6 Tips For a Successful Business Trip

The good news is your business or the company you work for is doing well and now you’re needed to go to a conference or meet some clients across the country. The bad news is you might not be in charge of your travel logistics and, even if you are, there are always challenges.

Traveling for work can be a great experience but it can also be exhausting and stressful if you’re not careful.

Implement the following tips and, not only will your business trip be a success, but you’ll return home energized.

Stay hydrated. Be sure to drink a lot of water. This will help you stay energized and will also minimize the negative impacts of travel, such as jet lag or infrequent meals.

Get rest. It might be tempting to stay out late enjoying the nightlife in a new city but leave the karaoke for home. Ensuring that you get enough rest will enable you to be at your best in those meetings will clients or help you be more engaging as you network at a conference.

Enjoy the outdoors. Don’t get stuck in a conference hall or a convention center all weekend. It can be easy to avoid fresh air and day light when staying at the hotel hosting all your events. However, our bodies need the sun and it helps our emotional well-being, too, to spend time outside.

Limit the alcohol. Having a drink can help decrease your anxiety and make it easier for you to talk with strangers or new acquaintances, but it can be easy to overdue it. Not only will you feel lousy for the next days’ agenda, but you might discover you’ve said some things you regret.

Make friends. Be sociable and kind to those you encounter, from the taxi driver to the receptionist at the hotel, to the sales manager you have lunch with. These encounters will shape how you experience your trip and will go a long way toward determining the success of your trip and the impact it makes on your company. Kindness is good business.

Expect things to go wrong. Yes, things will go wrong. Prepare to be disappointed. Your flight might be delayed. The hotel shuttle might make you wait longer than you’d like, or you might even miss a meeting. Be prepared for this and don’t let it throw you off for the remainder of your trip. If you adopt a bad attitude it will impact some of the other issues we discussed, making you less interested in traveling again for work in the future.