What is the best work travel advice you’ve ever been given?
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One of my mentors told me this early in my career. He said:
Book your return flight late so you can spend an evening exploring the city like a local — try the street food, sit in a café, talk to strangers.
Always pack running shoes — running through a new city at sunrise is the fastest way to orient yourself and see it before the crowds wake up.
Carry a tiny notebook — jot down one surprising thing you learned every day (about people, the market, or even yourself).
Skip the hotel restaurant — eat where the locals eat, even if it’s a hole in the wall. That’s where you’ll hear the real conversations.
I’m going to go the other way and say “always check a bag”.
Carry on a light backpack with laptop, work papers, travel documents, and some great noise cancelling headphones.
You’ll exit the battle for bin space, not have to optimize what fits into the bag (scrap the hotel laundry service, or having ironing chores at your hotel). And the TSA liquids, the pocketknife….ugh!
You’ll have practically nothing to look after in the airport, and feel 12% more refreshed in the lightness you experience during travel.
It’s 2025. Even if the whole bag goes missing, you can replace just about all of it without too much hassle most places you go.
Travel only with carry-on luggage for anything within 10 days. Try the best dish in the region you are traveling to - Eat local! Make new friends.
If you are travelling for ten days and only taking a carry-on, make sure you stay at a hotel with a good laundry service, because ten shirts take up a lot of space.<br><br>A ten day business trip would also cover a weekend. Regardless of where you are in the world remember to take the weekend as your own time.
Travel very light.
Only bring what you need, but make sure it’s versatile. Think multi-purpose tech, clothes, and a backup charger.