Travelling for business is something that some people do all the time, and others look on with envy. Whether you’re years into a travelling career or only just getting started, it never hurts to have a refresher about the basics.
We’re not talking about what you need to do to impress your boss or sign that big deal. We’re talking about your energy, your motivation, and your enjoyment of the process as a whole. Let’s take a look at some of the simple things you can get right which will have a far bigger impact than you think.
Visualise everything Before You Leave
Visualising your trip is a great way to get in the right frame of mind for it. If you feel like a fish out of water from the moment you leave the house, you’re going to burn up a lot of energy with stress and anxiety.
The key point to remember here is that resting and relaxing will be significantly harder than when you are at home, so think of your mental energy as a finite resource you need to work to conserve. Once you start visualising your trip you’ll come to realise that it’s really not the big deal you’ve built it up to be.
Have Your Connections and Taxis Sorted in Advance
It’s the little bits of friction that can really grind you down when you’re away from home for a prolonged period of time. Take the time to have someone book all of your transfers and connections from beginning to end, and it will make all the difference to your overall enjoyment. There’s a lot to be said for not having to wait half an hour at the airport for a taxi, so remember this when you’re finalising your travel arrangements.
And if you think something has been overlooked, don’t be afraid to raise it as an issue. You’ll be the one who loses out if you don’t.
Have a Travel Set at Home
Having a suitcase, travel adaptors, and a spare phone charger can save you all sorts of stress and bother. Packing is something you can easily build up to a massive ordeal, but it rarely takes more than 10 minutes if you’re properly prepared. By having all those small bits and pieces too easy to forget ready and waiting, you’ll ensure you minimise your chances of stress and annoyance when you get to the other end.
There’s no better way to drain your energy than having to venture into the city to buy a power cable the moment you land, so make a list, pack it, and then get ready to leave the stress behind.
Enjoy the Sights and Meet the Locals
Seeing the sights is really important for your enjoyment of the trip. It might mean you have to tag along with a few co-workers you’d happily dodge, but these are the things that you’ll really remember when you are back home in the years that follow.
Memories of crucial deadlines and urgent memos inevitably fade, but the things you see along the way will stay with you forever. Take the time to go out and seem them, and you’ll have plenty more stories to tell than people who spent their whole career in an office.
Social Media – No, Out into the World – Yes
Social media is super addictive, and it’s designed to be that way. When you’re away it’s really tempting to hammer your timeline, see what everyone back home is up to, and constantly update your status about all the things you’ve seen and done. The problem with this is that it will often just magnify the fact that you’re away from the places you’d ideally like to be at. It can also result in you seeing the world through the camera on your phone.
Keep it in your pocket more than you would back home, and take a look at the new surroundings you find yourself in. It’ll help you relax, give your mental energy some much needed recovery time, and it’ll mean you have plenty to tell everyone when you get back home and see them in person.
Develop a Morning Routine that Works for You
Finally, you want to think about the morning routine. You have one at home, and that’s reason enough to have one when you’re on the road. It’s the best way to start the day, and it’s something that you can change and adapt to.
Start with something that’s as close to what you do at home as possible, and then let it evolve naturally so it fits your new surroundings.
