In this post I discuss 5 keys areas I focus on to maintain a healthy balance whilst travelling for work.

Introduction

With a busy business trip coming up this week I’m turning my mind to what I need to do to maintain a healthy routine whilst I’m away.

Anyone who travels a lot knows that this can be difficult to achieve since your normal schedule is turned upside down with various modes of transport, different time zones, numerous meetings with business lunches and dinners followed by networking events. All the while you’re trying to keep up with things back home both professionally and personally.

With all of that going on it is easy to forego some of our healthier daily routines. However, the rigours of business travel mean there's all the more reason to maintain a healthy balance. Otherwise it could really take its toll long term.

Jeff Berwick talks about this in his post here. Now, I like a lot of the advice that Jeff gives here, however, I must admit I’m not quite ready for coffee enemas!

Enemas aside, here are the 5 key areas I try to focus on when travelling in order to maintain a healthy balance.

I’m either blessed or cursed to be someone who doesn't require a lot of sleep. I get by normally with around 5 to 6 hours sleep each night. However, those 5-6 hours are usually in my own home, on my own bed where I generally have a deep and restful sleep. Not always easy to achieve when on a long haul flight or train ride!

I struggle on long haul flights because I'm not somebody who can naturally sleep sitting upwards and let's be honest you never get a fully rested sleep if you are flying economy class. If you're lucky enough to fly business class then yes it is a little easier. These days I get to fly business and premium economy but I’ve certainly done my time flying economy in the past.

Here are some tips I’ve found useful for improving sleep on planes:

• Book overnight flights so that you are naturally tired and are staying roughly within your regular sleep cycle.

• Stay hydrated. By all means, enjoy a glass of beer or wine in the lounge and with dinner. However, drinking too much alcohol on planes can really dehydrate you. Try to dink as much water as you can without having to go to the bathroom every 5 minutes. A friend of mine swears by using 1Above hydration products. I haven’t used them yet but intend to try them on this next trip.

• If you think you can sleep through the night then take a window seat. The last thing you want is to be woken up by the people next to you asking you to move so they can get out.

• Wear an eye mask to block out the various light changes on a flight. Most airlines have them on hand so just ask the flight attendant for one.

• Wear noise cancelling headphones or ear plugs. I use the Bose QuietComfort 20 earphones but there are cheaper ones on the market also.

I live in New Zealand so to get to places like New York or Europe requires two long haul flights for me. I try to break these up by either having a 1 night stop over or booking 4 hour slots in an airport hotel. Most major airports have these short stay hotels now. They’re great for power naps and also freshening up for your next flight and they are not expensive.

Sign up for frequent flyer programs and you can access airport lounges that are generally quieter with comfortable chairs, free food etc. Most have showers also. If you can’t get a high enough ranking through those programs then look for pay-per-use lounges such as PriorityPass.

When you land in your destination, try to adapt to the time zone as quickly as possible. For example, if you arrive in the afternoon try to stay awake until the time that naturally aligns with your sleep cycle at home. This could be difficult if you sleep at 11 p.m. and you're struggling to stay awake at 8 p.m. but the more you can align your sleep cycle on the first day, the better your sleep will be for the rest of the trip.

Eating healthy can be difficult especially when you are constantly eating out at business meetings or worse, trying to eat something quickly in between meetings. Then of course there are the business dinners where, the food is probably healthy enough, but you tend to eat more than you usually would at home. Also, let’s be honest, plane food and snacks don’t help either!

In my experience some countries are easier than others to find healthy food options nearby but I won’t name names 😉

Here are some tips I use to try and keep a balanced diet.

• Always have some fruit on hand. This is great for when you need to eat in between meetings. Having a banana or apple with you will save you time in between meetings and is a much better option than fast food. Most hotels and lounges offer these for free so they’re pretty easy to get your hands on.

• Healthy snack bars are another good option.

• Get familiar with your surroundings before you arrive. Scope out the destination online first. Look for the best coffee shops, cafes, restaurants and supermarkets in the area online so that you know where to go quickly when you get there. Actually if you are staying for a few days in one destination, then a quick stop to the supermarket on the first day is a great way to stock up and save money as well.

• Bring supplements with you. I take multivitamins, fish oil and c60 oil. Check out Jeff’s kit in the video link above. Now that’s a serious collection!

• If you are attending business lunches and dinners then try to eat light in between.
  
  

This is a big one for me. I’m 41, so I can virtually see myself getting bigger with every business lunch/dinner I attend now!

Regular exercise is a must for me at home to keep the calorie input at bay but it is even more critical when travelling.

I bring my running/gym gear with me everywhere now, even for short trips to Australia. I prefer running outside while travelling because it is a great way to see parts of the city/town that I wouldn’t normally see when taking a taxi or train.

However, if the weather doesn’t permit this or you don’t feel comfortable or safe running in the area where you are, then most hotels offer gym and/or swimming pool options. If not, check online to see if there is a gym or public pool nearby that offer ‘walk in’ rates.

Failing all of that, Yoga or using something like TRX Cables in you hotel room or AirBNB could suffice.

This has been a big revelation for me over the last year. I started meditating each morning at home to reduce stress in my life and it has been fantastic. Let's face it, travelling for work can be stressful so I’ve found it even more beneficial to meditate while travelling.

Ironically, this is one thing I find easier to do while travelling than at home since I don’t have my family with me. Nothing breaks a ‘zen like’ state than being interrupted with “Papa, what’s for breakfast?”!

Personally, I prefer to mediate outside than inside but this can be difficult when visiting major cities unless there are parks nearby (another benefit to running). However, hotel rooms usually offer a quite space for meditating as well. I use the app Calm in these scenarios as it is good at talking you through the mediation as well as simulating calm environments with music or wave sounds etc.

Jerry Banfield talks about techniques for walking mediation in this post which may also work. Again, I prefer sitting down in a park or near water somewhere if I can find a quiet spot. 15 minutes works best for me.

This is probably the thing that has had the biggest positive impact on my stress levels over the last 12 months and I can’t recommend it highly enough.

I’ve left this to last because this is one area I struggle with and one that requires more effort and focus on my part. It’s fair to say that I drink more than I should at the best of times so free booze at airport lounges and networking events is hard to pass up.

In my younger years I would spend far too much time partying after meetings and not getting home until around 2 or 3 a.m. Not exactly conducive to maintaining a healthy balance or being productive. I’m not out until 2am these days but I do attend after work functions, especially at conferences.

I’m getting better both at reducing the amount of social functions I attend and how long I stay there for (which has a direct correlation to alcohol consumption for me). However, this is still a crutch for me. Jeff also talks about this to some degree in his travel post.

I quit smoking 9 years ago when my first son was born and have managed to stay off those but I can definitely understand how people can relapse to this when they are away from home.

This for me is probably the biggest trap for a lot of business travellers so watch out for this one!

Conclusion

Business travel isn't as luxurious as people think it is. Sometimes it can be a complete pain in the ass in fact. However, it can be great at times too and it allows you to see new places and meet new an interesting people.

I’ve been doing it constantly for about 15 years now but it’s only been the last 5 years where I’ve focused on trying to maintain a healthy balance. Probably due to my age! In those 5 years I’ve found that having a healthy balance and regular travel routine really helps me feel better which makes me more productive and ultimately is better for my business.

If you are new to business travel then I hope these tips help you. If you are a seasoned veteran then I’d love to hear what has worked for you. Either way, please comment below so that we can continue the conversation.

Take Care,

Alan

Alan Brannigan
Husband, Father, CEO, Entrepreneur, Tech-Geek, Crypto Enthusiast, Believer in Freedom and Liberty

Email: [email protected]
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