These five tips will help your travel plans go smoothly so that you can focus on the better parts of traveling for work, like sightseeing and getting to experience something new.
Getting to travel for work is the dream of many. A lot of new graduates and even the recently unemployed look for companies that will pay for nice plane seats and even nicer hotels. Because even if they’re working, working with a view of the beach is a lot better than sitting in a quiet office.
One field that offers an opportunity to travel for work is being a lawyer. Though not all lawyers get to travel, a good chunk of them do – especially if there are clients around the country or even around the world.
But despite the dreamy, idealistic travel-work life, traveling for work isn’t always what people make it out to be.
Firstly, you’re not always traveling to where you want to go. Sure, maybe you’ll get to spend a few nights in Hawaii or even London, but other times, you might end up in the middle of nowhere or maybe just three cities away from home.
And, of course, traveling itself can be quite draining. Living out of a suitcase isn’t always ideal. Though the nomad life may seem pretty cool for a while, after some time, it can be nice to rest your feet somewhere that you call home.
Not to mention the hours sitting at airports or driving in a cramped car, after so many trips you start to realize that the time it takes getting to and from your ‘work-cation’ is a lot – and it adds up.
What about your health? It’s widely known that spending too much time on airplanes can lead to dehydration, and in extreme cases, put you at risk for much more dangerous issues like cardiovascular problems and sometimes radiation (though this would take a lot of air travel).
But, for most healthy travelers, the majority of issues you’ll face involve the inconveniences of travel itself. It’s always such an issue finding an outlet at the airport or dealing with slow wi-fi. And, when you get stuck at an airport during a snowstorm, oh man, that can really put a damper on your day.
As many people know, traveling is just tiring overall. Even though you’re not really ‘doing’ much, whenever you walk off that plane or climb out of that car, you just want to plop down on a bed and take a nap.
Many lawyers who find themselves traveling abroad also have to deal with the effects of jet lag. Flying across so many time zones can really mess with your internal clock. Not only is it exhausting to deal with, but you end up having to factor a lot of ‘recovery time’ into your plan.
With so many things to think about when traveling for work, how do so many people manage? I mean, even with the perks that come with traveling for work, everybody ends up facing some kind of problem when traveling.
So, if you’re a lawyer who needs to travel for work soon or has been traveling for work and has hit a few roadblocks, here are some tips to survive the perils of work travel.
- Bring a Portable Charger
Even though people are always talking about ‘unplugging’ and getting back into the world, when we’re sitting at an airport or in a car for hours, we’re lucky to have our phones with us. But of course, there’s a limiting factor on the amount of enjoyment and entertainment our phones can provide us – battery life.
It’s important that we keep our phones charged and ready to go, not just so that we’re not bored, but also so that we can do essential things like calling our loved ones, checking a map, and even accessing important documents. So, make sure you not only get a charger, but that it has enough power to get you through your travels.
- Invest in a travel backpack
A great travel backpack can help you a lot while you’re on the road. Making sure that your everyday essentials like your laptop, portable chargers, wallet, hand sanitizer, etc. are within an arms reach can help make traveling a little less stressful.
If you travel a lot, getting a high-quality travel backpack can save you a lot of money in the long run. Traveling a lot can wear down your typical carrying gear, and you don’t want to end up having to pick up your things off the airport floor after a backpack breaking incident. You also don’t want to end up having to spend a lot of money on buying a new bag at the airport.
- Pack lightly and essentially
According to Kate Huber at NJGamblingFun, “If you’re traveling somewhere for a few days, really try to pack lightly. You can do this by investing in a lot of things that have dual-use. While this may be difficult, especially if you’re traveling for business/work, it’s still doable, and it’ll save you a lot of headaches later on.”
One way to pack light is to look into business casual clothing or clothing that’s formal, but still comfortable.
- Check up on travel restrictions, flights, etc.
An important thing to do before going to an airport is to make sure you’re up-to-date on what’s going on in the world. More specifically, make sure you know what airports will and won’t allow and about other current events that could affect your flight.
A big one to look out for is the weather. If there’s some nasty weather on the horizon, make sure you take that into account before going to the airport, because you could end up sitting for hours at the airport, bored out of your mind.
Also, watch out for updates regarding flight restrictions. With things like the coronavirus going around, it’s good to make sure you’re up to date on new airport rules, or more generally new laws, that will impact your travel plans.
- Stay on top of healthy habits
Even though traveling can be fun and adventurous, if you travel a lot, living a luxurious lifestyle during travel can lead to unhealthy habits. So if you foresee a lot of travel in the future, you should keep in mind that you’re not really on vacation. Staying on top of eating healthy foods and getting regular exercise can help you stay in shape and keep you ready for the next trip.
According to Giftwits, this can also be important, since you’re in a new environment. So even though you might want to indulge in the local food or try something new, be wary about how your body might react.
So, if you’ve got a job that’ll let you travel for work, be sure to enjoy it. But, also think ahead so that your travel plans don’t end up being a pain. Traveling for work can be a lot of fun if you take steps to ensure that your trip doesn’t get bogged down by things like long and boring airport waits or exhaustion.
These five tips will help your travel plans go smoothly so that you can focus on the better parts of traveling for work, like sightseeing and getting to experience something new.
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