The Vacation Guide

Business travel can be a drain on physical and emotional well being. Often, business travelers find that they are often bored, lonely and physically drained due to the constant traveling and airport hassles. There are a few techniques that you can use to keep yourself physically and emotionally healthy while on a prolonged business trip.

1. Join A Fitness Gym: whether you are a frequent or occasional business traveler, it is vital that you stay fit. The healthier you are, the better your body will be able to cope with the stress of travel. It all comes down to your body’s capacity to heal and rejuvenate itself and if you are unhealthy it will take longer for your body to adjust to air-travel and prolonged business trips.
2. Reduce Alcohol Consumption: Often, business travelers find that their access to alcohol increases while on a business trip. Whether it be the mini-bar in your hotel room, or the extensive wine menu at the hotel restaurant, alcohol seems to be everywhere. Reducing alcohol intake is critical for so many reasons, it can’t be stressed enough. First, Alcohol is a depressant, meaning that any homesickness will be heightened, making your trip a more miserable one. Second, alcohol tends to make you less alert and able to handle last minute issues, like a call from your boss on an database update, not a good time to be under the influence of alcohol. Generally, alcohol will make you tired and less able to focus on the issues at hand, and this will not only make your business trip a more difficult one, it can also help you get fired.
3. Watch What You Eat: Just like Tip #2, eating healthy will help your brain and major organs work correctly, and make your trip a more successful one. That means avoiding fast food restaurants and limiting the amount of fat and fried foods from your diet. Also, stay away from heavy meals or meals that are known to cause gas or bloating. Keep a bottle of Beano and Pepto-bismol with you at all times, they will save you much embarrassment.
4. Take A Swim: Virtually every hotel has got one and it’s surprising how few people take advantage of a good relaxing swim. Swimming is a great way to exercise and relax, warm water will half loosen stiff muscles and therefore help blood-flow to your brain. This will help you focus and relax at the same time, which is a very important factor on any business trip.
5. Pack Your Luggage Correctly: There is nothing worse than poorly packed luggage to start your trip on a bad foot. Being organized is all part of keeping things tidy, for information on packing your luggage correctly, please see the post on Packing Your Luggage Right.
6. Iron Your Clothes: If you don’t know how to Iron, then I suggest you learn. There is absolutely nothing more unprofessional than a wrinkled business suite and if you appear unkempt, a potential business partner may not want to do business with you, or may not want your services again. Most hotels have iron board and iron in most rooms, make sure yours does too. You cannot rely on last-minute dry cleaning and often, an iron may be the difference between a successful business trip and a complete failure.
7. Take Only What You Need: Do not over-pack, and that goes for your identification and other important documents. Remember to make photocopies of important items like credit-cards, if these become loss or stolen, you not only know what you’ve lost, but you can easily get them canceled if need be.
8. Be Safe: While on a business trip its important to know which places you should go, and which ones you should avoid. Ask the Hotel manager for advice and trust your gut instinct, if a place feels unsafe that’s probably because your subconscious mind has already pre-screened the location for you. Business trips are no place to be adventurous.

Much of what I’ve advised relating to business travel is just common sense, and for the most part, things that you may already do on your own time at home. The problem with business travel is that people are often outside of their usual routines and comfort zones and therefore tend to splurge and binge a little more than they would at home. But remember, you are travelling for business and not pleasure, and while on your travels you are a representative of your company, and therefore it’s important that you be as professional as possible.