Traveling for work can be an absolute drag – spending days or weeks away from home and your family, falling out of your healthy habits and routines and generally feeling out of sorts.
However, if you change up your mindset, business trips can also turn into an incredible experience. If you start to view them as an opportunity rather than an inconvenience, you might have a much better time.
But how can you make them more palatable? Here are four practical tips to help you make the most of your work trips.
Make Yourself Comfortable
If you travel for extended periods, living out of a suitcase in a hotel room for weeks on end can undoubtedly get tiresome and frustrating. Instead of this, look for ways to make your accommodation more comfortable. If you’re in the area, research what short term furnished rentals Toronto has to offer or do the same for whatever city you happen to be staying in.
You’ll also need to manage your routines and your mental health – as these can often take a knock when you’re away from home. Make sure to also manage your stress in whichever ways work best for you – regular exercise, CBD oil, meditation, or spending time with others.
Extend Your Stay
Spending time in a new, exciting city or country and missing out on all of it because you’re stuck in meetings from 9-5 every day can be draining on your soul. If your days are too packed to take some time off in between meetings, try to extend your stay instead.
Book an extra day or two in your accommodation and extend your flight so you go home a little later, so you’ll have the chance to explore. Plan your extra day carefully so you make the most of it – write up a short itinerary and visit everything you’d wished you could have seen.
Network and Connect with Others
When you’re working somewhere new, it opens up the opportunity to meet incredible new people that can boost your career.
However, networking in a new city can be tough, especially if you don’t know anybody. But you can counter this by making arrangements with the people you’re having meetings with and by attending work-related events. Engage in conversations, exchange ideas, and hand out your business card like your life depends on it – who knows what might come of it?
Seek Authentic Experiences
Finally, when you do find momentary gaps in your busy work schedule, try to seek out experiences that will give you an authentic experience of the local lifestyle. Visit small local coffee shops for your morning brew, and take yourself out for dinner at a popular pub.
Try out the local cuisine, spend some time checking out the natural beauty of the place, and above all – avoid tourist traps. Busy areas like this will suck up all your time, and you’re far better off relaxing in a pretty local park.
