Sit up straight, with your weight on your spine like a human being. Even when sleeping.
When you lean back and try to get "comfortable", you force all of your weight sideways onto your butt, which now has to act as a scootch-guard to keep you on the seat at all. That works for a couple hours max, after which you're in agony for the rest of your 12 hour flight.
Learning to sit on chairs is a good skill in general. Getting an office chair that doesn't recline will do wonders for your health as well.
- obvious is don't check your bags if you don't need to
- noise-canceling headphones for the airplane are worth the $2-300. be sure to pack spare battery (the Bose case has a slot for one)
- bring a lacrosse ball in case you get a tight back, sore muscles. maybe a Theracane if you have more serious issues
- be sure to tag your luggage and throw a business card in there just in case the checked bag happens to get lost
- do a morning bodyweight routine instead of relying on a gym and equipment since you don't know how facilities are at every hotel. check out the 7-minute workout for ideas: https://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/05/09/the-scientific-7-m...
- if you're a traveling consultant, pay someone else to do your laundry instead of trying doing it yourself on your shrinking weekends
- splurge for Global Entry (gives you TSA-Pre). ideally you've already applied for a travel rewards credit card that will credit you for it
- make it a point to hang out with your friends on the weekends when you're back home. schedule things in advance, check out concerts, museums, etc.
Most hotels have gyms and pools. Use them.
Don't eat all 3 meals a day. I gained 40 lbs doing that. It feels like a luxury with per diem, but it's glutinous.
Meet locals to hang out with.
glutinous
Eat at local Co-ops.
Find hotels that have saunas.
Travel light, do local wash n fold or laundromat when needed.
Try to stay in convenient locations with great walkability.