The Nightmare of Jet Lag

Business travel is tiring even for relatively short trips.   The work of moving through airports, dealing with delays, handing your baggage, finding transportation at your destination city and getting to the meeting are a much greater stress than you ordinarily go through doing business at home.  But when you add the problems introduced by jet lag, you face physical distress that can almost feel like you are becoming ill as your body reacts to the long distance travel.

So it’s a good idea to have some techniques ready to use to prevent jet lag when you are traveling overseas or across several time zones.  Yes, you can get jet lag just traveling from the east to west coast domestically.  Jet lag comes from the change in time zones and the adjustment your body has to make to deal with the new time cycles in that time zone.

We are not aware of it but our bodies are finely tuned to work at their best in the time zone of our homes.  Our biological clocks are tuned to react to the time of day, the daylight and nighttime cycle, environmental factors and the magnetism of the local environment.  We have an internal monitor that tells us when we should sleep or be active based on that internal clock.

When we travel to a new time zone, while our mind finds it peculiar that it is a new time of day that is out of sync with what we know, our bodies go through quite a dramatic adjustment to adjust to the new environment.  That is why in a new time zone, you may not be able to sleep when it is 11 p.m. where you are because to your body, it may be the middle of the afternoon or the next morning.

The symptoms of jet lag are fatigue, lack of appetite, shortness of temper and even a feeling of mild nausea that comes from an internal system that has been thrown for a loop.  So the best cure for jet lag is good preparation so you can ease into the change of location without too much anxiety.  By reducing the effects of jet lag before they even happen, you make the potential that your business meetings will go well much more likely.

* Start adjusting in advance.  If you can put yourself on the time frame of your destination a few days in advance, the jet lag won’t be as severe.  Start adjusting your sleep times and when you take your meals even before the trip begins so you are already “living in that time zone” before you even make the trip.

* Keep a clean diet.  Jet lag experts advise that you simplify your diet significantly for several days before the trip.  Begin to reduce the amount of heavy foods, carbohydrates, sugars and fats in your diet and increase the level of fruits, vegetables and juices you consume.  This will make your system more nimble and able to adjust to change.

* Give yourself time on the other end.  Try to make arrangements to arrive a day before your meetings so you have time in your hotel room to rest and prepare for the business objectives to be achieved. 

* Eliminate physical stress sources.  During the stressful time, try to cut down on physical stresses such as drinking or extreme physical exercise so your body has more reserves to handle the jet lag symptoms.

By thinking ahead about jet lag, you are taking the measures you need to take to eliminate a threat to the success of your business goals on this trip.  So your work to take jet lag out of your business travel equation is just good business on your part and it will result in more success on the road for you and for your company.

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The Airplane as Your Office

Business travel very often involves long hours in flight to the city where your work will be done.  For most business people, this is lost productivity time that can be torture if you cannot get work done in flight.  How often have you said to yourself or to a coworker, “That’s all right, I will just work on that on the airplane.”  That is a noble intent but circumstances inside an airplane cabin, especially in coach, can make the fulfillment of that commitment hard to accomplish.

Like anything else, if you are going to redeem the time while you are in the air, you should come prepared with an agenda of work you can get done in that setting and with your expectations well in check before you even check in.  Let’s face it, the cabin of a domestic airplane is not designed for business productivity.  You may have a myriad of distractions from crying babies to a talkative neighbor.  The airline personnel have quite an agenda of items to interrupt your time with and then there is the turbulence and the narrow seats that dictate that whatever you are going to get done is going have to be done in a place of very little space availability.

To expect that you will have the seat next to you to spread out your work or that this will be the flight of perfect peace and quiet is to set yourself up for frustration and disappointment.  So to be prepared to achieve some level of productivity on an airplane, be aware of these limitations and design your work so you can use that time within those constraints, not in spite of them.

A basic necessity to use to realize some level of concentration in flight is a good set of ear plugs or an earphone and an ipod.  You can use that device to pipe music to your mind that can be conducive to concentration and thought.  Now earphones sufficient to block out the kind of distractions you will encounter on an airplane will have to be pretty sophisticated.  So don’t cut corners on this purchase.  It will pay you back over and over as you use them to block out surface noise in airplane cabin.

The best way to walk off of that airplane with a sense of accomplishment is to set your goals before you board and make them goals you can attain.  You cannot expect to be able to open up your laptop and work peacefully in coach.  It is very possible you will be able to do that but you may find turbulence, an active population around you or other factors may make such work very difficult to do.  So to be sure, prepare a project to work on using your laptop but don’t be disappointed if it turns out to be too difficult to attempt.  And above all avoid having a deadline you have to hit using the time during your flight to make up for lost time on your deadlines.   That will only make the flight frustrating and result in an angry and worn out business traveler.

The best form of work you can assign to yourself is analysis or reading.  If you have a document or some documents to review, the confines of an airplane seat accommodate that work just fine.  Business reading is easily the best form of work to do in flight.  Using those head phones to block out the world, you can lay back with a book, a business magazine or a report and take your time to study it or read lengthy blocks of that material during a long flight.  In a two to three hour flight, you can read entire chapters of a business book and come off the flight with a tremendous amount of food for thought to take into your businesses meetings at your destination.

It is possible to redeem the time in the air by accomplishing some solid work.  But the key to getting success at that goal is to be realistic about what can be done in an airplane seat and tailoring your expectations and goals accordingly.  If you do that, you will be happy with how you used the time and the flight will go by much more quickly as well.

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Take the Family With You

Business travel can be rewarding, interesting, profitable and broadening for the business traveler.  But there are some downsides to the life on the road especially if you must travel for business often.  Besides the occasional airport delay or layover and the ever present issue of how weather affects your business trips, it is always hard to say goodbye to your family as you go out of town to accomplish the mission of your business trip.

For many business people, one solution is to take their family with them on business trips if the nature of the trip will accommodate such arrangements.  Few would deny the road weary business traveler the joys of having family with them on a challenging trip.  And for your family, not only does this mean more time with you, it can be a big adventure for everybody involved.

Taking your spouse on a business trip is entirely different scenario than if you are planning a trip to include the spouse and children.  In that your spouse is an adult, can rent a car and plan a day without help and mold his or her schedule around yours, a spouse can be a huge plus to you because you have that familiar face to greet you in the hotel room when you return from your business affairs of the day.  And there is a strange vicarious enjoyment to be had as you are working hard to know your spouse is taking in the pleasures of the local area which you will hear about that night.

Taking the kids on a business trips gets to be more of a logistical challenge and there are some real limitations to the kind of trip that will work as a full family outing.  One of the big factors in determining if this trip is a good one for the whole family to enjoy is location.  If the trip is to a popular destination such as Orlando or California where your spouse and children can find plenty to do each day, then it’s a good situation for bringing the family along.

Other locations that make great choices to include the family are historic and memorable cites such as New York, New Orleans, San Francisco or some of the great overseas destinations like London, Paris or Rome.  If the children have your spouse to guide their tours, those trips with you can be events to remember and tremendous learning experiences that they will be talking about to their grandkids decades from now.

Obviously, the time of year for your business travel is a determining factor on whether the children can tag along.  Summer business trips work well for such plans but if your travel will interrupt the children’s school schedule, it usually is not feasible to include them.  Now in a case where there is significant educational benefit to the trip, there may be some concessions to be made to the children out of school if they will gain valuable experiences from the trip.

But all of these factors, including just including your spouse on the trip will hinge on one important factor that only you can determine.  And that is how much time you will be able to spend with the family when you are working and traveling.  It is well known that business travel also frequently means long yours and then business dinners and negotiations that can go into the night.  If you are going on a trip that such dedication to the task is necessary, it’s best not to bring the family.  It does them no good to come along on an exciting business outing only to find themselves never seeing you until the flight home.  They will feel frustrated and you will wonder what value there was to the expense and trouble of bringing them if you could not enjoy them except to kiss them good night in their hotel beds and good-bye in the morning.

But if all of the factors fall into place, taking the family along on an occasional business trip can take a humdrum trip and put some real fun into it.  So keep your eye on that business travel agenda you have.  There may be a few junkets where the family would fit in nicely.

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Staying Healthy on the Road

You can tell an experienced business traveler from one who is new to the experience.  It is easy for someone new to business travel to participate in excesses on the road.   As business traveler, you are an adult and you are trusted by your company to conduct yourself in a businesslike fashion during your time out representing the firm.  But it is easy to let the idea of an expense account and free time in a far away town get the best of you and to let yourself go as you travel.

These kinds of excesses are the types of behavior that you will see an experienced business traveler avoid.  If you are setting out on a lengthy business trip perhaps lasting many weeks and traversing many cities, the road itself can take a toll on your health and well being.  The disruption to your normal life patterns, the hard work and the stress of making connections and moving from town to town can introduce levels of fatigue that can take a toll and even lead to illness on the road.  And there is no more unpleasant experience than to be ill while traveling for business and to still have to do your duties despite your poor health.

It is for this reason that observing some strict rules of good living on the road will pay off over the life of the trip and make the rigors of travel much less serious.  Much of the discipline of business travel involves simply introducing a daily routine to your life that includes some healthy activities so you can keep your physical, mental and emotional state in good shape and ready for business each and every day.  Some simple but effective rules to live by for a healthy business travel experience include…

* Sleep routines.  A good nights sleep is something we take for granted.  And to get into a rested state takes more than just a bed and an alarm clock.  You have routines at home that you use to cycle down toward rest.  Adapt those to life on the road and allow yourself that hour before bed to get ready to rest as well as ample time to rest as well as sleep.  Both are necessary for good health.

* Regular exercise.  Most hotels have an exercise room or pool you can use to get some motion into your muscles.  Sitting in airplanes or conference rooms can cramp your muscles and keep you from maintaining good flexibility.  Even if it is nothing more than taking a walk after dinner or doing some simple exercises at night in the hotel, give your body some movement so stretch those muscles and get some fresh oxygen into your blood.

* Time not working.  For the sake of your mental health, take some time just for you.  If you are in a town that has some fun things to see, get away from the business side of business travel and go to the zoo or a museum or see an attraction to give your mind a break from the stress of business.  And take a few hours at night to relax in the hotel and read a book or watch your favorite TV show.  You need that mental down time to recuperate and process all that is going on during your trip.
* Good foods.  Don’t cave into the temptation to eat fast food.  Look for restaurants that will serve you well-rounded meals.  Make sure you eat fruits, dairy, vegetables, breads and good healthy proteins each day.

* Don’t drink.  Alcohol, while fun, is a huge drain on your body’s resources.  The time drinking and recovering makes demands on your body that take away from your stamina and ability to stay healthy each day.  So avoid alcohol other than perhaps a glass of wine at night.  You will survive the trip so much better if you are careful about your alcohol consumption.

Some of these ideas seem almost ridiculously simple.  But if you have done any business travel at all, you know that sometimes the simple requirement of a healthy diet and some time to yourself to exercise and rest can be elusive in a busy work schedule.  But if you make it a priority to live well on the road as you do at home, you will come home ready to deal with home issues without having that long time to recover from the trip.

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Never Completely Out of Touch

The problem with business travel, to put it bluntly, is that you are not in your office.  If you are a manager or a project leader, your need to stay in touch with your team and what is going on at all times is crucial.  It would seem that this need is at cross-purposes with the idea of business travel.  But with modern technology and a bit of coordination on your part, you can maintain a reasonable level of connectivity to your important projects and team activities even while driving in the rental car or waiting out a flight at the airport.

The actual technology you use to stay connected may change over time.  Whereas in the past we could only use pay phones at airports, we have evolved technologically so you can travel and access your network via your cell phone, wireless PC or an assortment of other devices.  So the first step is to identify the type of technology that satisfies your need for connectivity as well as enabling you to work productively in diverse locations such as the airport, your airplane seat or your hotel room.

As you conduct a technical review of the available technology, be careful to research the durability of the equipment you are taking on the road.  You may be able to afford the most sophisticated equipment on the market today.  But if that equipment cannot survive the rigors of travel including being banged around in your luggage, exposure to heat, cold and moisture or just about any other harsh condition you might throw it into, it isn’t going to be the kind of equipment you want by your side on a long business trip.

Once you settle on the equipment, you should configure it or have it configured for internet access as well as the ability to tap into your corporate intranet and network.  It is crucial that you can communicate with your team and access corporate files so you can stay on top of what is going on with your projects at home.  For example, if you have your project team file status reports each Friday morning, you must be able to review those and give directions for action items to take that come from those reports quickly and efficiently, even if you are on a ten hour flight from Europe.

To manage your phone contacts, the idea of just putting the “out of office” auto-answer on your office message service is so last decade.  Instead, you can forward your office phone to your cell phone and receive your phone calls in remote so you can conduct your business as though you were on site throughout your trip.

There is adequate technology available currently for you to be able to access and operate your desktop computer back on your desk at the office even while traveling.  One such service is gotomypc.com.  But there are many such services or your IT department may have a methodology to enable that access that you can use if you get them involved in your trip planning.  By accessing your PC daily or several times daily, you can activate your instance of Microsoft Outlook or whatever your email software is and read and respond to important business emails as you relax in your hotel room after your business meetings out of town.

These are just a few of the technologies that make it possible to perform virtually any function from remote that you could have done only in the office in the past.  So don’t accept the limitations of the road.  Investigate how to be fully connected as you go about your business travel and the outcome will be that you can keep all of your important business projects moving forward simultaneously.

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Moving Through Airport Security Quickly

Ever since homeland security has become such an issue, moving through airport security has become more difficult.  As a seasoned business traveler, this part of your business trip requires some savvy preparation and your knowledge of the system so you can sail through security at the airport as quickly as possible.  But the ability to navigate airport security quickly is not something that comes easy or without some significant planning and training.

The biggest problem of getting through security is not you, it’s the other people who did not come prepared for this process.  If you get stuck behind someone who is completely stumped by what is expected of them, it can take forever to get through the system.  So the first priority is to hit airport security when the crowds are low.  The easiest way to accomplish this is to take the first flight of the day out of that airline.  This will be the time when there are fewer people in the airport than anytime of the day.

Usually it is only business travelers who are at the airport at six a.m. so they will be the ones that already know how to handle security and the lines will move much more quickly.  Like them, you have already learned the most recent rules about what will pass through security and what will get you stopped.  You will need your driver’s license and boarding pass several times as you move through the process.  So have that out early on and ready to show it often.  Don’t put that information away until you are on the other side of security and ready to go to the gate.  That one-step alone moves you along quickly through the different checkpoints of airport security.

Usually airport security uses a queuing system to handle the crowds.  That means that usually it is one long line moving up to the gates and then that line splits into several gates where various teams work the travelers through the scanning stations.  As you are standing in line to go through the gates, keep an eye on the different stations.  Some stations will stop more people or their equipment is too sensitive so it is moving slower.  You may notice that a new team has arrived and is preparing to open a new station.  With a bit of maneuvering in line, you can hit that new station as it opens and move through fast before the lines accumulate there.

This is also a place to do a bit of profiling.  While it is not ok for police to profile, you can look over the people ahead of you and profile those who will either be detained for scanning or will be a big problem when they are ready to put their stuff on the belts.  Certain ethnic groups might get scanned more often.  It’s sad but true.  We all want racial equality but if you can avoid being behind that person, you might get through security faster.  Also, avoid “amateur travelers” who have lots of kids, the elderly, people in wheelchairs or anyone who looks like they are confused by this process.  You can be a hero and help someone out if you have plenty of time.  But as the lines split up to go to the different stations, you can simply avoid being behind people who will slow up the process and go to the fast lines to get through more efficiently.

You can cut down on how much you get scanned before you get to the airport.  Wear slip-on shoes that you can get off quickly and back on quickly.  Boots and tie shoes just slow you down.  Keep the amount of “stuff” you are carrying through security to a minimum.  Put your wallet, keys and other pocket material in your briefcase or purse before you even get in line.  In that way you are down to shoes and that item to move through security and you can move more quickly.

These tricks of the trade can make the beginning of your business trip much less of a problem and get you to the gate more quickly.  The security personnel will appreciate that you know what you are doing and you will reduce your stress and move along to your business goals with less anxiety and a greater focus on your objectives.

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Light on Your Feet

Its one thing to show up at your business meeting prepared mentally for the meeting and with all of your business needs at your fingertips.  If that was all business travel entailed, that would be challenge enough.  But to carry off a successful business trip, you have to think about your personal needs, medical needs and everything you might require.  The ability to travel light on a business trip is truly a refined skill that takes into account the ordeal you might go through at the airport, the potential for lost baggage and what you really do need once you get to your destination.

Many travelers have a firm ethic about not checking bags.  The result is you see almost a comical effort by travelers to drag huge bags onboard and jam them into overhead bins.  As a business traveler, your ability to relax and pass through the airport system with little fuss is paramount.  When you take bulky bags on board on an airplane, you exchange the time at baggage claim for a huge hassle in getting your bags on and off that airplane.

It’s best to balance what you really need at your destination with the problems of taking too much on board.  To reduce your anxiety about baggage claim, leave plenty of time between your travel plans and your business appointments at your destination.  If you have several hours or a day before you must make your business contacts, you can relax and go through the baggage claim process without anxiety.

The other problem with baggage claim is lost luggage.  So to assure you will have the basics when you get to your hotel, lost luggage or not, pack a very small bag to take on board.  In that bag, only take your basic requirements.  Include your medications, contact lens supplies, sample sizes of toiletries, underwear and one change of clothes.  Then you have what you need for one night and the next days meetings while your baggage catches up with you.

To pack light, do a good inventory of what you really do need.  There are some economies you can utilize to greatly reduce the bulk of what you are going to take without sacrificing your needs and ability to look good when you make your business contacts.

* Wear a basic outfit.  If you have a suit or other garment you know will be your anchor piece, wear it on the plane.  You can also wear a coat or jacket that you might need there and then fold it and use it for a pillow on the plane thus keeping it out of your bag.  That coat is not considered part of your carry on but it helps you reduce your baggage bulk. 

* Economy of space in your bag.  Compress what you pack and use every empty space.  Pack socks into shoes and roll your clothing rather than lay them flat to squeeze the empty air filled space out of them.  You can always iron and get pressed any outfits that get wrinkled in route once you are at your destination.

* Mix and Match.  Take outfits that can be used over again with a different pant or shirt combinations. 

* You can get it there.  Don’t take anything that won’t get guaranteed and frequent use.  If there is something you might need, remember, you can buy it there in a drugstore or nearby store.  So don’t let anxiety make you over pack.

These steps can reduce your packing problems and result in a workable travel system that will reflect that you are well organized and ready for the road.  And there is no better feeling than to come home and realize you used everything you took and needing nothing else while you are on that important business trip for your company.

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Is Now a Good Time to Panic?

The unfortunate thing about business travel is that, unless you are able to fly by private jet, you will have to use public transportation to travel any significant distance at all.  That means you are going to have to deal with airports, security procedures, crowds of “non business” travelers around  you at all times and the inevitable delay or canceled flight.

As a business traveler, you have a mission to complete.  This is not necessarily an adventure nor is it something you are doing for fun.  Its business and you handle it as business.  If you travel frequently on business, you have a standard process you go through to handle waiting for flights and how to store and retrieve travel documents when they are needed.

Most of time we had handle the presence of large crowds around us.  After all those families on vacation, groups of teenagers on spring break or young couples on honeymoon have as much right to the airways and the airports as you do.  But everything changes when flights begin to get canceled, especially if you are in a situation where so many flights are canceled and large amounts of people are going to be stranded in that airport overnight.

When such a situation begins to loom, it is easy to sense that feeling of panic rise up as you sense it happening in those around you.  Inexperienced travelers may have no idea how to handle this situation.  But as a business traveler, you are there doing the bidding of your company.  You probably are on an expense account of some sort and you should have good credit that you can use to navigate this situation.  So if you see an airport shutdown situation happening around you, you may ask yourself that question, “Is this a good time to panic?”  The answer is no.  But it is a good time to act fast so your needs are met.

It is always a good idea to keep your wits about yourself in an airport situation so you can take action early if you see an airport shutdown situation beginning to happen around you.  The thing to remember is that you are the one in control here and you do not have to let yourself be put at the whim of the airlines or the airport.  But detecting the crisis coming early is the key and taking quick action.

Often as flights begin to get canceled, you may find yourself in long lines to try to rebook flights or find a solution to the problem.  Realize that if the airport is stopping all flights due to weather or other reasons, there is no resolution waiting for you when you get to the front of the line.  And staying in line will only add to your sense of crisis and panic.

So get out of that line!  You have resources to make accommodations for yourself.  The last thing you want is to have to pass the night in that airport.  If you can get another form of transportation, you can still get to your destination albeit a little late.  But rental car agencies are going to be flooded with people who, like you, are looking for a solution.  So the earlier you can diagnose the situation as not acceptable and get a car, the faster you can leave the airport and head for a hotel or for your destination.

Use the same strategy in booking a room at a nearby motel or hotel.  If you can get to private accommodations for the night, you can work, make your phone calls and preserve your energies so you are able to conduct business well once the crisis is passed.  But the key is don’t panic, devise a solution quickly and put your plan into action efficiently so you can redeem as much of the day as you can because of your wise use of resources.

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