7 Secrets of Road Warriors

Whether you travel by car, train, plane or pack mule, feeling and looking your best while on-the-go is a challenge. It is impressive to see travelers reach their destination without puffy eyes and a serious case of bad bedhead. How do they do it?

Take a cue from frequent travelers and road warriors by staying well rested and comfortable while traveling! Here, are 7 secrets road warriors know to beat jet lag, keep stress at bay and minimize problems along the way.

Create your own Carry-On Formula

‘Creating a carry-on formula’ means learning to master the art of packing.  Preparing for trips may not be very exciting, but it sure does simplify your travel experience when done correctly.

• Packing is filled with potential errors like forgetting to bring essential items. An experienced traveler keeps a well packed travel kit ready at all times. The kit must ideally include a full set of essential toiletries, technology accessories and important documents you’ll need while traveling. By having a pre-packed travel kit always ready, all you will have to do when a trip comes is pack your clothes. 
• Have clothing alternatives in case of wardrobe mishaps or a change of activity. There may be an unexpected turn of events, like spilling on your favorite shirt, or a sudden change in weather, so bring a couple of extra clothing options. 
• Remember to pack outfits than mix & match easily in your carry-on so you can be prepared for anything.
• Before leaving the house, review your travel check list to make sure you are not forgetting anything.

Have a Travel Uniform

Always have a coordinated clean set of ‘go-to outfits’ specific to your travel purpose (business or pleasure) ready to be packed.  This removes indecision of what to pack and reduces your packing time and energy greatly. 

Bring Backup Power Sources

You may not find an electrical outlet while traveling, so carry battery powered chargers, extra batteries or a power bank, and adapters for your phone and camera. Consider a solar charger, too. It’s a lifesaver, especially if you are vacationing in an area where electricity is not widely available.

If you are bringing your laptop on a business trip, get an extended-life battery. You never know when you will have access to power outlets, so this can be helpful. Six hours of laptop battery life is the recommended minimum for a business traveler, though more may be needed.   

Use Mobile Travel Apps

Download useful travel apps such as Hipmunk and TripIt to make your journey more manageable. There are many excellent travel apps available providing excellent information from exchanging currencies, to places to stay travel, to public transportation detail, to local restaurants including those who deliver. 

Low price travel deal apps enable you to search for the cheapest flights available while taking into account additional charges, layovers, and other travel factors. 

There are apps to organize your trip by transforming booking confirmations into detailed itineraries, to solve your travel packing woes, to prepare you for jet lag and even one that helps you with your Wi-Fi conquest. The app world is filled with many amazing travel tools.  Check this out for a more detailed list of beneficial apps for travel.

Always, Always Have Backups

It is not wise to solely rely on your smart phone or laptop for needed information.  Keep several backups of important travel and business documents with you and store them on a flashdrive or in email, too. A back up itinerary and contact information kept in the outside pocket of your checked bag is useful especially when luggage is lost or delayed. It may assist the airline staff in getting your luggage back to you.  Also, put the address of your destination on your luggage tag, not you’re your home address, so your luggage will end up where you are staying.  Meanwhile, keep digital copies of your passport, credit and debit cards, and flight details stored in your email.  This is especially useful if your bag is lost or stolen.

Tote a Portable Pharmacy

When people are in close quarters while traveling, germs are prevalent which increases your chance of getting sick. So, carry a medicine kit that includes Advil, Tums, Imodium A-D, Nyquil, and other key medications you may need. Pack your own portable pharmacy to eliminate the need to find a local pharmacy.  When you are not familiar with an area or a foreign language, getting to a pharmacy is not always easy.  Being prepared by packing your own over-the-counter remedies is highly recommended as it can save you time, money and aggravation.  Carrying earplugs and an eye mask in your medicine bag for long haul flights and noisy hotels is also a good idea.

Fight Stress and Jet Lag

Successfully fighting stress and jet lag is crucial when traveling for business.  Making decisions, even minor ones like where to eat, can be stress-inducing when traveling. Instead of worrying about how to get to a certain location from your hotel, do research before you travel.  Planning your itinerary in great detail beforehand can greatly reduce stress and keep you relaxed during your trip.

To cope with jet lag and stress, true road warriors squeeze in a few minutes of exercise every day.  ‘Exercising’ doesn’t need to be intense; it can be as simple as walking from your hotel to a restaurant a few blocks away.  Other ideas to conquer jet lag are meditating before you go to bed or doing yoga or inversions, like headstands. Lastly, get plenty of rest and sleep, especially when traveling through multiple time zones.

Do you have any traveling secrets you want to share? Comment below!

Original content posted on Squeeze Pod Blog.