In our fast-paced world, you can’t always opt to hold off working on particular projects just because you are about to embark on a business trip. Fortunately, though, you can continue to maintain a high work output even when travelling – it just requires a bit of meticulous planning as well as bringing along the right tech.
Book carefully to save money and time
If you’re leaving the office at all, it’s probably out of necessity more than convenience. A day out of the office will inevitably throw a few speed bumps in the way of your productivity – which is why, at the planning stage, you should look for where and how you could smooth over those bumps.
To this end, you could – if your budget affords it – book a faster train with fewer stops. Meanwhile, you could save money by staying with local contacts on a night or two for which you would have otherwise booked a hotel.
Pack the right productivity gear
These days, even a phone can be used for various work purposes, if not quite effectively for all of them. For example, while your trusty handset is great for quickly checking and replying to emails and messages, you probably couldn’t easily write more than a few lines of a report on it.
All the same, though, there could be situations – like on a cramped train – where an iPad mini with a keyboard attached more than suffices as a temporary, makeshift replacement for your laptop.
Nourish, replenish and exercise yourself
In a piece for CNN, Jeremy Jauncey, who founded the travel-oriented creative agency Beautiful Destinations, cautions: “Frequent travel, particularly flying, can impact your immune system, making you more susceptible to illness.”
You can help yourself to counter that effect by fitting exercise sessions – ideally outside – into your sojourn, eating healthy snacks and meals and keeping yourself hydrated with plenty of water.
Strategically plan exactly when you will do what
The nature of travelling means that you can be in one place one moment and then a very different kind of place the next. However, it’s crucial that you know exactly where you will – or at least should – be at any given time so you can plan your work accordingly.
So, if you know you will need to make calls, avoid scheduling them for when you will be in a noisy airport. When you are in one, you could switch to instant messaging via a hosted phone system.
Get as much work done as you can before you set off
Sadly, even if you follow all of the tips outlined in this article, the fact remains that working on the go entails far more than just a change of scenery.
Freelance writer and editor Sara McCord warns in an article for The Muse: “Even on my most productive travel day (i.e., one in which I accomplish everything on my list), I rarely get as much done as I would on a normal workday.” Hence, she advises putting a little extra work in beforehand.
