5 Pre-flight Tips for Chilled Corporate Travelers

Contributed article in our business series. Enjoy! – Kimberly

Unless you’re a seasoned business traveler, the thought of that sales trip to Tallahassee may fill you with dread.

From cramming yourself into the airport bus to pushing inedible airline food round a plastic plate while pining for your loved ones, the whole sorry scenario can be deeply unpleasant.

But what if there was a way to flip the script so completely that you embrace the corporate travel concept as robustly as a lost supermarket kid finally finding his mother?

There is a way to make this experience productive and pleasurable, but proper planning is essential — so here are five pre-flight tips that will keep you cool as a corporate cucumber.

1. Sneakers

First thing’s first — stash those killer heels firmly at the back of your suitcase until it’s time to dress to impress.

Flying’s all about comfort, so a prime pro  tip is purchasing slides, sandals or sneakers that are comfy, convenient and don’t trap those tootsies.

Investing in a classic pair of Superga kicks is a superbly stylish option — their effortlessly elegant Italian lines feel as fabulous as they look.

2. Power suit

Some styles of yesteryear deserve to be banished to the garbage bin of fashion history — mullet hairstyles and piano ties are prime examples.

Buts sometimes unlikely items are repurposed for contemporary times and tweaked enough to make them trendy — like this year’s cool pink power suit from Fomm.

Match it with a plain white t-shirt for a look that’s on the subtle side of Miami Vice.

3. Parking

At first glance, traveling from home to the airport in public transport might seem cheap and cheerful.

But when you’re stuffed under the hairy armpit of an anonymous commuter in the middle of a traffic jam, you might feel more antsy than awesome.

Better to cruise in your own ride and drop it off before skipping to the terminal — booking airport parking with Looking4.com ensures your vehicle’s safely stashed until you return.

4. Book

There’s nothing like a good read to help you escape into your own imagination during a flight — and it should be a classic printed on good old-fashioned paper.

Losing yourself in Our Man in Havana by Graham Green is the very dab — curl up with this Cold War tale of a vacuum cleaner salesman turned secret agent and let literature caress you.

And if you finish it on your flight, create your own mini-mystery by leaving it behind for a random stranger.

5. Podcast

If you’re more into audio entertainment than words, why not download a few entertaining podcasts to plug into while you’re airborne?

There’s a huge choice available, but tuning into Arianna Huffington’s Thrive Global podcast will keep you up to date with thought leadership from big brains in business and beyond.

By the time you walk into your first networking meeting, your brain will be buzzing with ideas that break the ice with the frostiest corporate connections.

That’s our list! Can you add any other travel tips? Share them in the comments section.

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