Traveling during the holiday months is stressful no matter what your destination. When traveling for work, you may feel extra pressure to meet project deadlines in addition to attending countless meetings and conferences. While work travel doesn’t stop for the holidays, there are ways to make it more bearable with careful planning and by taking steps to remain healthy. Here are 3 top travel tips for work travel during the holiday months:
1. Choose Travel Days Carefully—Thinking ahead when it comes to departure and return tickets is a key step to successful work travel during the holidays. For example, you may want to leave on a Monday, even though your conference is Wednesday, to allow extra time visiting the host city. Travel experts caution against traveling for work on a Monday as it is an especially busy day during the holidays.
2. Delegate and Notify—The holidays are a busy time for everyone—including you—so delegate as much as you can while traveling for work. Let colleagues who remain in the office help with projects involving pressing deadlines. Be sure to also notify clients and other important contacts that you’ll be away from the office. Setting an out-of-office message on your email or voicemail is fine, just don’t forget to turn the message off when you return.
3. Beware of Germs—As the holiday travel season begins, so does the coughing and sneezing. Extra passengers mean additional chances of catching a cold so be sure to wash your hands frequently. Use sanitizing wipes for such things as armrests and tray tables – and be sure to drink lots of water to stay hydrated (before, after and during your flight).
AMA Executive Conference Centers offer some of the industry’s best executive meeting and conference venues. We work to help companies and corporate planners across the U.S. facilitate meetings with the best possible outcomes. Contact us today to see how we can help in planning your next meeting in Atlanta, New York, Washington DC or San Francisco. No matter what the season, we’re here to help.