Relax! How to Cope With Stress When Traveling for Business

Lost luggage, crowded flights, long delays, no Internet for extended periods of time — traveling for business comes with its fair share of stress, that’s for sure. According to a Carlson Wagonlit Travel study, all of these stress factors translate into an average of 6.9 hours of lost productivity per trip, equivalent to $662. An analysis of the data found that women experience greater stress than men over lost luggage and travel delays, as well as not being able to eat healthy food, while men stress more over having to fly economy class. Frequent flyers experience greater stress than occasional travelers, because they have less time to de-stress between trips before they’re off on another one.

If you travel for business, it is vital you have a stress management strategy. Here are some tips for keeping your stress under control during your business trips.

Use a Travel Checklist

Use a travel checklist to help you prepare. A comprehensive list should include such items as:

• Clothes
• Luggage and other carrying packs
• Food
• Garbage bags
• Toiletries
• Pillows and other sleeping items
• Medical and sanitary items
• Maps, pens and notebooks
• Cameras and mobile devices
• Tickets and passports
• Money and credit cards

Visit OneBag.com for a one-page checklist that makes planning easy. Once you’ve got a basic travel list assembled, you can save time on future trips by creating a travel kit with most items already packed.

Plan Your Itinerary

Have your flights, hotels, rental car reservations and dinner and entertainment reservations booked in advance. Using a travel planning app can help you organize your itinerary. WorldMate is a travel app geared toward business travelers that combines itinerary-planning features with travel briefs and notifications, calendar synchronization and itinerary sharing capability.

Get Enough Sleep

Many people experience sleep deprivation and insomnia when they travel, so take steps to help you get enough sleep. Be mindful of getting to bed early as your trip approaches. If you’re going to be changing time zones, plan adjustments to your new schedule in advance, setting your watch ahead a day or two before you leave, or even possibly getting to your destination a day or two early to give yourself extra time to adjust. Avoid caffeine and alcohol near bedtime.

Schedule Exercise Breaks

Sitting around for long periods at airports and in flight can wear your body down and boost your tension. Scheduling time to stretch or exercise can help you loosen up. CNN Travel provides some stretches you can do while traveling to help you loosen up your neck, spine, shoulders and legs.

Bring Some Entertainment

Boredom can also contribute to stress. Bring some entertainment to keep your mind distracted while you’re traveling. Some people prefer to read a good novel while others would rather listen to music or watch a movie or play a video game on their mobile device.

Bring Your Family

Loneliness is another reason many business travelers feel stressed. Taking your family along can help you have fun on your trip.