Surviving Business Travel | MacPsych

Prompted by my review of Kayak the other day, I made some notes about my various ways of coping with the volume of business travel I experience.

And that?s the key word. Experience. You learn from your travel mistakes, and sighing into your poorly-made airline coffee, swear to yourself that you?ll never, ever do it again.

So I made a list of the things I thought would be useful to pass on via the blog, to spare you from poorly-made airline coffee or any other travel-related pain.

For me, there are a number of challenges that raise their ugly heads when you have to travel for work:

• Keeping productive and in touch while on the move
• Dealing with the ?dead time? you experience while queueing and waiting
• Managing your own work-life balance

This is not a finite list by any means, but I used it as a way to prompt my thoughts on what I do to deal with them.

1. Plan. And plan again.

I?ve found it incredibly useful to book flights so as to respect my other commitments. I?m normally in the lucky position of booking my own business travel. I can therefore plan my flights and train journeys in a way that works for me. In practice, this means no late arrivals at hotels past dinner time, no 5am flights and no meetings the day after an epically late arrival the night before. Sounds simple, but if you don?t manage your schedule, you?ll find yourself bouncing between travel commitments and cursing your lack of planning.

Similarly, plan for being let down. Never gamble with airline schedules or train timetables ? they?ll let you down every time! Build in plenty of contingency time for transfers, journeys to and from the airport and have a plan B route you can take.

I?ve already shared my love of Kayak, especially as it pulls together a sensible itinerary for you. The included venue details will ensure you never get lost and calendar entries mean you can share you travel plans with others. Your smartphone can then be your one-stop-shop for your travel plans, cutting down on the need to bring reams of printed documents.

2. Pack for success

I use a packing list in OmniFocus that ensures I never forget anything of importance. It?s not a long list, but if it?s noted, I don?t have to waste time checking I have remembered everything. It also cuts back on time wasted packing. Yes, this may sound like overkill. But if you?re packing early in the morning or late at night, it?s simplest to just grab what you need according to a pre-defined list. And you definitely don?t want to arrive at your destination needing to buy a mobile phone charger. Or more importantly, frantically looking for a pharmacy to sell you important medication!

I also regularly prune things from this list if I have found they were?t absolutely needed. It keeps things light and simple.

A phrase I never thought I would type on this blog is ?pack your clothes with a capsule wardrobe in mind?. What the hell? Well a capsule wardrobe is a collection of clothing that compliments itself and with minimal effort you can look the part. In practice, it means only bringing clothes that go together and repurposing items for different times of the day. A fresh shirt with the same suit trousers and shoes means you have a dinner outfit. No need to bring a second pair of either.

Then try to avoid checking in your suitcase. If you have a carry-on bag, pack it smartly and you avoid the need to drop off luggage at check-in or queue forever to pick it up at the other end. It simply speeds up your journey at both ends. And if your bag is with you at all times, it?s impossible for your favourite airline to lose it, right? Just make sure it will actually fit in the overhead locker ? you can check the approved bag dimensions on most airlines? websites.

3. Use technology to your advantage:

Many airlines now have their own smartphone apps, many of which let you check in and use a virtual boarding card. Use these to check in online and get a good seat (avoiding the middle seat, too near the toilets). If you use Kayak, it will place an automatic reminder in your calendar for checking in the day before travel.

You can then avoid check-in at the airport and wave your smartphone as your boarding card, amazing all around you and looking like someone who?s visiting from the future.

It might sound scary, but consider leaving your laptop at home. I?ve survived by bringing just my iPad and iPhone in the past. You won?t be cut off from civilisation and all your work-related resources. With internet access, you can use Dropbox to access important files. Or better still, plan ahead and make sure all important documents are on the iPad before you leave.

Bring a bluetooth keyboard if you think you?ll need to do a lot of typing. While this can add some more weight, it gives you the flexibility of just using the tablet where a laptop would be awkward (i.e. reading while standing).

Consider getting an adaptor for presenting via a projector or simply bring your presentation on a USB memory stick.

Wherever possible, don?t pack paper (documents, magazine or books) if you can deal with them electronically. They add weight and rarely add value. There?s nothing more frustrating than re-packing unused business documents on your return journey. If your job requires you to have lots of brochures or similar materials, think about sending them ahead.

4. Make your deadtime productive

Travel inherently involves lots of waiting around. My number one rule here is to never, ever shop in airports. They?re invariably more expensive than the high street. Shopping in airports is draining and not at all rewarding. Instead, use the time spent waiting and queuing for something productive. This can be an activity (e.g. reading key business docs from your tablet or a novel you?re enjoying, listening to some favourite music) or simply engage in some mindfulness and reflection. If you?re like me, the latter will help calm you down in a stressful environment.

If you need to get work done, you?ll be amazed at what you can accomplish while waiting for flights if you have an iPad. I?ve frequently done a weekly review using OmniFocus. I?ve written blog posts. I?ve also designed entire workshops. And last year, I spent many travel hours editing the final version of my doctoral dissertation.

If you can, use an airline business lounge to get some quiet time and make any phone calls far away from disruptive flight announcements. See below for more on this. There you can usually access something to eat and drink, charge up your gadgets and get some wifi. If you experience a significant delay, it might be worth paying to enter a lounge ? some, such as Priority Pass, let you pay per visit.

5. Travel in Comfort

Okay, now I know this won?t apply to everyone, but I think it?s worth signing up with relevant frequent flyer schemes so you can benefit from the flights you need to take. Build up, and keep frequent flyer status with airlines, so you can get priority boarding, access to business lounges and be considered for upgrades when available. You can also check-in faster and often get through security via status lanes.

Using a platinum Amex card, I have matched status for hotel chains and access to hundreds of airline lounges around the world. Yes, you have to pay for the card each year, but for me it?s worth it. Your mileage may vary, but it?s worth investigating if this will make your travel experience less painful and more productive.

If you have hotel status, you can get free breakfasts, room upgrades and late checkout. All can make a business-based stay more appealing. If you sleep well, you?ll work better. So don?t be afraid to request a room that meets your needs. For example, I always ensure my hotel room is far away from the lift/elevators and not facing out onto a busy street.

6. Let people know where you are

Another relatively basic point, but it?s important to let colleagues and clients know you?re traveling. Change your out of office email notice to something specific, explaining your availability while away. If you need to, spell out the best time to call you if time zones are going to be an issue. Change your voicemail in the same way. Otherwise you?ll leave people with the false impression that a) you?re contactable whenever or b) you?ve dropped off the face of the planet when you don?t respond to their emails.

7. Look after yourself

An unfortunate side-effect of business travel is being away from home, sometimes for several days at a time. The temptation can be to keep working in the evenings if you?re away from your loved ones and usual surroundings. But this is the perfect time to do a little exploration in the neighbourhood. Go for a walk, especially if you?ve been seated in meetings all day. This will help you sleep and give you time to think.

If you do find yourself several timezones away from home, be brave and push back on invitations to calls that fall either very early or very late in your local day. Especially where these are internal, with colleagues.

If you?re lucky enough to stay in a hotel with a gym, consider bringing minimal kit with you and go use it. I have a favourite hotel in Dublin that I stay in when over on business. It?s not the best hotel in the world, certainly not 5-star but has a great little spa in the basement with steam room and sauna. If I get just 30 minutes in there at the end of the day, I sleep like a baby.

Again, for significant journeys, prepare your body for the timezone changes. It can be tempting, but avoid alcohol on longer flights and just stick to water. You?ll feel significantly better and fresher on landing if you do. Think ahead to the timezone to which you?re travelling and start living that way as soon as you get to the airport. There?s a good article on preparing for and minimising jet lag here.

I?ve learnt to my cost to never try to recover from a transatlantic trip the same day. In the past, I?ve assumed I could sleep on a flight home from the US and bounce back into work. It just doesn?t work that way. Your body betrays you and you end up zombified.

So? an amateur?s guide to surviving business travel. Hope this was useful ? let me know in the comments if you have any additional tips or tricks that help you survive your own business trips.

Source: http://macpsych.me/2012/08/18/surviving-business-travel/

2012 grammy awards powerball results pebble beach golf beverly hilton roland martin whitney houston dead at 48 whitney houston dead 2012