Man checking his smartwatch on a frosty morning while out for a run

Keeping fit and healthy on work trips

Business trips don't have to derail your health routine. Whether you're flying across continents or driving to a nearby city, staying fit and maintaining healthy habits is possible with a bit of planning. 

This guide covers everything from packing smart to squeezing in workouts, so you can arrive at your best and keep your energy up throughout the trip.

TL;DR

  • Pack a mini first aid kit with essentials like plasters, hand sanitiser, and any prescription medications
  • Start your day with a proper breakfast and maintain regular eating patterns
  • Stay hydrated throughout your journey, especially on flights
  • Incorporate short HIIT workouts that don't require much space
  • Plan your travel timings carefully to arrive rested and ready
  • Get enough sleep and take time to decompress between work commitments

Contents

Your travel first aid kit

Pack a mini first aid kit for every business trip, no matter where you're heading or how long you're away from home. First aid supplies and medication might not be as readily available in other countries, and may differ from what's available at home. The basics are enough to prevent you getting ill or handling cuts and bruises, just like you would if you were going about your day-to-day life.

Essential items for your first aid kit:
  • Plasters
  • Blister pads
  • Disposable gloves
  • Gauze
  • Tweezers
  • Scissors
  • Safety pins
  • Rehydration salts
  • Tensor bandages
  • Thermometer
  • Sterile dressings
  • Hand sanitiser
  • Masks

Travelling with medications

Discuss the use of medications with your healthcare provider before departure and carefully follow the directions for use, including dosage and when to seek medical care.

Take more than enough medication, syringes and needles to last your entire trip. Some countries require you to carry a doctor's letter or a copy of the original prescription. Specific medication can be banned in some countries, so check if there are restrictions.

Medications for your first aid kit:
  • Any prescription or over-the-counter medication you normally use
  • 1% hydrocortisone cream to treat minor skin irritation, such as itching caused by bug bites or poison ivy
  • Allergy medication, such as an antihistamine or an EpiPen®
  • Anti-diarrhoeal medication
  • Anti-motion sickness medication
  • Anti-fungal and antibacterial ointments or creams
  • Cold and flu medications
  • Pain and fever medication
  • Stomach and intestinal medication, such as antacids and laxatives
  • If recommended, destination-specific medication, e.g. malaria

10 travel diet and lifestyle tips

 

1. Start the day off right

Breakfast truly is the most important meal of the day. Keep it simple with options like eggs or granola with fruit; both will leave you with energy all morning long.

2. Moderation

Don't throw your usual routine out of the window. Try and stick to the portion sizes you'd normally have at home. Same goes for alcohol – you may be entertaining clients, or being treated by those you are visiting. Still have fun of course, but stay within your limits, especially in a professional environment.

3. Sleep

Business trips can be full on. On top of your reason for travelling, there's so many new and exciting things to think about! A new city, meeting people face to face for the first time, the airport and flight experience, hotel rooms. 

As exciting as it all is, it's important to get enough sleep. Tiredness is not good for decision making and your mental health. Get a decent night's sleep the night before you leave, and remember to rest when you get home too. Eye masks and ear plugs help.

4. Eat well

Flights and meetings can throw off your mealtimes. The easiest way to keep your energy up is to eat small amounts spread throughout the day, such as granola bars, nuts and dried fruit. If you're worried about your options in the place you're visiting, pack some from home. 

Sticking to some kind of eating routine will really help offset jetlag when you come home too.

5. Plan ahead

Check your food and drink options before you travel. Is there a nearby store where you can grab some snacks? Does the hotel have a restaurant or bar you could use? If your colleagues have been to the city before, ask them for recommendations.

6. Hydrate

Flights can often leave you feeling dehydrated; it's just so humid on planes. Save yourself the headache by drinking lots of water or trying a hydration tablet full of electrolytes. 

If you take up the offer of a mid-flight alcoholic drink or caffeine fix, balance it out with water to keep hydrated.

7. Stress less

Make sure you relax! Have a good night's sleep the night before your trip. Be organised, and have a plan to avoid a late rush or last-minute stress. Try and take some time to yourself while you're away. Maybe take a walk, practice some mindfulness, or switch off with a book or crossword.

8. Mid-flight movements

Sitting in one place isn't good in any situation, but especially on a long journey or during a long meeting. Get out of your seat regularly to release tight muscles and get the best circulation. Relax different parts of your body by changing your position.

9. Arrival reset

Flights in particular can make your face and hands dry, especially if you're travelling with a mask on. After landing, moisturise your face and hands when you get the chance. Take a daytime walk at the earliest opportunity – it's refreshing and it'll help you adjust to the new time zone. An arrival routine kick-starts you for the trip and gets you in the right mindset.

10. Don't just pack for work

Work outfits and footwear, tick. Clothes for the downtime and social events, tick. Toiletries, tick. What about the items that'll boost your health and mental wellbeing?

Pack these essentials:

  • Headphones to block out travel sounds or listen to some music or a podcast; it's really good for your mental health, and helps you get to sleep too
  • Comfy clothes and footwear for a walk or run. Getting out and about helps your physical and mental health
  • Reusable water bottle is handy to have across your entire trip; it saves on plastic and avoids touching anything that isn't yours
  • Lightweight fitness equipment that can help you stretch or for a quick workout, like a resistance band or skipping rope
  • If exercise isn't your thing, make sure you pack something that helps you switch off from work for a while. It could be a book or magazine, or something to get your brain ticking like sudoku.

Fitness on the go

Exercise can be the last thing on your mind during a trip away. You may need to make extra effort to find the time to fit in a workout. But it is possible, even in a teeny hotel room.

Short on space and time?

High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) is our number one recommendation for a travel workout. Why? The benefits of this style include increasing metabolism, endurance, strength and power, while offering variety to your training. The fact it's short bursts of exercise means you can fit it into your work trip, and it doesn't take up much room, so you can do the exercises in your hotel room.

Be kind to yourself

It's important to restore and relax your muscles and ligaments after travel. Any tightness from sitting in one position for too long can quickly cause pain, stiffness or knots. Spend at least one minute on each tender point and gradually apply more pressure as it releases. Ah, that's better. Create further muscular Zen with our top six stretches and yoga posts. Your body will thank you for it.

Our favourite workouts

To get you started, here are 10 of our favourite exercises that you can easily incorporate into your workout absolutely anywhere – from local parks and hotel gyms or even your hotel room!

  1. Squats
  2. Skipping
  3. Walking lunges
  4. Push ups
  5. Burpees
  6. Mountain climbers
  7. Plank to pushup
  8. Tricep dips
  9. Tuck jumps
  10. Bicycle crunches 

Get the most out of your business trip

To nail that pitch or meeting, you need to set yourself up for success. Over the years, we've seen the good, the bad and the ugly of business travel. There's some simple steps that'll keep you at your A-game.

Timings

You need to arrive at your best and ready to work. Can you do that if you're rushing around or your timings are too tight? 

Think carefully about flight lengths, transit times, hotel check-in, meeting times and everything in between. If it's looking like it could be stressful, think about taking a better-timed flight, or arriving the day before so you can readjust and put your best foot forward.

Arrival transport

This relates to timings, but it's important to think about separately. When you arrive at your destination, how are you getting to your hotel or meeting? Think about those timings and traffic during the day. 

If you're renting a car, you need to feel comfortable driving. Arriving in the middle of the night means you won't be as 'on it', especially if you haven't slept very well on the plane. If you think you'll be too ropey, consider getting a taxi or arranging a transfer instead.

Returning

Work trips can be tiring – will you feel okay to drive home? A taxi, a lift or public transport might be a better option. 

Consider some downtime before going back to the office as well. Can you work from home for a day to readjust or take the day off? Travelling and working in different locations can take its toll.

Working

You might be travelling for work, but do you have to still manage your inbox and usual workload? It's a balance that you'll need to prepare and plan for. 

Check if your travel policy allows you to travel in business class so you can get some work done on the plane. It'll take some pressure off when you arrive. 

Consider your hotel too. Budget-friendly hotels don't always include a desk area or unlimited WiFi. It's not always ideal to work from a local coffee shop's Wi-Fi. Check what your travel policy allows.

FAQs

  • How do I stay fit during business travel?

    Pack lightweight fitness equipment like resistance bands, schedule short HIIT workouts in your hotel room, and take advantage of hotel gyms or outdoor spaces for walks and runs. Even 15-20 minutes of exercise can make a difference.

  • What should I pack in my travel first aid kit?

    Include essentials like plasters, hand sanitiser, pain medication, anti-diarrhoeal medication, rehydration salts, and any prescription medications you regularly take. Don't forget items specific to your destination, such as malaria medication if recommended.

  • How can I maintain healthy eating habits on work trips?

    Start with a proper breakfast, pack healthy snacks like nuts and granola bars, stick to your normal portion sizes, and plan ahead by researching food options near your hotel or meeting location.

  • What's the best way to deal with jetlag?

    Maintain regular eating patterns, stay hydrated, get natural daylight as soon as you arrive, and try to adjust to the local time zone immediately. A daytime walk after landing can help reset your body clock.

  • How do I balance work and rest during business trips?

    Build in buffer time between meetings, arrive the day before important presentations if possible, schedule downtime for yourself, and consider taking a day to work from home after returning to readjust.