Today’s entrepreneurs tend to spend more time on the road than in their office. At first, this sounds exciting - exploring new areas! Meeting new people! But business travel can be hectic and grueling, especially if you haven’t figured out the tricks of the trade yet. These tactics will make a major difference in how smoothly your next business trip goes.
1. Keep a bag packed with the essentials, even when you’re not away from home. If you travel often, regularly getting booked on last-minute flights or having to get the cheapest car rentals possible at the last minute, it’ll help if you always have one bag at the ready. Store a spare toothbrush, contact solution, cell phone charger...anything you couldn’t live without.
2. Avoid sleeping pills, which will just make you even groggier than normal after a long flight. Instead, take a couple of pain relievers at the start of the day. People tend to get headaches while traveling, from dehydration, carrying heavy bags, and eating at odd hours.
3. Stash several energy bars in your bags and in the glove box of your cheap car rental. If you get stuck at a meeting, lost because of confusing directions, or trapped in Los Angeles traffic, you’ll have something on hand to keep you from fainting.
4. Don’t forget your leisure items! You may have some free time during your business trip, which is a great opportunity to go out for a jog, explore a museum, or take advantage of your company’s car rental discounts and check out the city.
5. One of the best pieces of travel advice I’ve ever received is to pack disposable items, even clothing. If you want to return lighter than you started the trip (or if you need to make room for souvenirs for the kids), everything from your toiletries to your (cheap) pajamas can be thrown away before you head back home. Pack socks, t-shirts, and other items that can be thrown out after one more use - you’ll organize your closet a bit in the process!