If you love to travel but need to work, there are a lot of great options. Traveling for work has always been a popular option for many. Work travel has become easier than ever with mobile devices, 4G internet access just about everywhere you go, and more companies allowing their employees to work on the go.
Whether your job inherently requires travel or you’re trying to expand your opportunities with the option of working remotely, traveling for work can get exhausting, stressful, and downright frustrating. Luckily, there are a number of tips and steps you can take to make your life a little easier when you hit the road for work.
Stay in touch
One of the hardest things to do when you travel for work is keeping a good work-life balance. Make sure you’re working toward this balance by keeping in touch with those back home. If you’re leaving your family to head across the country or the world for work, plan some time into each day to call, write, text, or Skype with your loved ones. This keeps you connected in a more real sense, and helps stave off the loneliness and depression that can creep up on you when you’re away from home all the time.
Sightsee
When you’re visiting somewhere new, make sure you plan some time in your schedule to check out the biggest attractions in the area. Who wants to come back home from Paris and say they didn’t get a chance to see the Louvre or the Eiffel Tower? While you may not have time in your schedule to visit everything you want to see, taking an hour or two to enjoy the cities you visit allows you to rejuvenate yourself and enjoy the time you are away from home.
Rest
You have a packed schedule and meetings back to back. You’ve decided that your best option is to just get some rest on the plane, and you’ll catch a nap here and there when you can. With this plan, you’re going to quickly run out of steam, and you may start suffering from severe sleep deprivation. Instead of going out for a night on the town after back-to-back meetings, consider heading back to the hotel room for a little R&R.
Getting a good night’s sleep before you head out for your business travel is important as well. Try to put aside the stress and planning that inherently come with business travel and go to bed early so you’re well rested for what comes.
Plan for the unexpected
Let’s be honest here—you’re not always going to have a flawless trip. The most important of all work travel tips is to make sure that you have a backup plan. Many people who travel for work even have a backup plan for their backup plan. Know what you’re going to do if your flight gets delayed or even canceled. How are you going to get from the airport to your hotel if there’s a taxi driver strike? How can you deal with the hotel losing your reservation?
While you don’t have to have a specific plan for any and all possibilities, knowing what you can and should do for major delays can help keep you calm and collected if disaster strikes. Along with this, make sure you plan a little extra time into your schedule to accommodate these mini catastrophes.
Eat better
When you’re running from meeting to meeting and then grabbing the redeye to the next city, eating well isn’t likely on the top of your priorities list. However, if you want to maximize your energy, feel great, and not get worn out while you’re traveling, eating well is one of the most important things you can do. When you grab fast food on your way out of town or stop at the gas station for a candy bar, you’re not giving your body the proper energy sources it needs to stay healthy.
While you can’t necessarily eat a high-quality meal every time, choosing smarter options on the go doesn’t have to be difficult. Grab an apple or an orange instead of a candy bar. Order the salad instead of the burger and fries. Choose water, not soda, for your drink. These little changes make a huge difference in how you feel during and after your trip.
Pack light
There is nothing worse than trying to cart around heavy bags from the car to the airport, then from the airport to your hotel, and everywhere in between. You don’t need three formal outfits, five business casual getups, and a few options for late nights when you’re going on a one-day business trip. Choosing the right items to pack isn’t always an easy task, but remember that you can grab a new outfit at a local store just about anywhere you go if what you brought simply doesn’t cut it.
On top of the fact that carrying around a ton of luggage is completely exhausting, think about the cost benefit of packing light. Airlines around the world charge huge fees for checked luggage. If you’re able to effectively pack everything you’ll need in a carry-on, you’ll end up saving yourself a lot of money. While this isn’t always possible, when you’re considering how to travel for work, keeping your luggage to a minimum is important.
Keep up on medications
If you’re on medications for any reason, make sure that you keep up on your medication routine while you’re traveling. Skipping your medications can be disastrous to your health. If you know that you’re going to run out of a medication while you’re gone, talk to your doctor about getting a refill a few days early or sending the prescription to the city where you’re going. Some medications are more dangerous to skip than others, so it’s also a good idea to talk to your doctor about emergency options if you run out while you’re gone.
Exercise on the go
Make an effort to get in a workout on every work trip you take. Not only does this help keep you fit, but it also boosts your immune system, your energy, and your mood. Most hotels today offer a small gym or free access to a local gym. Take advantage of this. Even if you’re only on the treadmill for 20 minutes, you’ll feel better throughout the day. If you don’t have access to a gym, take a walk before your meetings to get your blood pumping and your energy up.
It’s far too tempting to become sedentary when you travel for work, simply because you’re tired or busy. As strange as it may sound, when you add a workout to your day, you’ll feel less tired in the long run.
Travel together
One of the biggest downfalls of traveling for work is that you’re alone a lot of the time. While some people enjoy this, for the most part, it can quickly start to wear on your psyche. When you don’t have companionship, you are much more likely to become angry or depressed. Consider finding a travel buddy to help beat off the travel blues.
Depending on your job, you may be able to have a colleague or even an assistant travel with you. Find out if your travel policies allow you to bring a spouse along once in a while. If none of these are options, head online. There are tons of resources out there to connect business travelers with others in the same situation. Just keep in mind that you need to be careful when seeking out a travel buddy online, and don’t post any personal information to public websites.
Track your journey
If you really want to make the most of your experiences, keep a record of where you go and what you do. Whether this is an online blog that you update with fun facts about the cities you visit, a deep and personal journal accounting for everything you do while you’re gone, or a picture reel of the things you see, having a record is a great way to keep yourself excited about your travel. It’s also a great way to share your experiences with your loved ones.
With these work travel tips, you don’t have to dread the next time your boss asks you to fill in for him at a meeting in Hong Kong. Get excited about your travel and have a great time exploring the world.
