face of frequent travel by one or both partners. The book is well organized and devotes space to communication skills, conflict resolution and trust building. It also includes ideas on how to create family-friendly company travel policies.

Hendricks and Coté come to their subject from a Christian perspective, but they save discussion of their faith for a chapter on building a shared spirituality in marriage. Readers for whom Judeo-Christian perspective is not a priority can benefit from most of the book and skip the last chapter.

Now that you've determined how to keep your family from disintegrating in your absence, you can focus on getting a little work done. June Langhoff's The Business Traveler's Survival Guide (Aegis, 1997, $9.95) is a handbook for maintaining your technological capabilities while on the road. This slim volume contains a wealth of information on using computers, modems, e-mail, fax machines and cell phones while traveling. The first few chapters cover the selection and use of computer, fax/modem and cell phone/pager. The author gives attention to how to avoid digital phone lines, which are increasingly common in hotels and are incompatible with most laptop modems. She then discusses working in various awkward locations, including airports, cars and other people's offices; working abroad; and maintaining high-tech safety and security procedures, such as password protection and file encryption.

A helpful chapter on troubleshooting equipment includes tips on how to cool off laptops (like the one you left in the rental car for four hours in the Miami sun); what to do about slow modems; and how to deal with accidental erasures of data. The last chapter is a useful list of resources that includes Web site addresses and toll-free telephone numbers for hotels and overnight delivery services. For the most part, each chapter reads like a series of tips, so don't expect the book to keep you up late turning the pages. It is, however, a handy book to pack if you work a lot with computers while away.

202 Tips Even the Best Business Travelers May Not Know, by Christopher J. McGinnis (Irwin Professional Publishing, 1994, $12.95), contains ideas for new and seasoned business travelers alike. From what to wear ("Black. It is classic and works well in almost every situation) to where to sit on an airplane ("If you are prone to motion sickness, a seat over the wing ensures the smoothest ride"), this book has some excellent suggestions for easing your way. A new edition is due out this year.

So, your family is functional, you're packed--wrinkleproof--and ready to go, fresh cell phone batteries at hand. Your destination: a country where you don't speak the language, the currency is unfamiliar and the business practices include a long break in the afternoon and an exceedingly early start in the morning. How do you call home? Will your hair dryer work? Joe Reif and a team of editors have compiled The Global Road Warrior: 85 Country Handbook for the International Business Traveler (World Trade Press, 1999, $29.95). Organized by country, each section includes basic demographic and economic information, a map, details on telephoning both within the country and internationally, phone jack and electric plug standards and Internet connection options. The cultural information for each country is especially valuable, including details on greetings, tipping and how to get help in an emergency. This book is well worth consulting when traveling or sending staff overseas.

Travel books can be helpful no matter how often you leave town. Certainly, any book that covers communication in marriage or parenting has some broader application. And you don't have to be a business traveler to take advantage of tips for wrinkle-free packing. If you're looking for ways to make your hectic life a little less so, travel books might be a good place to start.

Caroline Polk is a freelance writer in Washington.