When in doubt, technology can help you out big time here. Apps like FitStar, Daily Burn, and Yoga Studio can help you put together your own personal workout. However, what more and more business travelers are turning to are digital fitness trackers like Fitbit. These work not only like pedometers, but actually keep track of when you step, and encourage you to take a short walk or do some light exercise after long periods of immobility.
I know that to most people it looks like I am always on vacation, and that I live the glamorous life. But trust me, there is a big difference in traveling for pure pleasure or going on vacation, and traveling for work reasons. I have learned how to prepare for a business trip, and I talked about this a year ago, on a post where I explained what the reality of being a travel blogger is.
1. Use a travel checklist. Even if you travel all the time, it’s easy to forget something. We should follow the advice of Atul Gawande in his popular book The Checklist Manifesto: To optimize performance, whether you’re a pilot, a doctor or a business traveler, keep a checklist and cross things off until you’re sure you have everything you need. Here’s an early version of the checklist I use today. (It is quite extensive.)
4. Record room numbers. If you’ve been on the road for weeks on end, it can be very hard to remember if you’re staying in room 304 -- or if that was last week’s hotel. When I park in a numbered spot or check into a new room, I create an entry in the “notes” function of my smartphone, so I can quickly remember where I’m going. It may sound unnecessary, but it’s saved a lot of confusion and grief.
Unique Business Class Benefits: Along with Etihad, I find the food on Qatar to be quite good. The service was good as well, a lot better than when we flew economy on the Qatar Dreamliner. The business class amenity kit is one of my favorites, with Giorgio Armani products, including perfume and cologne. They provide different amenities for men and women.
A study from budget airline easyJet claims to pinpoint the perfect airplane seat: 7F. Their reasoning? It sells the best. But these results conflict with an earlier survey from Skyscanner that claimed 6A was the best according to a poll of travelers and a consideration of “lucky numbers.” Ticket sales and lucky numbers are great, but neither of these methods seems entirely sound to us. So which seat on the plane is the BEST, and how do you pick it? Check out this article for what flight attendants and experts have to say.
Travel with an unlocked smartphone and buy a local sim card with a data/internet package at your destination. Not only it is much cheaper than paying for data roaming from your mobile carrier back at home, but the service and internet speed is always better. With this, you can make local calls with VOIP apps, search for last minute information about your destination, book things on the go, use maps to navigate the city and find attractions, and much more.
Traveling is a funny thing, it can be the best experience of your life or the worst. The best tip that I can give to ensure that you have the best travel experience possible, is to choose your travel companions really carefully. In my opinion, travel is an opportunity to experience things that you wouldn’t necessarily come across in your daily life.
Don’t bother with those fancy, expensive travel towels. Instead, get a sarong. It’s cheap and multi-use: use it as a wrap, lay it out for picnics or sunbathing, or dry off with it. They’re super light and dry quickly, even in humid places. For packing, invest in packing cubes! They make packing and living out of a suitcase/backpack more organized and much easier. It’s one of my best packing tips. 1 Dad 1 Kid
This advice is twofold: Wear layers and pack in layers. First, your on-the-road wardrobe should feature plenty of layers, which will help you jetset through multiple climates in style and comfort. Second, the items in your bag should be packed in neat layers for easy screening. According to the TSA, "Pack items in layers (shoes one layer, clothes one layer, electronics one layer, etc.)" so that the security agent screening your bag can get a clear picture of what's inside. The faster the TSA agent can screen your stuff, the faster you'll get through the security line.
Wearing a money belt or neck wallet lets you keep your valuables close to your body and away from prying hands. Review all the different styles here to choose what works best for you and the type of travel you’ll be doing. You may also want to choose an option with RFID protection. RFID protection keeps all passports with an RFID chip (issued after 2006) and credit cards/debit cards safe while travelling. How? It’s simple. Identity theft can occur when someone is able to “read” through your purse or pocket via the microchip, which has personal information stored on it. By using an RFID blocking technology, your personal information is protected. You can learn more about RFID safety from Scott Shelter, freelance journalist and frequent traveler.
I travel a lot for work, from Florida to Vegas to Ecuador, and I’m usually on a bus, train, boat or airplane! I visit trade shows, I speak at conferences, and I visit clients. The key to success when you are constantly traveling is organization. I have a written day planner where I can see my week at a glance, which helps me prepare my flights and schedule, as well as not overlap or miss any details.
Business Travel Life is an online resource supporting the road warrior lifestyle. We give business travelers the tools they need to maintain their wellness and productivity when traveling. The topics we cover include business travel tips, travel workouts, healthy travel hacks, travel products, general travel tips, and industry trends. Our goal is to make business travel a healthier experience – and to make healthy travel practices more accessible to all road warriors.
Some people will want to take advantage of you, but the vast majority of people you meet when you travel are good, decent, and will want to help you. Don’t let bad experiences prevent you from trusting anyone again. As long as you have your wits about you, expect that tuk-tuk drivers or anyone who comes up to you with amazing English and wants to be your best friend for no reason at all is out to scam you, and be most wary of the people in the most touristy places, you’ll be all good.
If you're traveling to a "regular" city and you're not taking clients out, a great way to save money is to get a gift card to a chain restaurant(s) you like. You save time, as you know the menu in advance and you potentially save money/hassles over unknown local options/hotel offerings. Of course, make sure that the chain exists where you're staying and this advice is for "regular" meals only - not trying local cuisine. This way, you can focus on business with one less distraction.
Work trip schedules run pretty tight and you may not have much time to get your regular requests done without sacrificing sleep. In addition to being as well-rested as possible before you go, get as up to date with your workload as possible to give yourself a buffer. It would also be worthwhile to see if there are any colleagues who can help pick up some slack while you’re out of the office, making sure they are aware of what might come up, and where they can find what they need.
Starbucks addicts, rejoice! Here's a clever way to avoid having to pay a commission fee to convert that last bit of foreign cash to U.S. dollars at the end of a vacation. First, pick up a reloadable Starbucks Card before your international trip. Then, if you have leftover money in the local currency when youâre on your way home, use it to reload your card at the Starbucks location in your international airport.
It also helps to know which items are, according to the TSA, considered liquids or gels and thereby subject to the 3-1-1 rule. This isn't as simple as it sounds. Foods such as peanut butter, pudding, mashed potatoes, and icing are classified as gels. Mascara, lip gloss, and aerosol items are also classified as liquids or gels. But keep in mind that liquid prescription medication is exempt. (Read more on that on The TSA Blog.) See a more complete list of liquids and gels that are not permitted in carry-on luggage in quantities greater than 3.4 ounces here. 
Careful planning is the secret to every successful trip, and work travel is no different. It’s actually even more important to be uber-prepared when you have the eyes of your boss and co-workers on you. So map out the route to the hotel and double-check the dates on your rental car reservation. Bring an extra alarm so that you don’t miss your flight or show up 20 minutes late to your meeting. Try to carry on your luggage so that your bags don't end up in Anchorage when you're headed to Atlanta.
What is sleeping in business class like? Obviously, it is easier to sleep in business class than economy. But when it comes to how to sleep in business class, my number one tip is not to drink too much. I know for first-time business class travellers this might be a tough order, and it’s one I don’t often follow myself. But if sleep in your number one goal, then drink less. My second tip is to bring earplugs just in case the airline doesn’t offer them. This is the hardest of the business class travel tips for Eric to follow. When he is flying business class he never wants to sleep. For him, there is no sleeping in business class.
Things are going to go wrong. And that's not because you're a rookie – things are always going to go wrong. That's part of travelling. The mistake first-time travellers make is letting it get to them. So your train didn't turn up, or your hotel has lost your booking, or $50 has gone missing from your wallet. You'll sort it out. Getting upset or freaking out is only going to make it worse.
One of the first lessons I learned on the road was that your plans will nearly always change. You’ll arrive in a place and hate it and want to leave immediately, or you’ll fall in love with a destination and want to spend longer there. You’ll make friends with a group of awesome people and want to change your plans so you can travel with them for longer, or you’ll find out about an amazing town that’s nearby and want to head there instead.
Don't forget to bring a few essential items to help save your sanity while traveling with co-workers. A pair of earplugs can be a lifesaver if you need to catch some zzz's on a flight or block out the sound of your snoring roommate at night. Headphones are a universal “I don't feel like chatting” sign, great for when you just need five minutes of quiet time. And a pack of cards are easy to fit in the pocket of your purse and can keep you and your officemates occupied during a layover or a lunch break.
Among the best business travel tips around, there are those that suggest how to pack. Indeed, packing for a business trip is not the same thing as packing for a holiday. There is an unspoken rule that one should dress smartly on business meetings. I always make sure to carry a pair of smart pants and a skirt, a couple of dressy tops and nice shoes that I can wear at meetings, and a dress and heels to wear at events and parties. Packing cubes help keeping things in order inside the suitcase, and minimize the risk of creasing.
Thanks for sharing the link, Hayley! I’ll check it out. The flights I buy are usually super-cheap, though, so I don’t feel as though I’m spending a ton of money on them as it is. As an example, this year, I’ve flown Lisbon to Cape Town for $250 return, Copenhagen to Los angeles for $100 one-way, and Rome to Tokyo for $200 return. So I’m not like, oh man, I really wish I wasn’t spending this much money on flights. But as I said, will check it out nonetheless!
A study from budget airline easyJet claims to pinpoint the perfect airplane seat: 7F. Their reasoning? It sells the best. But these results conflict with an earlier survey from Skyscanner that claimed 6A was the best according to a poll of travelers and a consideration of “lucky numbers.” Ticket sales and lucky numbers are great, but neither of these methods seems entirely sound to us. So which seat on the plane is the BEST, and how do you pick it? Check out this article for what flight attendants and experts have to say.
It is almost May. I’m slightly alarmed by this. Not just because the year is zipping by, and I’m wondering how I squandered away all that time with so little to show for it (Whither the sample chapter of the great American travel memoir, Everywhereist? Whither the clean laundry you were going to do?), but because I am coming up on another anniversary.
Excellent advice about talking to locals. When you get to know the people who live there, it really makes for a wonderful experience. And you are so right, they have the best insider tips! We’re guilty of focusing only on photos at one point as well. When we started blogging as a career, we nearly lost ourselves in the work. We now always have to remind ourselves to have balance. It’s amazing to be able to capture a moment at our fingertips, but we feel it’s just as important to stop and take it all in. It’s easy to miss the moment when you’re looking through the lens. Thanks for sharing!
Have a few overflow items that just don't seem like they'll fit? Try closing and zipping your suitcase completely (even if you have to sit on it to make it work). Then reopen your bag and try adding the items in any available spot (think corners, spaces between larger items, etc.). Often, once you've compressed the bag by zipping it shut, you'll find just a bit more room once you open it again.
Before you go on a big trip, it is tempting to try and plan every aspect of it. As tempting as it might seem, make sure to leave plenty of room for serendipity. Try to just plan the skeleton of your trip and leave room in between for discovery and for things to come up which you didn't plan. Talk to other travelers that you meet on the ground and you'll have a much better idea of what you want to do once you land.
There have been so many times when I’ve been too shy to ask someone to take my photo in a place and I’ve almost always regretted it. After five years of travel, I probably only have around 200 photos of me around the world. Photos of the beautiful places you visit are great and all, but when you get home, they’re not all that different to the ones everyone else has taken there, too. Photos with you in them are special and they’ll come to mean a lot more.
Put your toiletries in a plastic bag inside your laptop case, since those need to come out during security, anyway. Forget about bringing running gear along. It takes too much space in your bag, you will not have the time to go running anyway and chances are, it will make your fresh shirts smell of old trainers. Instead, bring a bathing suit and hop in the hotel pool.
Your tips are great, and I definitely agree with #1. Like you, we started off traveling as a couple. In fact, we met when we were both backpacking through Southeast Asia, specifically Vietnam. Now that we have a toddler, we tend to pick family-friendly vacation destinations. This year, we traveled to Barbados for two weeks. The beaches are amazing, the food is awesome, and most importantly, the locals are very friendly.
Airport parking rates can be very high. In Boston, for example, supposed "economy" rates are about $120 for a week. Rates don't have to be that high: At busy Charlotte Douglas International Airport, the long-term rate is just a fraction of Boston's rate. But parking is one of the primary cash cows for big airports. Airports typically contract with private operators that, in effect, return more than 95 percent of the revenues to airport coffers.
Hmm. Believe Doug Ford, a politician with a high school degree, or George Akerlof Nobel Laureate EconomistRobert Aumann Nobel Laureate EconomistMartin Baily Former Chair, CEABen Bernanke Former Chair, Federal Reserve, Former Chair, CEAMichael Boskin Former Chair, CEAAngus Deaton Nobel Laureate EconomistPeter Diamond Nobel Laureate EconomistRobert Engle Nobel Laureate EconomistEugene Fama Nobel Laureate EconomistMartin Feldstein Former Chair, CEAJason Furman Former Chair, CEAAustan Goolsbee Former Chair, CEAAlan Greenspan Former Chair, Federal Reserve,Former Chair, CEALars Peter Hansen Nobel Laureate EconomistOliver Hart Nobel Laureate EconomistBengt Holmström Nobel Laureate EconomistGlenn Hubbard Former Chair, CEADaniel Kahneman Nobel Laureate EconomistAlan Krueger Former Chair, CEAFinn Kydland Nobel Laureate EconomistEdward Lazear Former Chair, CEARobert Lucas Nobel Laureate EconomistN. Gregory Mankiw Former Chair, CEAEric Maskin Nobel Laureate EconomistDaniel McFadden Nobel Laureate EconomistRobert Merton Nobel Laureate EconomistRoger Myerson Nobel Laureate EconomistEdmund Phelps Nobel Laureate EconomistChristina Romer Former Chair, CEAHarvey Rosen Former Chair, CEAAlvin Roth Nobel Laureate EconomistThomas Sargent Nobel Laureate EconomistMyron Scholes Nobel Laureate EconomistAmartya Sen Nobel Laureate EconomistWilliam Sharpe Nobel Laureate EconomistRobert Shiller Nobel Laureate
Though Amtrak is the largest train service in the state, it’s not the only way to roll. In Northern California, Caltrain has regular service between San Francisco and San Jose. In Southern California, Metrolink offers service on seven regional lines that connect L.A., Ventura County, Antelope Valley, San Bernardino, Riverside, Orange County, and the Inland Empire. Trains dedicated to certain themes and in specific locales, such as the Napa Valley Wine Train, also provide a unique way to see some of California’s premier destinations.
