Traveling a lot for work can be tough. Your routine is disrupted and even the simplest activities can be challenging when you’re in an unfamiliar place and working an odd schedule. Now that 2021 is back to normal and more people are on the road for work, I wanted to share three travel tips to help make the experience more enjoyable.
Coffee!
I love starting the day with a good cup of coffee. But hotel coffee is…inconsistent! In 2020, a lot of hotels also removed the in-room coffee machines. No worries. I started bringing my own machine! Both Keurig and Nespresso make compact brewers that use the same pods as the full-sized models. It’s easy to pack them in your suitcase and you’ll get a great cup at a fraction of a coffee house price in the comfort of your hotel room.
Move!
Staying fit while traveling is hard. There isn’t always a lot of time to get a run or walk in and researching safe and enjoyable places to exercise can be challenging. I recommend the following free apps to help find the perfect place to get some fresh air.
Strava: This app crowdsources common running and cycling routes and users can even create segments of routes to compete for the fastest time. You can see which routes are the most popular and have a high level of confidence that those routes are safe. You can compete against others or even your own past segment performances.
AllTrails or TrailLink: Both will provide information on thousands of trails for hiking, walking, running or biking. There are photos of the paths, users offer comments and upload photos so can you choose the right trail for your workout.
Upgrades!
Flight upgrades are getting harder to come by as travelers flock back to the skies. Most airlines use total flight cost as a key component for upgrade priority when there are a lot of frequent fliers on the same flight. One easy way to increase the total flight cost is to book multicity flights, even when you will be returning home. For example, if you have trips close together, just book both trips under one itinerary. If I’m flying from Madison, WI to Washington, DC one week and then to Fargo, ND the next week, I’ll book a multicity flight as follows: MSN to DCA to MSN to FAR to MSN. Even though I’m going home between the two trips, booking them both as one multicity trip increases the total fare and improves my chances of getting a complimentary upgrade.
I hope these three tips make your next travel experience a little more enjoyable and be safe on the road!
