Road warrior

(Fortune Magazine) -- What doesn't kill you makes you stronger: That should be the motto for anyone doing PR for a car company these days. Luckily for Carlos Ghosn, president and CEO of Nissan, he has the ultimate spin doctor at his side. Simon Sproule, a Brit based in Japan, traverses the globe ensuring that the world pays proper attention to Nissan's ongoing revival. He also likes to pull off stealth PR schemes: In July he quietly entered the not-yet-unveiled 2009 Nissan GTR in Britain's tony Goodwood Festival of Speed. The much-anticipated 450-horsepower fiend rocketed up the hill, to the crowd's astonishment. Given the nomadic nature of his work, he has had only one permanent home in the past seven years (in Laguna Beach, Calif.) and estimates that he spends about 20 days a year there. We chased down Sproule, who has been featured in Japanese GQ twice and in Maquia magazine as one of Japan's most eligible bachelors, to learn how he makes the most of life on the road.

DAYS ON THE ROAD: 120 to 150. Because I'm based in Japan, every trip is a long haul. "Local" is the 12-hour flight to Seoul or Beijing. Thailand is six hours, Australia is ten.

Simon Sproule, 38, corporate vice president, global communications, Nissan Motor

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WHERE TO STAY: In terms of chains, you can't beat Four Seasons (1). The trend of funky modern hotels gets boring when you can't find the light switch in the bathroom because the controls look like the interior of the starship Enterprise.

SOUND CHECK: I have a 60-gig iPod, which goes everywhere with me (2).

LAGUNA LOUNGING: I like drinks on the roof of La Casa del Camino overlooking the beach, and breakfast at Anastasia's, where you get great food and avant-garde fashion at the same time. The smoked-salmon omelet - bloody delicious!

PREFERRED LUGGAGE: Tumi (3). When my bag was broken into at an airport in Africa a few years back, Tumi just exchanged the bag. No fuss, no drama.

SHOPPING FIX: Shirts from Turnbull & Asser in London if I'm feeling flush.

JET LAG CURE: I work out after I land. I try to do at least a six-kilometer run, and I swear by my Asics running shoes (4). And I never, ever drink on the plane.

TOKYO DO: Get up early to witness the 5 A.M. tuna auctions at Tokyo's fish market. And you have to have dinner at the Park Hyatt's New York Grill - featured in Lost in Translation and one of the city's best dinner spots.

TOKYO DON'T: Tokyo's subway system is amazing. But be careful you don't get into one of the women-only carriages during rush hour. It's not a mistake I'll make twice.