You know the drill. Fight your way through a sea of travelers, check the monitor, down a breakfast burrito, and hurry to make your next connection. The plight of the business traveler is well known to anyone who's had to go out-of-state for the good of the company. Business travel may never feel the same as traveling for pleasure-tropical islands rarely being the final destination for business trips-but there are ways to make the experience a little more enjoyable.

Give Yourself Some Time to Be Comfortable

Time is money, and it's important to get where you're going as soon as possible. Still, many business travelers overextend themselves trying to get from point A to point B in record time. For example, if you have to fly from Boston to Shanghai, schedule an overnight stay at a midpoint destination. Traveling for 14 hours straight can take a toll, and you don't want it to be during an important meeting. Including time in your flight schedule for the inevitable delays, overlong meetings, or other snafus will also reduce your business travel-related stress.

And don't forget-scheduling an early morning flight is another way for the business traveler to get ahead. The first flights of the day often experience fewer delays because they have not been stuck in a queue of delayed flights.

Be Prepared for Business Travel

The Boy Scout motto is the same for the smart business traveler: be prepared. As we all know, a million things can go wrong when it comes to business travel-lost luggage, delays, bad weather, etc. If one of these unfortunate events does occur, it's best to be ready. So, don't be shy when it comes to giving out your contact information. Give the airport your cell number, your destination, and hotel address. Make it easy for the bad news to reach you, because what you don't know can hurt you while on a business trip. Also, making copies of your passport or tickets can make it a lot easier to get replacements if those important documents get lost or stolen. Memorizing or keeping a copy of important phone numbers, such as those for cancelling a credit card, will also help in the event of loss or theft.

Know What to Pack and What to Leave at Home

Knowing what to bring and what not to can help make your business travels a lot more manageable. Car keys and unnecessary credit cards are best left at home and out of reach for would-be thieves. If you habitually stay at the same hotel for business, then ask if you can store your gym clothes, personal pillow, or other items in one of the hotel's storage lockers. Why carry something you can store at your destination?

Shipping important items can also alleviate the strain of carrying around an overloaded suitcase. The last thing any business traveler wants to do is get a sweat-inducing workout while trying to get from the airport to the hotel to the business meeting. If you have a large amount of business materials, have them shipped to your hotel via FedEx or UPS. This cuts down on the hassle of getting around, and your shipped items will probably arrive at your destination before you do.

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