The term ‘road warrior’ describes professionals who travel extensively for business as a part of their job. If you are a road warrior, you go on a business trip multiple times in a year- selling, consulting, or resolving customer queries. You represent your company in front of various clients across the globe to make long-lasting relationships. You also get to explore new places, enjoy multicultural cuisines, experience different cultures, and more.
However, as glamorous as this lifestyle might appear, the stress of constantly being on the road often outweighs the perks. A study conducted by ARC, Delta Air Lines, FlightGlobal, and tClara discovered a 24% chance that the road warriors who had taken a business trip for 35 nights away from home or had taken four air trips within the last year wanted to leave their current job in the next two years.
The main reason for this is the stress that you have to go through due to multiple reasons related to traveling frequently. For instance, a delay in your flight due to bad weather can disrupt your entire schedule despite excellent time management in all the preceding activities.
However, there are some measures you can take to reduce uncertainty and, as a result, stress.
Here are 5 ways road warriors like you can de-stress on a business trip
1. Opt for TSA pre-check.
Running across the airport to catch your flight on time is a significant stressor during business travel. This is because you are on a tight schedule and cannot afford to miss the flight or take another later.
Such delays can happen despite proper planning and time management because the length of the airport security screening line is unpredictable. You may have reached the airport two hours before boarding but find yourself super late for the flight because of the security screening delays.
You can invest in TSA pre-check to avoid stress due to the uncertain duration of airport security screening during your business trip. It will allow you to ease through checkpoints without removing shoes, liquid, gels, laptop, jacket, and belt, and you will be through the security screening in less than 5 mins. You can spend the time you saved preparing for a meeting or relax at the airport lounge.
2. Manage receipts in real-time.
Safekeeping physical copies of expense receipts during your business trip to submit to the finance department for reimbursement can be a hassle. If you lose a receipt, you might never get reimbursed for those expenses.
Therefore, if you want to avoid handling small, easily losable pieces of receipts, expense management software can come to the rescue. It offers digital receipt management that enables you to upload the receipts in real-time. It then automatically creates an expense report that you can send for approval from anywhere at any time.
3. Take adequate rest.
Missing out on the recommended 7-9 hours of sleep during your business trip can leave you feeling tired and grumpy. It will drain the mental energy you require to make critical business decisions. You can also miss out on the opportunity to make a good connection with the clients because you are too tired to function.
You can do various things to get a good night’s sleep. For example, you can start by choosing a room away from noisy streets and elevators, stay on top of your schedule by planning your next day, and finally unplug from all electronic devices at least an hour before bedtime. This way, you will wake up energized and stress-free.
4. Connect with family and friends.
Being completely immersed in work during your business trip can be highly stressful because you have to visit new places, meet clients, honor strict deadlines, etc. The constant hustle can make you feel isolated and increase your stress.
Therefore, you should take some time to talk with your family and friends at the end of your workday. You can tell them about your day, ask about theirs and celebrate accomplishments in real-time. Even after the business trip is over, you can take a day off to relax and de-stress from the achievement-oriented week.
5. Choose a hassle-free booking tool.
Booking a flight for a business trip is one of the most stressful aspects of business travel because all the bookings need to comply with the company’s travel policy. Even the slightest violation can result in a significant delay in trip approval.
However, the travel policy is often intricate and difficult to remember. Therefore, it is easier to violate by mistake. Additionally, other factors like sudden flight cancellation, delays, etc., can add to your stress.
To avoid policy compliance and booking-related stress, you can use business travel management software. You can configure it to show only those options that comply with your company’s travel policy and book without worrying about overspending.
Furthermore, some travel management software providers also offer a virtual travel consultant that can take care of any contingencies like overbooked flights, flight delays, etc., so that you remain stress-free.
Make Business Trip Delightful
Business trips are tiring and stressful. Constant traveling and the pressure to accomplish work-related tasks can leave road warriors like you feeling exhausted and reluctant to partake in business travel. However, these tips will help you avoid burnout.
ITILITE’s travel and expense management software can help you with hassle-free, policy-compliant booking so that you don’t have to worry about overspending. Moreover, you can upload receipts in real-time and create expense reports automatically, saving you the trouble of having to preserve physical copies of receipts for reimbursement.
To try ITILITE out, get the free demo now.
