Personal Advancement
Professional travellingDon't let business trips derail your professionalism. Take them in stride with a few tips and shortcuts from one veteran business trekker. |
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 [ 2007-08-15 ] |
(Comstock)
"If anyone said to me years ago that I would be spending my life on the road, I would dread it," said Jan Tomlinson, an executive vice-president at The Chubb Group of Insurance Cos. who spends half her work time travelling. "But it's invigorating to be in the field with people in other locations."
Tomlinson offers the following tips for professional road warriors:
- Pack smart: Keep a separate travel set of toiletries and cosmetics that you never unpack at home. Also, wrap your clothing in dry cleaners' plastic to help prevent wrinkles.
- The more you know: Stick with familiar hotel chains, so you know what to expect when it comes to security and amenities. Check out the political environment and visit tourism websites for more local information such as safe places to jog.
- Watch the clock: Set your watch to the local time as soon as you board the plane, so you can adjust to the time change as quickly as possible.
- Stick to business: Keep a business trip strictly business and leave the family at home.
"I start the day with business breakfast and end it with a business dinner," Tomlinson said. "There's really never a lot of time to do anything personally."
How many hours a week do you work?