How to Keep Traveling for Work from Being Miserable

Enjoying Life on the Road

Traveling for work is something that is dreaded by many. Often job opportunities are passed over because they require it. There is a good reason for this too, most people, even the most adventurous of us, crave a normal routine. Routines keep people grounded and moving forward with their personal and relationship goals. There are few things that can disrupt your life more than flying to different time zones week after week. The disruption is compounded by staying in hotels and eating out night after night.

In my current role I travel somewhere around 65% of the time, but often there are stretches where I am gone multiple weeks straight. Currently, my longest duration without a work week home is seven weeks straight. Also, I rarely travel to the same places so developing a routine becomes even more elusive. When I started this role my company was fairly transparent about the travel schedule. I knew what I was getting myself into and I was pretty nervous about it, yet I took the plunge because the job allowed me to live where I wanted to.

To my surprise traveling has not been bad thus far. In fact, by incorporating some of the ideas below, I have actually enjoyed it, and have had some awesome experiences along the way. The following concepts are things that help give your week both a sense of routine and adventure and will keep you happy out on the road.

1. Exercise

If you are not already incorporating exercise into your daily routine, start now. The mental benefits alone are enough to make a positive impact on your life. Unfortunately traveling during the work week throws even the most seasoned fitness enthusiast for a loop, and soon your skipping workouts and feeling guilty and sluggish. However, to keep traveling from becoming a detriment to your personal well-being you are going to have to forge iron like discipline. I know there will be plenty of days where it will seem like an insurmountable task but you have to force yourself to go down to the hotel gym. I promise once you are finished you will feel better for doing so.

One reason working out at the hotel is demotivating is that with so little equipment it’s hard to come up with a routine to do. But hotels are getting better and almost all of them have at least a few dumbbells and a couple pieces of cardio equipment. That’s more than enough things to beat yourself up with. I recommend going online and finding some hotel routines.

My routine is 20 minutes of cardio and then another 30 on strength training with whatever resistance equipment is available. My strength exercises are divided into three categories, pushing (chest, shoulders, triceps), pulling (back, biceps), and legs. The entire 30 minutes is dedicated to one of those categories with many different movements done in a circuit. Going into the session with a plan helps with motivation and ensures a productive workout.

If you are still having trouble motivating yourself try switching up the time of day you exercise. I find exercising in the morning very hard to do, but after work in the evening, it is much more manageable. Find the time of day that works for you. Finally if exercising in the hotel is too miserable, switch it out for the next idea.

2. Find a Local Park

This topic is like a subcategory of exercise, but I believe its benefits span beyond those you get purely from physical activity. That hotel gym gets stale quick even when you have found a routine and time that works. One of my favorite things to do is get on my phone maps and search around for the closest local park that I can go run in. I will never drive more than 30 minutes but you will be amazed at the amount of municipal and local parks that fall inside that range. Go to the park and get a good jog in.

So far I have found a beautiful park in Reno, Nevada, an awesome riverfront trail in Kansas City, and a brutally steep hill in Seattle to name some of the highlights. Sure not all the places turn out to be photo worthy spots but that’s not the point. Doing this has the added benefit of making me feel like I really get to experience the places I am working in.

3. Go Out to Eat by Yourself

This one helps me feel like I am on an adventure more than another work trip. Go out to eat, specifically by yourself and sit at the bar. It doesn’t matter where, sure local spots are the best but any old chain will do. The pull will be strong to grab something quick that you can take back to your hotel room and eat in front of the tv, but at least one night a week you should go out to eat.

There is something interesting about the way this makes you feel, a bit like an explorer stopping on your way through to some far destination. Keep your ears open while you’re there for some authentic entertainment. You will catch some very interesting stories as you listen. Stories you only hear about sitting at an Applebee’s bar in industrial Florida, on a Wednesday night.

A great way to find local places to go is; believe it or not, the locals. Ask around where you are working and you will get some good suggestions, hopefully something that is not easily found on your phone. My favorite so far was a microbrewery in rural Virginia that overlooks a river bend and had good food and great beer.

4. Say Yes

Another great tip is to always say yes to any invites you get while you are out of town. If some of your native coworkers ask you to dinner, go with them. Never pass up an opportunity when someone from the city you have traveled to invites you out. While in Kansas City with the team I work with we were all invited by a local to go out with him that night. It turned out this guy was heavily involved with the local Kansas City music scene. He took us on a live music tour of the city which included a stop at Knuckleheads Saloon. I almost passed on this opportunity like most of the other guys who were invited, but the three of us who did go had an awesome experience.

5. Communicate with Those You Love

At this point in my life I have no children, something I imagine would make traveling exponentially harder, but there are still people I leave that I miss and love. I try to make it a point to call those people that I would usually see every day on a daily basis. Once a week or more I talk to my parents and grandparents traveling or not. Time zones can make this hard but it is up to you as the traveler to coordinate good times to call. This one serves a dual purpose as it not only helps keep you happy but also the ones you left behind. Traveling is not just hard on the ones doing it.

These are some of the things I do to keep myself positive and happy when I ‘m gone from home so. Some of them keep me on a good routine while others keep the trips fun and unique. I hope that if you incorporate some of these things in your work travel it can help make your trips more manageable. Prioritize the things that are most important to you, and try to make the most of the situations you find yourself in.