Business trips used to be the preserve of the elite and the wealthy. The cost of flights and accomodation was prohibitive, meaning that only the upper echelon of business could afford to pursue business opportunities which arose outside of their geographic area. However, since the arrival of the internet, the cost of flights and accomodation have dropped dramatically meaning that business trips have become a more vital aspect of a succesful growth strategy. Business trips can be both an exciting and stressful time in your employment. You have the chance to personally meet industry peers and make important contacts while boosting your personal profile in your industry. On the other hand, you have to travel outside of your comfort zone, possibly to an entirely new city and any number of problems could occur along the way, such as:
- What if your baggage is lost?
- What if you miss your flight?
5 Key factors to reduce buiness trip stress
There are five factors that are important to make your business trip stress free. Keep these in mind and you should remain calm, allowing you to work more effectively and make your mark whatever the nature of your trip.
1. Preparation
There are a whole host of factors that can stress you out on a business trip and one of the biggest tips to fight them is to try and be as well prepared as possible. It’s impossible to consider every possibility and no amount of preparation can rid you of problems caused outside of your control but that doesn’t mean you can’t make things easier for yourself.
Before travelling, consider your luggage and which items are the most important. Take what items you can with you in your carry-on luggage and larger items could be couriered to your business destination (while letting them know ahead of time) so you can pick up your important material when you arrive there.
If you have any important computer files, be sure to back them up onto a flash drive that you can keep on your person at all times. You may also consider cloud storage e.g. Google Drive, Amazon S3, Dropbox. These simple tools can keep your business trip stress free by guaranteeing that you will have access anywhere you go.
2. Time management
Should you find yourself with some unexpected free time because of delays or a connecting flight, it is important to use this time effectively rather than seeing it as time lost. Always keep something to do in this situation, such as reviewing a presentation, completing some minor tasks or planning future ones. Try to keep some of this work available in physical, rather than electronic, form as you may not always be able to use a computer or connect to the internet.
When making the arrangements for your travel, you should always err on the side of caution and allow plenty of time. Depending on your journey you may have to check in to hotels and airports in certain timeframes, make a connecting flight or take public transport at your destination.
3. Communication
Many stressful situations can be helped by speaking to someone about it as soon as it becomes a problem. When something goes wrong, it is best to contact others who will be affected as soon as possible and they will be more understanding of your situation the more notice they are given.
You should also notify anyone if you expect a problem to arise and while they may not always be able to completely eliminate the problem, they may be able to make things easier by making specific arrangements. For example, it’s best to speak with whoever is booking your hotel if you feel you should be staying in a different location or if the hotel booked isn’t good enough. By speaking to them as soon as possible there is a great chance that they can organise an alternative.
It’s also important to listen to other people’s experiences as they can give you advice. Whether it’s working around hidden details you may be unaware of, giving you tips to make travelling easier or just telling you bad experiences you should steer clear of, learning what other people have done means you can make more well informed decisions.
To learn to communicate effectively, check out How To Talk So Others Will Listen.
4. Internet
The internet is one of the most useful tools at your disposal ahead of and during your trip. First class trip not an option? Search for customisable features that can make your flight more relaxing. Worried about eating healthily on your trip? Search for your hotel and see if there are any accommodating restaurants, cafés or restaurants nearby. If internet access is essential to your work and you are worried about losing access on your business trip, research ahead of time to see if it is available at your hotel or if there are any internet cafés or coffee shops that can give you an alternative source of access.
The internet is also a great resource of reviews. There are many websites out there devoted to people sharing and rating their experiences and while every trip will obviously be different, it can be a good way to get the feel of a place and avoid certain pitfalls before you make your trip.
5. Acceptance
The last tip is also the simplest. The ability to accept that not everything can be fixed and that there are factors outside of your control is integral to staying relaxed if something unforeseen happens. Worrying will not help a delayed plane or a lost piece of luggage.
If you feel stressed, try making a list of everything that has gone wrong in two columns, one of everything within your control and one of everything out of it. Look at the list of everything you cannot control, accept this fact and throw the list away. You can now focus all of your energy on the list of things you can positively affect and, starting with the most important item, begin to improve your situation.
For more great tips to manage stress, check out Stress Free Living.
Business trip stress has become quite common, as companies attempt to satisfy the demands of customers who are spread around the country, the continet or in some cases, the globe. While the internet has provided us with some amazing technology for communicating across distance; there are still many situations where it is essential to meet in person. Techonolgy cannot replicate all of the benefits of in-person meetings, so their is little chance of business trips becoming extinct any time soon. As long as there are business trips, there is the potential for business trip stress. If you take the time to account for the 5 factors, listed above, you will make your business trip stress free.
This post was created in conjunction with SACO Apartments, following an interview on the topic of business trip stress. Read the full post here: http://www.sacoapartments.com/blog/how_to_make_your_business_trip_stress_free
Have you any tips for avoiding business trip stress? If so, please share them in the comments below.
Image credit: Fito