Business traveling can be a boon or a bummer, depending on how you handle it. This is especially true if you frequently travel internationally. Sure, you can stumble around jetlagged, asking strangers for directions in a language they don’t speak. Or you can hit the new time zone rested and ready, enjoying the sights when you’re not on the job. International business travel is an opportunity, if nothing else. It’s an opportunity to see the world on someone else’s dime, and getting paid to do it. Here are three ways to go from zero to hero in the world of frequent international business travel.

Know Your Sleep Limits and Prepare for Them. It’s important not to be too tired when you’re traveling. This will keep you from being effective in the board room, and from having fun on the boardwalk. One way to prepare is to sleep as little as possible on the flight. As long as you don’t have to hit the ground running, you want to feel tired when you get to your hotel room, and you want it to be late evening or night if at all possible. Ask your doctor for something to help you sleep to fend off jetlag, and have it ready when you arrive in the new country. Head straight to your hotel – do not pass go, do not collect $200. Make the room as dark as possible, turn on the fan for some ambient noise so you won’t be disturbed, set your alarm for a sensible time in the morning, and konk out as hard as you can. One great night of sleep following self-induced travel exhaustion is one of the best ways to get the jump on jetlag. Your best personal method may be somewhat different, but this is a tactic that’s useful to many.

Prepare for Communication. Traveling abroad, you’ll want to communicate with the folks back home, both family and coworkers. The Business Calling Enjoyprepaid plan is one of the best, and Enjoyprepaid works in many nations all over the world. Beyond this, it’s important to understand the communication technology conventions of the nation you are visiting. Is WiFi available in most public spaces, or is it limited to internet cafes where you pay by the hour? Can you expect to use your phone or should you make other plans? How much will data rates cost you, and is it possible to buy a chip that’s specific to the part of the world you’re living in so you can use your phone without incurring massive costs? Spend awhile reading about others’ experiences traveling in the new country and avoid the worst.

Know What Does and Doesn’t Work. It’s important to read experiences of other travelers from your country, to the country you’ll be staying in. This will clue you into the best eats and night spots, while avoiding getting bummed out by stomach bugs and predatory tourist hawks.

International business travel is as good as your methods. If you don’t know how to prepare, it can be a real drag. If you know how to handle yourself abroad, nothing’s going to get you down. Have a blast!