I've Gone on Dozens of Business Trips-and This Is the No. 1 Thing I Do to Make Each One Feel Like a Vacation

"Although it wasn't your quintessential business trip—I never experienced the life of a road warrior consultant or analyst—I eventually started to feel the weight and exhaustion that inevitably replaced the excitement of work travel. When you're in the air or at an off-site during the week, it can be harder to fit in your day-to-day work. You end up waking earlier or staying up later to respond to emails or finalize the presentation that requires uninterrupted heads-down time."

"On one particularly tiring trip to Nashville in early 2019, however, I was given the go-ahead on what would become my favorite thing to do on a business trip: order room service. I have an exceptionally vivid memory of a plate of spaghetti being delivered to my room at what was then the Bobby Hotel, and the sheer delight it gave me to be able to relax in a bathrobe, get something to eat, and soak up a few minutes to myself."

Early career business travel appears exciting with airline miles, hotel points, and frequent flights between major cities. However, the reality involves grueling schedules from sunrise to sunset filled with meetings, events, and errands. Travel disrupts regular work routines, forcing employees to wake earlier or stay up later to manage emails and complete presentations. Sleep deprivation accumulates, making office returns increasingly difficult. The novelty of packing work-appropriate clothes in carry-ons fades quickly. A turning point occurs when discovering simple pleasures like ordering room service provides essential decompression time, revealing how much personal space and solitude become necessary during demanding travel schedules.

Read at Travel + Leisure