Over the past few years, our work has required a lot of travel. We’ve historically averaged about 2 trips per month, but Q4,22 and Q1,23 have been much busier. In fact, we’ve been in 7 cities over the last 6 weeks. This is what we like to call a “high quality” problem. We love going on the road to spend time with clients face-to-face AND we appreciate that all of this time away from home comes with a range of challenges. We also appreciate that we are not alone in the road-warrior lifestyle, so we thought we’d share a few principles that we apply to keep us focused, healthy, connected, and SANE.
Awareness: We both have wives and kids, and they have their own busy lives to manage, so having shared visibility on upcoming business trips is critical. It is important that we are as engaged in, and supportive of, our home lives as possible and nothing screws that up faster than, “I can’t drop her off at school tomorrow, I’m flying out at 6am!” Make a shared calendar and publish it within the house in whatever way works best for your family. We have a 90-day calendar printout on the kitchen table which gives us enough foresight to deconflict all of the moving pieces.
Connection: Whether we’re traveling for a day or a week, we remind one another to make the effort to step away from work and make the phone call home. Say hello, send a text, do a Facetime call. Even if it’s just a short one, the thought and the effort makes a difference. Last week on the road, we noticed that a key leader in the organization we were supporting stepped out of a session, then came back a few minutes later. She was checking in with her kids. And that’s good leadership in our book!
Routine: Keep things simple where you can. I always park at the same place and take the same routes through the airport. I also have a checklist of stuff that I need on the road (chargers, AirPods, hygiene kit, etc.). Reducing variables helps reduce mishaps. As partners, we stick to the same routine for almost every trip: Whoever arrives first rents the car unless an Uber is easier. We get to the hotel, review and rehearse for the partner engagement, have dinner, ONE drink, and off to bed early to be fresh for the next day.
Wellness: This is where having a like-minded partner is super helpful. We do our very best to stay disciplined to our health and fitness practices while traveling. Every morning on the road, we get up and get a workout in together. We make the most of what’s at our disposal. A great hotel gym is nice, but we’ve done a ton of air squats and burpees in the hotel room and we’ve covered countless miles on less-than-scenic routes. Fitness is a priority. Be kind to your body, you need it to be sharp. Eat well. Order the cobb salad wherever possible. Avoid excessive amounts of alcohol. Have one vodka-soda, then switch to just club soda, nobody will notice. And get some good sleep. Sleep is everything. Lastly, and we struggle with this one, try not to over-caffeinate!!!
Agility: Pack what you need, not what you could need. We’ve turned minimalist packing into a sport, and have probably taken it too far, but it really helps to stay light and move easily. We favor awesome rucksacks from our friends at GORUCK, but you do you. We’ve also converted most of our wardrobes to pants, shirts, and shoes that are highly comfortable and versatile. I basically don’t wear anything that’s not wrinkle resistant, machine washable, and 4-way stretch. Technology!
Invest in Your Sanity: If you travel more than 25% per year, get a club pass and TSA PreCheck. After traveling for years on a non-profit budget, we finally decided to spring for the club and it has been a game-changer. The clubs offer a base of operation when delays happen, and you make the money back on coffees and meals, not to mention the free checked baggage. Last month I was delayed seven hours out of Phoenix. I set up my mobile office for the day in the United club and got so much done!
Being on the road can absolutely wear you down under the best of circumstances, so it’s important that we apply some discipline to our travel. Our work is a blast and we’re very lucky to be able to do it. The goal is to do it at a level of health and harmony that allows us to keep doing it for years to come - because real success is effectiveness x sustainability. And that’s a life well traveled.