Ten Top Tips for Business Travellers

Last week I attended a number of events in California and when you travel for business, like sport, you need to be on your A-game and good preparation might just make the difference you need to be successful. Since I spend a lot of time travelling I’ve established a number of top tips which I thought I would share (Disclaimer: I don’t get any benefit for anything I mention!).

Please comment below if you have any top tips you'd like to share.

Choose Wisely

Your aircraft type, your seat location and the timings of your flight all have a significant impact on how enjoyable your flight will be. I recently travelled on the new United 787 Dreamliner and the experience was significantly more enjoyable than some of the older aircraft I have been on recently. It has a lower cabin pressure, higher humidity and is significantly quieter which all make marginal gains to reducing your fatigue. Seatguru is very useful for avoiding seats that may have have restricted recline, be located near a noisy galley or otherwise.

Travel Light

Even for a long haul flight I try and travel hand luggage only unless I need to carry a lot of suits and shirts. This dramatically reduces your pre and post-flight admin such as check-in and reclaim. It also reduces lost luggage anxiety as your bag is always with you! I have now invested in a great Briggs & Riley Torq carry on suitcase; four wheels is always better than two. If you do check in luggage, ensure you have 24 hours worth of stuff in your hand luggage. I once got delayed at Washington-Dulles for 24 hours due weather and you don’t get your luggage back!  

Save Money

A top recommendation I picked up from ‘Turning Left for Less’ was the app ‘Hotel Tonight’. They curate a  number of hotels with their focus being on (genuine) last minute bookings. I often save the company a significant amount by only booking my hotel 24 hours before I arrive. The upside for me is that I get to stay in a significantly nicer hotel which makes being away from home slightly more palatable. I've now used this many times with great success in the USA, Middle East and London.

Stay Healthy

I always travel with anti-bacterial wipes and some alcohol hand gel. As soon as I sit down in my seat I give everything a good clean. This might look like you have some slightly obsessional disorder however it avoids me gettting ill and once I have casually explained it to my neighbour and offered them a wipe too they normally follow my lead! I normally pre-load with 1000mg vitamin C to help give the immune system a boost. Alcohol is always free flowing on a long haul flight but I try to fight the urge and stay hydrated. Feel free to ignore this tip!

Block out the world

Next time you fly long-haul, take a look around the cabin and you will instantly spot the seasoned travellers. They are the ones blocking out the world with a good set of headphones. I went for the bluetooth Bose QC35’s which also come with a cable to plug into the in-flight entertainment. They have a built in microphone for taking calls and were able to cope with continual use on the outbound 11 hour flight, standby for one week and the return flight on just one charge.

Global Entry

It takes a good six weeks to achieve Global Entry status having been required to fill in numerous online forms and attend an in-person interview but this dramatically speeds up entry into the United States. Arriving into SFO at 15:00 last Sunday the queues were fairly significant but the fast track Global Entry queue was just a handful of people. Highly recommended and nice reassurance if you are on a layover en route to your final destination where you may need to clear immigration and security before boarding your next flight. As a double-bubble it also gets you ‘TSA-Pre’ which means you get fast tracked through security and don’t have to unload everything from your carry-on.

Entertainment

I like to have a whole box set from Netflix downloaded to ensure I have something I would like to watch and for those gamers out there the new Nintendo Switch is a great handheld console for wasting a few hours during a flight. Zinio is great for loading up magazines without the additional weight of a printed magazine.

Power

All that entertainment requires power. Charge everything, have some battery packs and ensure you have cables with you. Most aircraft have charging points now and there’s nothing worse than getting phone battery anxiety halfway through a flight, especially if you were planning to use Uber upon arrival!

Jet Lag

I set my watch to my arrival time zone as soon as possible in order to reduce jet lag. When in the USA I also use the supplement melatonin which is available of-the-shelf in any pharmacy. This helps imitate the release of the natural sleep signalling hormone your body releases and can help get your body clock back on track quickly. I am not a medical professional though so consult your doctor or pharmacist before using! Squishy ear plugs, a travel pillow and two eye masks help me get a good power nap during the flight.

Disconnect

United have a great wi-fi onboard but in the world of always-on business and the hectic lives we often live, especially if you have young children too, use the time to disconnect and relax; ready to hit the ground running when you arrive for what will inevitably be a hectic, packed schedule of meetings, networking and conferences.