If you travel a lot on business, you may still remember the early thrills of getting on a plane, seeing new places, still enjoying the meetings. However, after a while, you simply get bored of the airports, the packing, the canceled flights, the endless delays and the jet lag. If you want to make your next business trip just a bit less stressful, here are a few tips on surviving it!
Pack light
If an airline has ever lost your luggage, you know that this can ruin any trip. There is a simple way to avoid waiting hours to retrieve your luggage as well. Simply pack everything in a carryon, and take it with you on the place. It can be quite challenging to fit everything you will need for a day or two in a smaller suitcase, but if you master packing, and employ a few useful hacks, you can easily fit everything. Make sure you check with the airline which items are off limits for carryons, and you can save yourself valuable hours. Hours which you can spend sightseeing, for instance.
Get over the jet lag
Jet lag can turn you into a zombie quite easily, which is never welcome when you are to sit in meetings for the next day or two. In order to avoid this energy drop, you need to recover faster. You can either choose to sleep on the plane, or book yourself into a spa as soon as you arrive. You can also ask for an extra night before the big meeting, so you have enough time to get back on your feet.
Manage your down time
You may be stuck in the most beautiful city in the world with no chance to see it, if you are running from meeting to meeting. However, if you do have some free time on your hands, make sure NOT to spend it in your room. You may be tired, but at least take a walk. It will also help you relax and recover some of your energy. If you are flying somewhere particularly exotic, try to turn it into a bit of a vacation. For instance, when I was on business in the Canary Islands, I also managed to book myself a stay in Lanzarote. It turned out to be the best 5 days of any business trip ever, naturally.
Don’t mingle if you don’t want to
If you are going on the trip with your coworkers, and they are up for drinking all night, don’t feel pressured to join in. You can make a polite excuse and blame it on the jet lag, if you would rather spend some time alone. Business trips can sometimes be an opportunity for some team building and getting to know each other better, but if you want to keep your head in the game and rest up, or if you want to maintain your relationships professional, you can always skip the bar.
Find time to work out
This may be the last thing on your mind, but working out while you are traveling is an amazing way to feel better about the trip. Especially if you work out at home, you can’t let the jet lag stop you from sticking to the usual routine. You can go to the hotel gym when you get up, or even just do some exercises in your hotel room! Just don’t skip them, you will be glad for the energy boost.
Mind what you eat
You will need all your energy and focus while on this trip, so make sure you eat plenty of fruit and veg. Don’t just overload on the coffee and sugar. While it will keep you going, if you travel frequently, you will not be doing yourself any favors. Google restaurants with healthy menus near you, and go have a delicious, but healthy meal. Also, while trying out local delicacies is naturally a must, don’t try something you have never eaten right before the meeting.
Make good use of apps
If you want to stay on top of your workload and stay in touch with family and friends, install all the apps you might need on your phone before you leave. Viber or Skype can be of great use, as well as Slack for work, a good time management app, and anything else you normally use. Make sure you leave some room for the photos though.
There’s no reason why business trips need to be a hassle. Try to make the most of them and don’t stress out in advance.