There is a big difference between business travel which may last a day, two days or even a week compared to the life that some entrepreneurs who travel continuously for weeks or months in a row have to go through. But it is essential for some areas of business that the professionals representing those businesses stay off the road for a very long time. These road warriors are examples of people who understand the wear and tear that the road can cause on the body, mind, and soul after months of constant travel.
As humans, we are designed to have homes and a nest. So life on the road goes against that natural instinct to settle in one place and rest there. So the first challenge of continuous travel is to find ways to replicate "normal life" despite constant travel. The only factor that can help fight fatigue on the roads is the psychological factor of intimacy.
Since businessmen who travel for several weeks may not see the same people for a very long time and often move from one city to another, hotels and restaurants eventually begin to get foggy in one place and the desire for the familiar "home" begins to define itself. So one way to provide that sense of symmetry is routine. Even on the road, one can set a routine that you can look forward to every evening. Whether that means watching the same TV shows, scheduling your calls home at the same time every day or week or creating a hotel room ritual, by maintaining "symmetry" no matter where you live at any given time gives the traveler that sense of normalcy lost in non-stop travel life.
Oddly enough, role models for successfully living on the road are some rock and roll bands that have been living such a life for years if not decades. If you examine their approach to wandering, those who live this life for a very long time quickly learn to avoid drug use and live a healthy lifestyle. While a typical entrepreneur doesn't have to wake up and perform on stage for thousands, it's important to sleep well and see your digestive systems and regularity remain stable during the constant change of travel.
This could mean creating an exercise system that you simply don't break. The morning run followed by a sauna and a light but healthy breakfast can not only get your day done with the right foot, but it can also confirm your routine and that you are responsible for your lifestyle on the road, not the hotel or the conditions around you.
Another lesson we can see from professional musicians who travel a lot is the extreme dedication to professionalism. For the musician, they are on the road for only one thing, to make great shows to their fans. This concentration can keep them focused for long periods of time. We can translate this focus into who we are as we embark on a long business journey. By focusing on what we are on the road to achieve and delivering 100% of our best efforts, it will give us validation when we find success at every stop along the way.
Musicians who learn to survive on the road learn to take care of each other and use a sense of family and mutual support to pass a difficult tour schedule. If you're traveling with others from your job, this same mutual support can go a long way toward helping everyone survive the experience. Talk openly about the challenges of traveling for such long periods of time. Form a structure for accountability for your professional friendships so that each of you searches for the other. If you can get everyone out for the morning run, your ability to work as a team quickly goes beyond just how you work during meetings but you become a team that supports each other in overcoming the rigors of an aggressive work travel schedule.
By looking at the challenge of surviving road erosion as one of life's great adventures, you can gain energy and determination to win every day of your business journey. This determination will be contagious to your fellow business travelers, which translates into greater success in your business ventures during the trip as well.
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