4 Self-Care Tips for Frequent Corporate Travelers
Corporate workers can make a good living if they fulfill their obligations in a timely and conscientious manner. Many of them spend a large portion of their time traveling for business. This kind of a lifestyle may turn out to be a double-edged sword.
On the one hand, there are bonuses, raises, and promotions. On the other hand, there's a lack of work-life balance and a ton of potential health issues.
In order to stay productive, healthy, and fit, frequent corporate travelers need to establish a set of self-care routines along the way. If you travel for business often, the following tips will help you maintain your health and wellness.
1) Pack the essentials
We all tend to ask ourselves one question throughout our lives: How much is enough? While the answer to the philosophical aspect of this question remains open, corporate travelers can get a clear and precise answer: pack only the essentials.
Traveling for a weekend-long business conference means that you need to be fast and efficient. Two sets of business attire, one or two casual shirts, underwear, and a pair of pajamas should suffice, clothes-wise. In that light, it would be useful to learn how to pack your clothes properly to prevent them from wrinkling.
For longer business travels, pack a few items of sports clothes so you can work out along the way, as well.
2) Stay available along the way
A rule of thumb for business travelers is to take direct lines during their travels, which saves both your time and your energy. But sometimes, your flight or ride will be delaid. In that case, it's necessary to ensure two things. Firstly, you need to be available on your phone, and secondly, you need to have access to the Internet.
Even if you're stranded in a remote or inaccessible place, you'll still be able to communicate with your family and your coworkers.
Staying connected to the Web in such a situation is useful from a business point of view, as well: you might be able to complete some business tasks along the way.
3) Eat, work out, sleep
Since business travel causes significant lifestyle changes, we need to take a proactive approach to stay healthy and productive.
The holy trinity that will mitigate the effects of corporate travel stress is eating, working out, and sleeping.
When traveling to distant destinations, make sure to learn more about local food. If you're allergic to certain ingredients and meals or you don't consume them for religious reasons, prepare in advance. Book only hotels in which you'll be able to get food that suits your nutritional needs. If you want to try local meals, always talk to your local hosts to avoid all the possible inconveniences, from food poisoning to allergic reactions.
Working out during business trips will help you regain lost energy. If you don't have enough time for the gym, prepare a set of exercises that you can do on your own.
After a long day of business meetings, conferences, and lunches, sleeping is a powerful therapy for an exhausted mind and body. It's important to know that the quality of sleep is as important as the quantity. If possible, take power naps while on the road or during breaks between business events.
4) Write down personal notes
Taking notes is not beneficial only during meetings. When you write down other people's statements and your own thoughts, you can analyze them more thoroughly. The conclusions that you draw from them may improve your decision-making process, as well as the reports you need to send to your managers.
Moreover, if you express your personal and business thoughts in your notes or diaries, you simultaneously improve your writing style. Since good writing skills can boost your career, polishing them through your notes might help you blossom on several fronts.
Last but not least, those personal notes will serve as a valuable reminder of the events you've attended and the places you've visited during your career. At one point in your career, you may use them to write an ebook with business tips or share them with your colleagues or employees.
Wrap up
Long and frequent corporate travels can take a toll on physical health and mental stability. If you protect yourself as much as possible, you'll alleviate the consequences of this lifestyle.
So, opt for light suitcases to reduce the risk of injuries and travel comfortably, always be available during travels, and take care of yourself by getting proper nourishment, rest, and exercise. You may also want to note down various events and impressions in the form of a diary for your business reports and future decisions.
These little hacks will help you become a more successful corporate traveler and ease the tension of these trips.
