NEW YORK, Sept 5 — For stress-free travel, take cues from frequent flyers like business travellers who combat jet lag and fatigue by drinking plenty of water, stretching on the plane and taking advantage of the hotel gym.

After polling the habits of business travellers in the US, the UK and Australia, a survey released by American Express Global Business Travel found that overall, jet-setting business travellers are increasingly seeking balance during their work-related journeys and taking specific measures to find it.

Among the most popular strategies to keep healthy when travelling: almost three-quarters or 74 percent of respondents said they drink extra water - particularly important in-flight. Nearly half (48 per cent) said they stretch on the plane and 44 per cent said they use the hotel gym.

To meet nutritional needs that can derail when on the road, 44 per cent of travellers also said they supplement their diet and vitamins, while 20 per cent of business travellers said they avoid alcohol.

Despite the fact that planes are increasingly installing wifi connectivity, according to the Amex survey many business travellers (61 per cent in the US) said they look forward to disconnecting from work and either catching up on a good book or watching an in-flight movie (56 per cent).

Frequent flyers also cited being seated behind a child or infant as the worst place to sit on the plane, followed by the restroom, and next to someone who takes over the armrest.

This week, United Arab Emirates-based airline Etihad launched a ‘Flying Nanny’ program to address the issue of crying babies during flights, with flight attendant Mary Poppins who will staff long-haul flights to help entertain children and keep them - and fellow passengers - happy.

Singaporean budget airline Scoot and Air Asia X in Malaysia also have child-free cabins for flyers who want to be guaranteed a quiet flight.

Meanwhile, the most popular tips for stress-free travel were to travel light and, where possible, to take carry-on luggage only. That tied with the recommendation to “be patient and relax.”

Experts at WebMD also offer tips on how to keep healthy while flying, including tapping your feet to keep the blood flow going, and eating as little as possible. — AFP-Relaxnews