10 sneaky business traveller tips

A recent study by the University of Surrey and Linnaeus University in Sweden highlighted the physiological, psychological and social consequences of the stresses which can be caused by being away on business on a frequent basis, e.g. an unhealthy diet, too much alcohol, too little exercise, fatigue and social isolation. To help you ward off these effects, we’ve put together our top 10 sneaky business traveller tips to help you relax and make the most of your time away.

1.    Exercise – the health benefits of exercise cannot be overstated. Sadly, when you’re travelling on business, you’re busy and in an unfamiliar area, meaning much less likely to exercise than usual. Google the local area before you leave to see if there are facilities you can use, and if there aren’t any, go for a walk.

2.    Diet – eating on the move tends to end up in over-eating indulgence foods which won’t be good for your diet or health. Make a concerted effort to choose the healthier options when eating out or, if you’re staying in a serviced apartment, it’ll be a lot easier to make your own.

3.    Phone home – set times to phone, FaceTime or Skype home and make sure you stick to them. It’ll be good for both you and your family to see and speak to each other as frequently as possible.

4.    Expenses – do you know what your company will cover in terms of expenses? If not, find out now in order to save yourself embarrassment with the accounts department later.

5.    Pack simply – pack clothes of the same colour so you don’t need to worry about matching and therefore don’t need to pack so much.

6.    Pack on a roll – if you roll your clothes rather than fold them, you’ll make better use of the space in your suitcase. Rolling also minimises wrinkling, though if you’re staying at a serviced apartment, there’ll always be an iron handy.

7.    Back-up – however safe you think your work materials are, always bring back-ups. Don’t rely on being able to log in to your work system – what if you lose the connection at a crucial point? Copy your presentations and documentation onto a USB just in case.

8.    Compile a detailed itinerary – compile a detailed itinerary of your trip, with train/plane times and dates, addresses and phone numbers of the hotels/serviced apartments you’ll be staying in, as well as details of your meetings. To keep it handy, email it to yourself and save it on your phone.

9.    Add important contacts to your phone – before you leave the office, create new contacts on your phone for all your client visits, so if you need to get in touch with them urgently, you’ll have their details at your fingertips.

10. Take breaks – you’re usually on your own when you’re on the road, which means you won’t have the normal social interactions with colleagues which provide you with natural breaks. When you’re working on your laptop, set an alarm to remind you to stand up, have a stretch and go for a little walk.

Once you have discovered all our business traveller tips, if you’re visiting Hemel Hempstead on business and need a place to stay with onsite parking, 15 mins walk to the station, and with WiFi, phone and Sky TV, contact us now.