How to Make the Most of Business Travel


How to Make the Most of Business Travel

My flight from Zurich to Munich was on time, which was a good start to journey home to Toronto. It has been a year since I have traveled outside of North America and a few since I did so almost weekly.

The rituals of business travel came back to me faster than I thought, from packing efficiently to researching local transit and store schedules. I even remembered to take melatonin pills on the overnight flight to regulate my sleep cycle and minimize jet lag. I was back in the business traveler zone.

What I had forgotten were the many benefits of international travel, which help counterbalance the losses of leaving your family. They are often unexpected, exciting and inspiring. Here are the ones that I noticed this week:

  • Experience a new culture — day-to-day differences in culture are fascinating. I feel like pinching myself every time I am abroad
  • Increase your knowledge — reading local magazines and newspapers provide glimpses of what is important
  • Broaden your perspectives — talking with people about their lives expands your frame of reference and makes you more tolerant of different realities
  • See old friends — this trip I saw great people who I had worked with many years ago The highlight was being invited out to dinner by an old friend and his wife (a new friend)
  • Practice your manners — a test of character, especially when things go wrong and you don’t speak the local language
  • Take time for reflection — the best time to reflect is when you are in a new environment, without distraction of your regular commitments and schedule 

My second flight of the day, from Munich to Toronto, is also posted as being on time. It looks like I will return home without incident, tired and motivated. I don’t want to forget my new experiences so I can make the most of my business travel. 

Phil



 
 

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Are NOT a robot, right? Please answer this simple math question * Time limit is exhausted. Please reload CAPTCHA.

Take Action

Ask us a question about your change

    Your Name (required)

    Your Email (required)

    Subject

    Your Question


    Get the newsletter
    Change With Confidence
    Please type your name and email address and click on "Send". We will add you to our newsletter distribution list. Thank you.




    Get Change with Confidence
    Change With Confidence

    Get Change on the Run
    Change With Confidence

    Twitter

    When impressing leaders, what is the 1 action you would take to get 80% results in 20% of the time? Here’s mine: bit.ly/3CHq0Ho. The podcast episode with key opinion leader @RobbyNap is on Sounder bit.ly/3iKl2js. #change #changemanagement #leadership #podcasts pic.twitter.com/wUxLfW3w0M

    About 2 weeks ago