If you only travel occasionally, your body may not be as accustomed to the changes as frequent fliers are. To make sure you don’t experience the dreaded post-trip crash (symptoms: disturbed sleep, major fatigue and an inevitable cold or flu virus), commit yourself to these defensive practices.
Getting Enough Rest
Even if socializing into the wee hours is the expected behavior at the conference you’re attending, you need to dial it back a bit when compared to your peers. They may appear to be having a great time now, but they’ll pay for it when they get home – and that’s exactly what you’re trying to avoid. So have an after-meeting dinner or drink, and then excuse yourself to retreat to your hotel for the night. You’ll feel better in the morning, and when you return home.
Drinking Enough Water
Some coffee in the morning, a diet soda at lunch and a cocktail in the evening is probably fine for most people, but hitting any of those things too hard while traveling on business is a bad idea. If you don’t want to suffer from gastro-intestinal problems, fatigue and headaches, then focus on drinking water rather than caffeine and alcohol. It sounds like common sense, but too many business travelers treat their trips like vacations, and live to regret it by the time they board the plane going home.
Eating with Caution
One of the best things about all the information we have access to today is learning about places to eat in other locales. But remember, not every restaurant you see on TV is worth the hype. Then, there are food trucks; they may seem like an affordable way to get an urban-esque meal on the go in a big city, but they can also be subject to health risks that traditional restaurants are not. To reduce the risk of food-borne illness, read up thoroughly about any food establishment you are planning to visit on your trip.
You want to have a great time on your trip, but being healthy is more important. To make sure you are in good physical condition when you return, be committed to practicing these things while traveling on business. The post-business trip crash just isn’t worth the risk.