How to Keep Your Routine While Traveling For Business

Business travel can be a blessing and a curse.

It’s great to be able to see new places and spend time out of the office — and business travel can even be glamorous. But let’s face it, it can also be a physical and emotional drain. Even with all of the perks of regular travel, it can be hard to maintain the health and sleep routine you have at home.

And while it’s nice to throw caution to the wind while traveling on vacation, when you do it regularly it loses its romanticism. (Take it from a travel writer who can’t remember the last time she used her gym membership.)

When you travel so often you’ve turned packing into an art form, it’s time to search out simple ways to make being on the road a bit easier. Places like Hyatt House, which offers guests some of the comforts of home alongside the advantages of a hotel, make living on the go not only smoother, but more fun.

The next time you check into a hotel with a spate of meetings or tasks ahead of you, try implementing these changes to help you maintain your routine when you’re not at home.

Don’t eat out for every meal.

Eating out is a drain on the wallet and the waistline. Dining out can be a fun experience, but when you travel often sometimes you just want to park yourself in front of the TV in your pajamas and veg out.

Take advantage of hotel kitchenettes — like the ones many Hyatt House properties have all over the world — and cook up some tacos in Mexico City, store drinks in the fridge in Dusseldorf, or warm up that leftover pizza you picked up in New York City.

When you do eat out, try to eat as you would at home.

It’s so tempting to order the most indulgent thing on the menu and that decadent dessert to finish off with — especially if your job is paying for it. But when you eat out often, those calories really add up. Indulge in that tiramisu on vacation, but on a work trip try to eat as you would at home. (And if you do eat dessert every night at home without gaining weight, then tell us your secrets.)

Use the gym.

Yes, we know this is the least fun tip on the list, but it also happens to be one of the most important. Exercise is one of the best things you can do for your body and your mental health. Take a few moments out of your day to pop into the hotel gym — like the 24/7 ones at Hyatt House. And if the treadmill isn’t your thing, you can borrow a yoga mat from the front desk and channel your inner Zen.

Schedule time to catch up on work.

When you’re traveling for work it’s easy to let all your day-to-day tasks fall by the wayside. Instead of letting them pile up, carve out time to catch up on all the things you would be doing if you weren’t on the road. If working in a hotel isn’t for you, drop in on a coworking space to make your workday feel more structured.

Get enough sleep.

We often forgo sleep in favor of all the things we have to do — and that happens even more when we’re traveling somewhere for a limited amount of time. But sleep is one of the most important things you can do for your body, and you shouldn't skimp on it. If you tend to get eight hours of sleep each night at home, make sure you plan to do the same while on the go.

Stay in touch with loved ones.

Travel — especially international travel — can make staying in touch difficult, and it’s even more true if you’re changing time zones. But the relationships you have with friends and family are more important than work.

While traveling for work tends to be busy, staying in touch with family and friends should be a priority. That can mean scheduling time to talk, FaceTiming to say goodnight to little ones, or keeping a great group text about your favorite football team going.

Make time for yourself.

If one of your favorite things to do at night is binge a show on Netflix, make sure you build in time to do that before bed. You may not be in your own home, but the free Wi-Fi offered at most hotels will ensure that your nightly decompression routine doesn’t go by the wayside. A few episodes of “The Crown” before bed might be all it takes to make you feel more at home.

Find a favorite spot and go there often.

Everyone has their favorite restaurant or coffee shop at home, and you should have the same while on the road. Find a place you like and become a repeat customer — even if it’s only for a few days. It will make you feel like you’ve created a little spot for yourself, if only temporarily, and the people who work there may start to remember you too.