It has been said that the least reliable component of a modern car is the squidgy bit between the steering wheel and the seat. As a business traveller it has proved essential to have the toughest laptop, the smartest phone and the most stain-resistant suit. After many months in transit, observing and feeling the effects first-hand,
it’s also become apparent that something needs to be said for the human squidgy component of a business traveller.
Perhaps we are perceived as invincible mercantile machines by the holidaymakers and occasional travellers sitting around us, but in reality we are no different, except our journey to work begins at an airport.
If you are just starting out on your nomadic career, heed these suggestions to remain sane and employable.
Life coaches often claim that variety is crucial to a healthy existence, and then spoil good advice by suggesting aromatherapy and Pilates. It needs to be something that is good enough to distract you from the Stella and Strictly diet on Saturday nights and exciting enough to get you out of bed early on a Sunday morning. It doesn’t have to be organic, herbal or even cool. Some people dress in skin-tight leather and ride about in public, others practice campanology, I build racing diesel engines. Just keep it engaging and satisfying.
Socialising is easy for office-based people. When they finish at 5:30 it’s a doddle to pop down to the pub. As travellers, the best we can hope for is a friendly barman, some good-looking hotel guests to look at, and not too many noisy coach parties. It’s easy to lose touch with friends especially as those things one had in common during one’s youth tend to lose relevance as paths diverge.
Be proactive and use any available spare time to meet with friends. Hunt them down, pretend to be the pretty girl from school to lure them in if really required; do not let them fade away because in six months you may need them more than you can presently imagine.
My day consists of three-and-a-half hours sleep, four Red Bulls, several double espressos, 12 cigs and a generous Scotch – in any order. Apparently we should eat organic celery, sleep ten hours a night, run a marathon and meditate for two hours a day. This would lead to insufferable misery, missing every flight, cardiac arrest, and utter boredom — in that order. Strike a balance to survive and to want to survive.
Above all, try to get something back from your travels by broadening your experiences of each country beyond the hotel bar and airport lounge. Stay an extra day, bring the other half (or find one), go for a wander, take some photos, do something locally legal to make each trip stand out and any future autobiography that bit less boring.
Our correspondent spends his life travelling the world in search of business, soft beds and good breakfasts
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