Business Travelers’ Pet Peeves (Part 2)

Yesterday, I spoke about the four most irritating aspects of business travel and gave tips on how to overcome the first two, Flight Delays and Being Away From Loved Ones. Today, I look at a few tips I’ve picked up along the way to take care of number three and four.

Not getting a restful sleep

Pilots, flight attendants and travelers definitely have challenges getting consistent good sleep. Hotel noises, waking up and not knowing where you’re at, and varying pillows and mattresses do nothing to help induce a solid night of zzzzz’s.

I love the scent of a spritz of lavender spray or, my favorite, Zen’s Purple Garden lavender sachet on my pillow. Lavender scent is known for its sleep-inducing qualities.

To block out hotel noises, I sleep with a pillow speaker attached to my iPod. Soft playing relaxing music helps me nod off without hearing doors close, elevators moving and people talking.

Quieting the mind an hour or so before bedtime also helps getting down to the business of falling asleep. For those of us (too often, me) who are online or working until the last minutes before bedtime, we need to give our minds time to relax instead of jumping into bed with worries about the undone to-do list looping through our brain. Tip: ask the hotel for a shut-down call about an hour before your desired sleep time.

Airport Security

I left the least fun pet peeve until last. Airport security is a necessary evil, so find the most enjoyable way to get through it as fast as you can!

Wear security-friendly clothes on travel day. For women: slip-on shoes, a sweater-set, no big metal jewelry or buttons, and no belts or collars that need to be all situated again on the other end of security. If you wear a jacket, you will most likely be asked to remove it, but sweater-sets don’t usually get tagged as undress items. Men: wear slip-on shoes as well. If you’re wearing a jacket, move all the items (wallet, coins, keys) from your slacks pockets in your coat before you get in line, and place your jacket in a TSA-bin. Be ready by having your belt and shoes off as well.

Look for the savviest travelers to get in line with. Avoid families with strollers at all costs, teens (they usually have drink bottles that they forget to take out of their bags), and tourists with lots of souvenir bags. Look for people with the above security-friendly clothes so that they go through security just as fast as you. A full line of people wearing big boots, sneakers and jackets and you’ll be in line way too long!

Happy traveling … and say good-bye to your travel pet peeves!