The Ritual of Work Travel
Transform your work trip into a well-oiled machine
These practices are likely ones you’re already familiar with, but if not, I’ve designed them intuitively, to be easily woven into your daily, weekly, or monthly rhythms. The aim being to transform tasks and to do’s into daily practice— to cultivate a lifestyle you love. Today, we focus on transforming your monthly work trip into something much less chaotic.
The Why
✨ Keep your “at home” calm even out of office.
✨ Focus on other things— like that before takeoff coffee you never have the chance to grab.
✨ Sleep in, arrive to airport on time— less rushing.
The Ritual
You’re crawling into bed the night before your work trip, your mind is at ease. You’ve selected the perfect luggage, packed all the necessities, plus some fun things to ensure a peaceful trip. You didn’t forget your laptop charger, you brought enough snacks to keep your belly full, and you’ve already scoped out the area you’re heading to.
You enjoyed your morning coffee and breakfast ritual, and even had time to relax in the lounge at the airport. As you sit down for takeoff, you remember those peppermint teabags you brought and ask the stewardess for some hot water, you pull out your favorite journal, and tune in to the podcast you remembered to download to your phone. There won’t be any stress this morning because you planned and prepped. Now, let’s turn work travel into both an afterthought and habit you embrace into part of your lifestyle.
As someone who travels full time as part of my job, I have experienced the woes of a work trip gone wrong— here is my best advice for crafting a ritual out of the thing you do either every month, every week, or every day.
Trip Planning
Selecting Luggage
I like my packing experiences to be efficient and effortless. The obvious starting place is with the right luggage. For me, a work trip means we are in and we are out just as quick, meaning— carry on only. I have flown many a mile and after having lost luggage, waiting for slow carousels in unfamiliar airports, I have decided to rid myself of that stress. This is the best one in my opinion. Here is another more economic option. Basically, you need something small enough to fit in most overhead bins, with strong wheels, some form of expandable space for a laptop or iPad, and solid protection for more delicate items.
Additionally, I suggest a chic work tote. You need something to carry items that must remain within reach, think— snacks, earbuds, book, electronics, chargers, sunglasses. This one from Cuyana will fit all your necessities, plus a laptop, and anything else. It comes in a variety of elegant colors.
What to Wear Pre-Flight
Personally, I like an elevated set for the airport like this one from Varley that includes a silky pant and textured quarter-zip. It looks like I spent time putting together an outfit when I didn’t. If you want something even cozier and are in a colder climate, this splurge is so worth it from Soft Goat.
I know this is a hot topic, but for me, jeans on a flight won’t do. These are comfortable enough for a mid to long flight, but composed enough to grab a post flight bite, or run into someone I know at the airport. For the perfect sneaker that’s elevated yet comfortable for lots of walking is these New Balance 327s, they truly match everything.
Flights
A non-negotiable for me is always selecting a nonstop flight with an aisle seat in economy-plus, business, or first when possible. If you must get a layover, I suggest choosing a long enough layover at a decent airport to grab a coffee, snack, or relax in the lounge before the next flight. You don’t want to be running from terminal A to terminal D.
Travel Snacks
This one is easy. Peanut-butter protein balls, Chomps (I like getting the variety pack so I have flavor options during my trip), carrot or celery sticks, whole wheat crackers, nuts (I like pistachios or walnuts), hard-boiled eggs, etc. Or if you’re like me, make yourself a custom lunchable with a variety of all of the above and stick it in your tote. You won’t be tempted by the pretzel packs and boxes for sale.
Know Where You’re Going
I can’t tell you how many times I have been tasked with visiting a place I have never been. Chances are, even if you have been to that country, state, or city, you haven’t spent enough time there to truly know the logistics of it all— is it safe to take walks in the area (as a single female, this question frequently enters my mind), are there nearby healthy spots for lunch or dinner, is the Marriott in that area clean? I suggest doing a bit of research before hand.
Food Desert Anyone?
In the past, I failed to spend the five minutes looking up food options in an area I am traveling to. More often than not I have been left to select between Mcdonald’s and Wendy’s for dinner. We all know what a trip to a fast food chain can do to our systems— you might need some Metamucil after this one.
To combat this, I have begun selecting hotels near Whole Foods. Sounds crazy! If you didn’t know this, Whole Foods does extensive market research, more than the average grocery store, only placing locations in higher income metro areas. Good or bad, this means the area is usually located near things you might need (pharmacy, boutique workout studios, urgent care, quality restaurant locations in the case you take a client out). Not to mention, you can grab a healthy lunch or dinner from their hot food section, something to heat from their microwave area, a made to order coffee or tea, plus a piece of fresh fruit.
To and From The Airport
If driving, reserve a parking spot at the airport a few days in advance through the airport’s online portal to secure a spot and avoid last-minute hassles. Parking garages fill up and you don’t want to be stuck without a spot. If you prefer ride share, reserve your Uber or Lyft the night before so you can avoid any last minute delays.
The Lounge
Locate any lounges you qualify for (at both departure and layover airports) before you fly. That way, you can quickly head straight to one as soon as you arrive without having to search an airport map or deal with spotty Wi-Fi. Many lounges offer healthier food options like salads, protein, and fresh fruit—often much better than what’s available at terminals.
Device Downloads
Airplane wifi is notoriously unreliable. I suggest downloading a book, Spotify playlist, and a few good podcast episodes to your phone. Then, you won’t depend on connection to any source. Don’t forget your charger.
Exercise On The Go
Most of us, whether working out is part of our lifestyle or not, have used class pass in the past. Traveling for work can be boring, and if you don’t want to be stuck in the hotel all day, there are usually plenty of locations part of the app wherever you might be. Try something new!
If you’re like me and belong to a small studio in your area back home, I discovered the perfect travel yoga mat that is so small it will fit in your carry on. I bring it with me and do some sort of mat pilates workout on the mornings before client meetings. It helps energize me for the day.
Arrival and Stay
Once I arrive— I head straight to my hotel to check in, unpack, arrange clothing (which includes these Flore Flore basics I cannot live without), Donni is good too.
wipe down hard surfaces, and set up my room. An item I always bring with me is this Hypochlorous acid spray to spritz on pillowcases, wipe down surfaces, and just generally sanitize the room. Additionally, this mini sound machine packs much more of a punch than it appears to. At night, I plug this guy into my laptop with lavender essential oil for a hotel spa smell. I make sure to bring my Clean Skin Towels XL travel set to keep bacteria at bay.
For my hair, I rely on the Crown Affair Mini Treatment Duo which can be used as your shampoo and conditioner when combating hotel hard water and airplane hair. Pro tip— when they run out, just refill with your Crown Affair shampoo and conditioner of choice from the larger bottles. For pajamas, I feel clean and more put together in a matching pant and long sleeve set. One thing I never forget is my peppermint tea bags from this brand— or my green tea bags for that matter.
For me, within a few minutes, I can transform any hotel room into a makeshift sanctuary for the duration of my stay. I wipe down hard surfaces, spritz sheets and pillow, hang clothes, create an area for my devices to charge, and stow away my luggage from the walkway. This makes my nighttime skin ritual and overall relaxation that much smoother.
P.S. if your room comes with a tub, consider bringing a bath salt and face mask to elevate your nighttime ritual. I like this salt, and this mask.
And remember, your work trip isn’t always ideal, but with a little prep and plan, you can transform it into something that feels like clockwork— a lifestyle shift you embrace.
Enjoy! Xoxo
Brittney✨
Love :) Also, ordering this foldable yoga mat!
Selecting hotels near whole foods 🤯 insanely good hack