The packing, the preparing, the planning. It can be overwhelming for frequent travelers who feel like they’re constantly leaving for a work trip or coming home from one. But the weekly business travel slog doesn’t have to be so dreadful. In fact, with simple tips from BlueOrange, a corporate travel agent, your weekly business trip can be made more efficient. Simplify your regular routines, and follow these travel tips to save you time on your next trip.
Keep Your Bags Packed
If you feel like you are constantly packing and unpacking, then consider leaving your bags packed. The contents of your clothes bag are likely to change, but other bags are easily left full and put away in your closet for your next trip. Your makeup and toiletries bag can be full of duplicates and ready to go at a moment’s notice. Be sure to keep enough shampoo and toothpaste for the duration of your average trip, and leave this packed so it can be easily slipped into your suitcase when you’re ready to leave for the airport.
Also consider keeping your electronics and their accessories packed. Chargers, cables, wall plugs, headphones are all things you will need on any trip you take. Consider keeping them packed in their own pouch or small bag so they can be slipped in your carryon before you leave for the airport.
Simplify Your Necessary Technology
There is little chance that you will need your phone, tablet, e-reader and laptop. Instead consider consolidating and only taking what is necessary. You can read on your phone and watch movies from your laptop. Consider taking just your phone and laptop, and leave the other gadgets at home. Also rely on double-duty accessories like a USB wall-plug that you can use for all your devices at the same time.
Rely on a consistent calendar for all of your travel details. Yes, of course record your travel itinerary and meetings, but also consider adding details like where there is Wi-Fi or internet service so you can stay productive while you travel Color code to make your calendar easy to follow and clear at a glance. Your calendar can be your best friend and most useful tool, if you use it consistently and effectively. Be certain to schedule downtime and for delayed travel plans, because it happens.
Share your work and travel plans and schedules with your coworkers and your personal or leisure time with your family or a friend. This way, you can illustrate when you are free or not, and work to decrease stress if an emergency arises. Those still at home will know where you are and if you are available for a phone call or video chat from home.
Pack Lightly
This may seem self-explanatory, but it isn’t always an easy rule to follow. Consider pieces that can do double duty, like black pants that can go from meetings to dinner out easily. The less you pack, the more time you save and also the less luggage you’ll have to take with you from airport to hotel and back again. Consider fabrics that aren’t likely to wrinkle or crease so you always look your very best.
Remember Self-Care
It’s so easy to get blindsided by the hustle and bustle of traveling. But remember to plan some time for your own self-care. Don’t over plan your meeting schedule. Don’t book flights that make you sprint through the terminal to catch your next plane. Consider booking extra time either at the beginning or end of your trip for sightseeing at your destination. This combined business and leisure travel is called “bleisure” and is gaining popularity among work travelers and companies in answer to employees needing self-care when they travel frequently.
No matter how often you travel for work, you can always make your routines less stressful and more efficient. Take the advice of BlueOrange, a corporate travel agent, and follow these steps for a simplified, low-stress approach to your next business trip.