Business Travel Tips for Location Independent Professionals

June 28, 2010 38 Comments

business travel tips

Location: Home Office – Reading Time: 5mins

Being location independent is more than just being able to work from coffee shops and beaches via a laptop, whilst conversing with clients worldwide. The true location independent professional will spend a lot of time actually traveling. A little while ago, I posted an article here on the blog in regards to travel tips for entrepreneurs, which was quite popular. However this was aimed more towards people who are usually based in the same location, who travel from time to time and wanted to maximize their work on the hop, through utilizing certain business travel tips.

So, for the more nomadic modern day entrepreneurs that read the blog, here are a bunch of simple tips that you can use to maximize the time you spend on the road traveling, and generally enjoy the travel itself, a little more than usual.

Airline Food Sucks!

For any of us who have spent any real time up in the air (a la George Clooney, yet without the 1 million air miles and a personal phone operator that picks up a dedicated line when you call for reservations!), we all know that airline food is terrible.

Not only that, but the snacks that they offer are usually either:

  • Too small.
  • Too salty.
  • Just plain horrible.

Always make sure that you carry a decent selection of nutritious, healthy snacks in your bag. These can be anything from a simple granola bar, or an apple, right the way down to pre-bottled protein shake.

Don’t Bring the Kitchen Sink With You!

Traveling lightly as a nomadic entrepreneur and location independent professional is an absolute necessity. Pack everything you can into one suitcase, or backpack and take just the absolute bare essentials in your hand carry. When I travel personally, I usually have pretty much the same stuff in my carry on bag, namely:

  • Laptop & USB Hard Drive
  • Cell Phone & Charger
  • Notebook & Pen
  • Snacks & Vitamin C
  • Passport

Check out my “Mobile Office” for a video snap-shot of what I bring with me when I travel to be able to seamlessly work when ‘away’.

Wake Up the Right Way at the Right Time!

If I had a hundred dollars for every hotel alarm clock or wake-up call that I’ve missed because someone had forgotten to replace the battery, forgotten to plug the damned thing in after housekeeping has been in the room, or has just plain forgotten to make that wake-up call at 5:30 in the morning, so I don’t miss my flight to San Francisco the next day… I’d be a very rich individual…!!!

I’ve started carrying a cooking timer with me in the last couple of years whilst I travel, I got this tip from a well known location independent person that you’ve probably heard of before, Tim Ferriss, author of the best selling book The 4 Hour Work-week. This thing absolutely has never let me down in the 5 or 6 times that I’ve used it, and it only cost me $7.

Relax and Rejuvenate

Often when location independent professionals are traveling, they focus on other business travel tips and not probably the most important travel tip of all time. And that is, to sleep properly.

I’ve always been a fan of traveling, however, over the last 9-10 years, I have traveled extensively all over the world and have always had my own eye mask and ear plugs with me. They really help with relaxing properly and have enabled me to always a good quality night’s sleep. And here’s an added tip, forget about those little foam spongy ear plugs you get for free in business class, that cancel only maybe 60% of the noise that is around you. Go for the wax ear plugs instead. You can usually pick them up in any stores that sell swimming accessories. They will literally mute everything around you! Awesome.

So there you have it, a collection of business travel tips for the modern day entrepreneur, location independent professional and nomadic adventurer on a mission to make money from a laptop. If you enjoy these tips please spread the word by retweeting the article, and don’t forget to add yours into the mix in the comments section too. After all, we can all learn from each other right?

Filed Under: Entrepreneurship, Passive Income, Super Mobility, Travel Tagged With: , , ,

Comments

  1. Susan says:
    June 29, 2010 at 12:32 am  (Quote)

    I’ve been waiting to read this! You know what I love about this, almost as much as how beautifully well-written it is? You just goes to show you don’t have to go halfway round the world to have a fun travel adventure. You just have to have the right attitude.

    Reply
    • Chris C. Ducker says:
      June 29, 2010 at 1:11 am  (Quote)

      Hi Susan

      Thank you for your kind comment. Its much appreciated.

      Glad you liked it, and that your ‘wait’ is over, so to speak.

      Hope to see you commenting again soon!

      Best,
      Chris

      Reply
  2. Mars Dorian says:
    June 29, 2010 at 12:44 am  (Quote)

    Chris, those are actually tips that apply for backpackers as well.

    I always forget the alarm, and traveling minimalistic isn’t one of my strengths either !
    The next time I get on a plane, I will heed your warnings.

    The only thing I disagree with: airline food. I feel like child in a candy store whenever I see this toy shaped meals. They sometimes look so alien it’s pure enjoyment to just open them.

    Reply
    • Chris C. Ducker says:
      June 29, 2010 at 1:12 am  (Quote)

      Hi Mars

      I have a friend of mine that LOVES airline food. I have never been able to ‘get that’. For me, they just dont strike home as anything remotely associated with ‘food’.

      I guess its a personal preference thing.

      Thanks for the comment, buddy.

      Chris

      Reply
  3. Ryan Hanzel says:
    June 29, 2010 at 5:01 am  (Quote)

    As having traveled a ton with the military I carry a utility backpack that has a slot for my laptop, zipper net for my handy small accessories, several other compartments, and external straps that I use for my neck pillow so I don’t clutter the inside of my bag. I don’t carry anything on me after I get my ticket (in my pockets) except my ID and of course my ticket. The rest I leave inside of my bag for easily going through security check points. I go through those a lot since I am a smoker and I try not to wear any articles of clothing that will set the buzzer off. The less things you take off is the less things you have to put back on. So short of writing a book here the summary is my bag will fit in the overhead, I am comfortable, and it don’t take me more than 45 seconds to complete a task my entire time in the airport.

    Reply
    • Chris C. Ducker says:
      June 29, 2010 at 10:31 am  (Quote)

      Hi Ryan

      Excellent comment. I do very similar things in terms of making sure my pockets are empty, for check-points, etc.

      These are amazingly simple things to do to make your life a lot easier, yet so many people dont think of them. I guess its guys like you that give these tips away that make the world of difference for the odd traveler here and there. :-)

      Thanks for the comment, bud!

      Chris

      Reply
  4. Sam Wilson says:
    June 30, 2010 at 1:43 am  (Quote)

    Hi Chris

    Great collection of tips. I like the wax ear plug idea. I used to swim in college, so know how great those things are.

    Looking forward to the next post.

    Sam

    Reply
  5. Phil Montero says:
    June 30, 2010 at 8:32 pm  (Quote)

    Another great post Chris! Thanks for sharing your tips to make being mobile easier and less stressful. Once again you prove it’s the simple strategies and solutions that work the best!

    Reply
  6. TheInfoPreneur says:
    July 2, 2010 at 10:31 am  (Quote)

    I’d say …always make sure you carry cashola in 2 different pockets. You reach into the first one, as you get mugged and hand that to the people. Then the second pocket-full will get you home.
    :)

    Branodn

    Reply
  7. ka kei ho says:
    July 8, 2010 at 8:57 am  (Quote)

    Hi Chris,

    I am currently starting my own business and while I do so I intend to travel through China. I have travel before, but never with any responsability like being the CEO of my own company (altough my company is VERY small).

    I find your tips extremly helpful, I would add that having a copy of your passport in an other place that you consider safe it’s definitely something everybody should do (maybe in your wallet).

    And yes, Airline food is just as good as microwave food.

    I find funny the remark of Up a day in the air, I watched that one the last 14 hours flight I took…

    My best Regards.

    Reply
    • Chris C. Ducker says:
      July 8, 2010 at 3:41 pm  (Quote)

      Hello Ka Kei Ho!

      Thank you for your great comment.

      I am glad that you enjoyed reading.

      And congrat’s on starting a business of your own, as an entrepreneur your freedom will be a prime example of WHY people should look at becoming their own boss… I like your tip on carrying a copy of your passport – amazingly, with all the traveling I have done in my life, I have actually NEVER done this. It does make TOTAL sense to do it though, for safety’s sake.

      Thanks again for dropping by here at the VBL Blog. I really appreciate it.

      Enjoy China… It’s an awesome place…!

      Chris

      Reply
  8. Irshad says:
    July 11, 2010 at 10:54 pm  (Quote)

    Travelling is always make different experience to many people in many ways. Its important to make a good plan before go for travel.

    Reply
  9. tullibo says:
    July 26, 2010 at 8:55 am  (Quote)

    Re the airline food – this one really bugs me when I’m on the road but you can partially get around it by ordering the vegan or vegetarian meal through most airlines online portal but you need to do it 24+ hours in advance of the flight

    I do this for every flight now because the food is generally way fresher, way hotter and far healthier as opposed to the other crap they serve up which I swear is designed to clog you up and make you sleepy.

    I shared this with some colleagues I was travelling with a few weeks ago when we were on a whirlwind tour of 4 locations in 5 days but they didnt heed my advice – the last flight we took they got served up a chocolate bar, a muffin and a bread roll while I tucked into a freshly made chickpea salad

    Reply
    • Chris C. Ducker says:
      July 26, 2010 at 9:25 am  (Quote)

      Hi Brendan

      Great comment, bud.

      Yep – you’re right, it is designed to make you go to sleep – loaded with carbs and clog you up – can you say ‘dont go to the bathroom!!’.

      I’m glad you posted this, and its nice to see a slightly older’ post getting regular traffic, too!

      Thanks for stopping by.

      Chris

      Reply
  10. Ashlyn says:
    January 10, 2011 at 3:48 am  (Quote)

    Hello Chris,

    These are great and helpful business travel tips!

    Being a businessman who travels a lot, it actually gets quite tiring. Most people like me who most of the time are away from family and regular workplace, new cultures and business etiquettes of foreign countries could be quite an experience. Yet thanks to a smart businessman like Chris here who shares with us generous tips and other wise safety measures to keep the going fun and safe. Applying these great business travel tips, each business meeting abroad is sure to be productive.

    Keep the good stuffs going Chris!

    Reply

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