Business travel is a regular reality for many employees across industries. From attending conferences and client meetings to networking events and training, professionals are constantly crisscrossing the globe. While travel is essential for driving business growth, it can take a major toll physically and mentally. Frequent flyers often suffer from business traveler fatigue – feeling perpetually drained and run down from the relentless routine of long flights, time zone changes, unhealthy eating, lack of sleep, and high stress.
Constant travel can quickly take a toll, leaving them drained, unfocused, and running on fumes. But it doesn’t have to be that way. With some preparation and healthy habits, your team can reduce travel stress and arrive energized and ready to excel at their meetings, conferences, or events.
Follow these 5 essential tips to help your workforce beat business traveler fatigue.
Tip to Reduce Business Traveler Fatigue
Tip 1: Prioritize Sleep Hygiene
Adequate sleep is crucial for maintaining energy levels, focus, and productivity – which are all non-negotiable for countering business traveler fatigue. However, crossing time zones and sleeping in unfamiliar hotel rooms can easily disrupt sleep cycles.
To prioritize sleep hygiene, advise employees to adjust their schedules a few days before a trip to start syncing with the new time zone. Recommend downloading white noise apps and packing earplugs and eye masks to create optimal sleep environments. Most importantly, discourage screen time for at least an hour before bedtime.
Tip 2: Pack for Productivity
How you pack can go a long way in boosting energy and focus during business travel. Streamline your carry-on with everything you need to be productive on the go and reduce travel stress. This includes charging cables, portable battery packs, headphones, any trip presentations or materials downloaded, and even a travel router if you’ll need wi-fi access. Bring a laptop sleeve or case that’s easy to slide in and out of your bag.
Additionally, pack healthier snacks like protein bars, fresh fruits, nuts, and greens powder to supplement mediocre airport food options. Hydrating additions like electrolyte drink mixes or green tea can provide natural energy boosts as well.
Finally, toss in a few essentials like dry shampoo, face mist, resistance bands for in-room workouts, or massage balls to roll out tightness from travel days. With the right supplies on hand, you can eat, hydrate, and move with ease – reducing business traveler fatigue.
Tip 3: Embrace Movement
Sitting for extended periods whether on a plane, in a car, or at a conference can be incredibly draining both physically and mentally. Making an effort to move the body and increase circulation is revitalizing. Of course, finding opportunities to be active during travel days and at the destination can be challenging.
Encourage employees to take brief walking breaks every few hours, even if just around the terminal before boarding. Recommend booking hotels with fitness facilities so travelers can get in a quick workout. Or suggest doing simple stretches and bodyweight exercises in their hotel room by packing resistance bands or downloading a fitness app. This helps reduce travel stress.
Tip 4: Create a Travel Itinerary
One of the best ways to avoid burnout on business trips is to create a detailed yet strategic travel itinerary. A comprehensive itinerary keeps everything organized in one place, reducing stress and confusion. It should include all critical details like flight times, hotel confirmations, ground transportation arrangements, and a clear schedule of meetings, events, or commitments.
But don’t just cram in back-to-back activities. Purposefully build in buffers for potential delays, travel time between destinations, and short rest periods. Leave windows for meals and leisure so you have a chance to recharge your batteries between work obligations. The goal is to map out a clear game plan that ensures you don’t miss anything important, while still allowing breathing room to stay energized.
Tip 5: Build in Downtime
With meetings, client dinners, networking events, and more, it’s easy for your employees to overbook themselves without any breaks on business trips. However, factoring in buffers for rest and personal time is crucial to avoid business traveler fatigue. Advise against feeling obligated to fill every spare moment with work.
Encourage the use of open pockets of time to call loved ones, meditate, read for pleasure, or simply zone out and recharge. Taking pit stops to fully unplug ensures travelers can show up focused and engaged for their upcoming obligations.
Even just blocking off a two-hour break between meetings to spend time outdoors or journal can provide a much-needed mental reset and refresh before critical presentations or pitches.
Bonus Tip: Invest in a Travel Management Software
One way companies can help employees avoid business traveler fatigue is by investing in travel management software. A corporate travel management platform acts as a centralized hub for booking flights, hotels, ground transportation, and more. But it goes beyond just reservations – it also provides detailed itinerary management, policy compliance, reporting analytics, and duty of care capabilities.
Having this level of automation and oversight streamlines the entire travel process for employees and managers alike. It reduces the hassle and cognitive load of excessive travel planning and logistics. Automated email and mobile notifications keep travelers organized and on track.
Built-in approval workflows and spending controls ensure trips remain within budget and policy. Overall, travel management software saves employees time, stress, and guesswork around business travel – key contributors to fatigue and burnout. The more efficient and seamless companies can make corporate travel, the more energized their employees will be to focus on their core objectives.
Travel Stress-free with ITILITE
ITILITE aids travelers in planning and managing their trips efficiently. Through AI-driven personalization, it tailors travel itineraries to individual preferences, simplifying the booking process. By analyzing data and market trends, it optimizes bookings for cost-effectiveness and convenience, reducing the stress of comparing options.
The platform streamlines expense management by automating tracking and reimbursement, minimizing administrative burdens. Real-time alerts ensure travelers adhere to corporate policies, avoiding violations and penalties. With 24/7 support, ITILITE offers assistance during travel disruptions, providing peace of mind.
Its data analytics enable organizations to make informed decisions, improving travel programs and reducing fatigue in the long term. Overall, ITILITE integrated approach enhances the travel experience, empowering travelers to focus on their business objectives while minimizing the stress and fatigue associated with frequent travel. If you want to travel without stress, book a demo.
