Traveling for business can be quite stress-inducing, seeing as how there are so many things to worry about. First of all, there’s the fact that you seldom get to choose the exact date for the travel. This means that you might have limited time to prepare for everything that lies ahead. Even if the entire concept wasn’t already too stressful, this might make everything even worse. Fortunately, there’s more than one thing you can do in order to make all of this go away. With that in mind, here’s what you need to know in order to get the most out of your business travels, as well as make them much less stressful.
If you are feeling overwhelmed already, another very important thing you must do is stop and take a breath. There are numerous breathing techniques you can try, and they’re detailed in this post by Groom & Style.
1. Pack properly
Packing for a business trip is an incredibly important thing, seeing as how you need to find a balance between packing light and taking all that you need with you. First, you have to take both travel and meeting outfits. Fortunately, you’ll have the travel outfit on you, which will liberate more room in the luggage for a meeting outfit. Even if it’s a relatively short journey, wearing it may cause wrinkles and stains in the suit, which might affect the first impression you make with the party/parties that you’re supposed to meet. Other than this, you mustn’t forget travel documents, a phone charger, toiletries and a couple of other essentials.
2. Have it all planned out
A business trip always has an agenda and how you’ll get there is the easy part. Sure, traveling fatigues you, costs money and causes a whole array of logistics issues. However, it’s also not the focal point of the journey. A business trip has an agenda and there’s always something that you’ll try to achieve. Being underprepared for this business meeting, visit your partner’s headquarters or performing an inspection can further add to your stress levels. Therefore, it’s only logical that preparing yourself properly, regardless if it’s a presentation or promotional materials like branded promotional hats or t-shirts, is completely irrelevant.
3. Luggage GPS
Another thing that causes a lot of stress is the fear of your luggage getting stolen. Remember, you might have a plethora of invaluable possessions here and the fear of these items being lost or mishandled might completely terrify you. Moreover, keep in mind that some of the above-listed materials might be relevant to the very nature of the trip. They might be a part of your agenda, which would mean that losing them might put the entire trip in danger. Fortunately, with the help of a device as simple as a luggage GPS, such a thing would become a lot less likely.
4. Provide entertainment
Previously, we’ve mentioned that one of the main reasons for rising stress levels on this journey is the fact that you’re uncertain of your ability to meet the agenda of the trip. The more free time you get on this journey, the more time you’ll have to overthink it all. Therefore, you should find a way to preoccupy yourself with something during the journey. If you are flying or not in the driver’s seat, you might be able to take forty winks, thus being reinvigorated during the travel. If you’re in an interesting company, you can spend time leading meaningful conversations. If not, you can always take something to read or listen to.
5. Head out a bit sooner
One of the biggest stress inducers for business travel is a fear that you’ll arrive to the meeting late or that you’ll miss it completely. This is why it’s a good idea to head out a tad sooner. Knowing that even if you miss a flight, you still have a chance to get there in time is incredibly reassuring. Also, knowing that you’ll be able to reach the hotel, take a shower and change before heading to a meeting is also a great way for you to fight stress. Sure, this might be inconvenient, due to the fact that you might lose an additional day or two this way, nonetheless, the success of the business trip is worth it.
6. Try to keep up with your routine
People who are constantly on business travels need to try to keep up as much with their routine. You see, most articles list leaving one’s comfort zone as a predominantly positive thing, yet, when it comes to fighting stress levels, this is not necessarily so. This is why it’s good to have routines you can carry with you. For instance, if you like exercising, it might be a good idea to check if there’s a gym nearby that you could visit during your free hours. If you like walking before hitting the sack, you should definitely do so at your target destination, as well. Sure, this complicates everything but also makes the journey easier to manage.
Conclusion
By executing all of this to the letter, you can solve the root of virtually every single stress-inducing problem thus making the journey overall much more serene. Keep in mind that as you progress from one journey to another, this will become semi-automated, thus getting easier and easier. For those who intend to travel a lot, mastering this art gets quite high on your list of priorities.