Save your Soles...
This should really be a no brainier but....wear comfortable shoes when you travel. You do a lot of walking, standing in long lines and waiting for bags and shuttles. It pays to have on comfortable shoes.
Slip on shoes are a great convenience when flying but don't sacrifice comfort for 15 seconds of time when going through security. If your most comfortable shoes are lace ups, wear those.Just plan to untie your shoes as you get up to the scanner. After going through then go take a seat and put them back on. You only have to do this once unless you leave the secured area so...don't leave the secured area!
It is better to have shoes with good support for all day than a pair of flip flops or cute flats that are going to cause your feet to hurt by the end of the day.
If you really want to wear flip flops do it at the beach. Especially if you see any of these lying around (see picture below).
Until next time I am...
Currently Out of the Office
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How Much Time Do You Need?
The first rule of anything, whether it be sports, building a house, or travel, is that any successful project begins with solid planning.
The biggest pitfall for people who travel is the unexpected. Planes being delayed, traffic, bad weather, lost bags and so on. All of these are things that are out of our control. When you travel, you put a lot of your trust, money and time in the hands of someone else. Someone who doesn't necessarily see you as their biggest priority during your moment of crisis. The best advice I think I can give to anyone planing a trip is to plan for the moment when everything goes wrong. Make sure that you keep as much of your freedom in your hands as possible by always allowing extra time for the hiccups that are sure to come.
Many business travelers have another individual, possibly a secretary or travel agent, book all of their appointments, hotels, flights and so on. I have found that when you leave the planing up to someone else you often find yourself arriving at your destination at 2:30 in the morning the day of your 8 am appointment. Or after completing your meeting at 11:30am you then sitting at the airport for hours only to catch a red eye flight back home. All because someone else planned your travel with little regard for your time or what makes the most logical sense.
Many travelers have to use the companies travel agent or are honestly to busy to book their own travel, but for those that can, it is well worth it. As a business traveler you also have a budget and probably a set number of days you can be gone for a meeting or conference. Your superiors probably are not chill with you taking a week for a 2 day conference. Especially if it is in Vegas. However, I have found that most business professionals are allowed to go out the day before or come back the day after the "work" part of the trip.
I am not a morning person. So being able to plan my own travel to suit my needs is important to me. I am not a fan of 6am flights or 8am meetings when traveling from west to east. Be aware of time changes. My plans usually include going out the afternoon or evening before a meeting or conference. That way I have time when I arrive to get my transportation, get my hotel, get my bags to my hotel, check my email and relax for an hour or two before getting to sleep. Trips where I go out the day of an event usually result in a plane delay, a lost car reservation, lost bag, the presentation materials being lost by FedEx or being unable to drop extra bags at the hotel.
Having the evening before allows the time to take care of all necessities without the time crunch. Also, after wrapping up an event, I allow plenty of time to get to the airport, get my rental dropped off, get through security and get my shoes back on before my flight takes off. Planing ahead and making sure you have time to be well rested and bring your A-game to a meeting is very important. If your company has spent the money to send you out there, make sure you are ready to roll when the time comes. Sometimes the extra night away from home can make the difference in how prepared you are for your meeting.
So when you sit down to plan out that business meeting to Seattle, think ahead about where you might be tight on time and make a plan on what to do if something goes wrong. Until next time I am....
Currently out of the Office
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At the ripe old age of 25 I don't have much advice to offer most people. I don't currently have children and am pretty lousy with a toolbox. My yard is anything but beautiful and I am in no kind shape to be dishing out fitness advice. There is however one subject that I have been blessed to learn a lot about in a short span of time. A subject that due to my immersion in it have become somewhat of an expert.
I am a professional business traveler.
Every year thousands of business men and women travel all around the world to close deals, recruit new clients, spread their company brand and sell their products. There are many different fields and concentrations and each company is a little different in what they allow or will cover in expenses for their "road warriors". But there are some common tips and tricks that everyone who travels for work should know.
I started working for a small private college as a recruiter and within a few weeks was out on the road on my first official business trip. That first trip began with me picking up my first speeding ticket, eating lunch at a gas station while lost in the middle of rural Iowa. All in the first 8 hours. Many lessons were learned the hard way, which I plan to share so that others may not be destined to repeat them.
I am now blessed to work for a larger institution, traveling all over the country, racking up thousands of airline miles. And so far I have had the opportunity to go to dozens of cities that I never had the chance to visit before.
For a young business traveler there are many perks as well as pitfalls that come along the way. Hopefully, those of you who travel a lot might pick up a few tips that will help you from getting lost and being overly sleep deprived. With a little time and practice you might really enjoy working away from the office.
If you don't travel for work but do want to know how to make your next vacation to Disney go a little smoother, follow along. There is something here for everybody.
If you have any tips or travel advice, please leave a comment below or shoot me an email. The more we collaborate, the easier the traveling gets.
Until next time I am...
Currently Out of the Office
Find me on Facebook
