Travel, with all its disruptions of your normal routines, is too often no belly laugh. Even when you do stick to your regular eating habits, the stress of running for taxis, dragging suitcases, making your way through crowds, delayed flights, too-quick meals and many other negative factors all gang up to make your solar plexus very unhappy. And your heart may not be too thrilled, either.

Then the problems begin, ranging from nausea to sleeplessness to bathroom distress. Here are just a few common sense tips that can at least help to make the journey more pleasing to your placid stomach and happier heart:

1. No matter how screwed up your travel schedules are, try to eat modest meals at your regular times, as well as get regular sleep wherever and whenever possible.
2. Stay away from the fourth daily meal, no matter how late it is. Cruise ships are especially guilty of loading you down with those midnight buffets and chocolate extravaganzas. OK to try a teeny taste, but that’s all, unless you want to be up and distressed all night.
3. Just because you’re away from home doesn’t mean you can abandon your healthy diet. If you normally eat fresh veggies and fruit, continue doing it while traveling. Forget the fries, chips, tacos, frejoles, chicken nuggets,  Big Macs and all the other greasy attacks on your senior stomach.
4. Go very easy on beer and booze. Vacations and cruises are for celebrating, but not for the kinds of binges you indulged in during school or GI days. Instead, drink lots of water and juices to keep your sensitive senior digestive system functioning properly.
5. Get your regular 30 or 60 minutes of daily exercise. Even on that 12-hour overseas flight, get out of your seat every hour, walk aft and strrrrrettttccchhh.

While traveling, try to do your normal daily eating, exercise, snoozing and other healthful activities you do at home. Your stomach will thank you for your consideration.