As a frequent business traveler, you will have to optimize your travel routine so that your trips don’t become a burden. It may sound like it’s not a big deal, but once you start travelling all the time, you will realize that you are actually spending a lot of time on a plane, bus or train. Since traveling is a big part of your job, it is important to make it as comfortable as possible. You can’t just neglect that time and shut off, doing nothing, but instead, learn how to live with it so that you can get only the positive out of your traveling experience. To make your business travels pleasant, the most important thing to remember is to be prepared. Here are some of the things I found to be quite useful over the years of business travelling, no matter if you are staying for a couple of days or coming back home the same day.

Be ready to travel

Packing all the important things such as your laptop, adapters, connectors, spare clothes, iPad and other items is only a part of getting prepared. What you probably didn’t know is that there is a lot more smart planning you can do before it comes down to packing the things you need. Choose the most suitable transportation company points program. The more frequently you travel with the same transport company, the more benefits you will have from the points program. There are many upgrades and early boarding benefits you can get that can make your travels less stressful. Balance being practical with being economic. If you are sleeping over, it may seem logical to choose the cheapest hotel, but if it’s located far from the station, airport or the place where you will have meetings, you could spend a lot more on cab fares, or spend a lot of time stuck in public transportation.  

Emphasize on comfort

Getting comfortable on a business trip is not a luxury, it’s a necessity. No matter if you are traveling to hold a presentation, to negotiate business or to update some of your branches on recent strategies, you won’t be able to impress a group of people if you had a tiring and stressful trip. Make an effort to get extra legroom. You will be on your feet during most of your day, and you cannot afford to strain your legs while traveling as well. A lot of pressure on your legs over a long period of time may cause leg vein problems. Furthermore, if you sit comfortably, you can easily whip out your laptop and catch up on emails or other important things you haven’t had the time to tend to. If you find that music relaxes you during your trip, make sure to get good headphones. Low quality headphones could hurt your ears and cause headaches. Drink a lot of water on the road, and if you have to get a travel pillow so that you can catch some sleep, bring it with you..

Don’t make it hard on yourself

Usually, people are lazy to make small efforts in order to minimize their stress. You can prepare for a lot of things in advance so that some seemingly complicated things feel like a warm breeze. To get through airport security and set in comfortably, you have to prepare. Some of things you can do include:

• Wearing comfortable footwear doesn’t have shoelaces

• Get equipped with important phone apps you might need on the road

• If you constantly travel to one destination, get long term transportation cards

• Double check if you packed all the necessary ID’s, paperwork, passports or travel visas