How to enjoy business travel
At times, traveling the States or the wider world can be a challenge. Getting from A to B can often involve standing in line for longer than you'd ideally want. It can involve trying to find space amongst the crowds. And it can involve jetting off to far-flung cities that sound glamorous in theory, were it not for the fact that you are there to work and not play. But these are merely challenges along the way, and the savvy traveler can ensure that every step of his or her journey is enjoyable – even fun. The following 9 steps could make a big difference.
1. Enjoy the airport
While it's true that airports can be busy, it's never been easier to find your own private space within them. Aside from boasting amenities including world-class shopping, restaurants, bars and spas, business facilities also make it easy to hit deadlines in relative peace and quiet.
To maximize your enjoyment, arrive in plenty of time, stroll the facilities at your leisure and visit your airline's lounge to unwind before your flight. Once inside, you may never want to leave.
2. Cut the lines
Nobody likes standing in line, particularly when traveling, but there are programs designed to make the whole process quicker, easier and less stressful. TSA Pre® and Global Entry are two such options designed to get you through the long lines without the wait. TSA is designed for domestic flights and Global Entry for international flights. Both have a fee and involve a small vetting procedure but are worth the effort.
You may also want to consider CLEAR, another program designed to get you through the screening process by using a fingerprint rather than a license or passport. It too has a fee associated with it and isn't as commonly used as TSA Pre and Global Entry, but it's well worth considering.
And of course, it's a good idea to try to get by with carry-on baggage if you can. Avoid checking baggage and you'll exit the airport more quickly upon arrival.
3. Make time
Even though you're away on business rather than vacation, it still sometimes pays to take the less-is-more approach. Nobody benefits if your business trips push you to the brink of exhaustion. It's far more beneficial to thin out your schedule and allow yourself time to prepare and recharge effectively between meetings.
With that in mind, if your boss is open to the idea, arrive a day earlier to allow yourself time to get settled, especially if you're crossing time zones. Also remind your boss that studies have found that “a disruption to the circadian rhythm you get through jet lag… has long-lasting effects when it builds over time." And long-lasting effects are never good.
4. Relax
Unless you're battling crazy deadlines, schedules or workloads, aim to relax as much as possible on your journey – or at least on the flight itself. Put away your smartphone and laptop and disconnect from your work for the duration of your journey. Recline the seat, watch an inflight movie, read a book and take the time to recharge so that you arrive refreshed and ready to hit the ground running.
5. Make more time
If at all possible, try to factor in some time away from your work to see the sights around you. This is particularly important if you've flown halfway around the world: if you're traveling the world, make time to actually see it, experience it and taste it. If you have time between meetings, explore. Once the day is over, head out to eat in the city, rather than just ordering room service and staring at the hotel's walls.
Try to appreciate where you are, or risk every place just blurring into one. And if you have the option, particularly in a long-haul location you may not plan on returning to, consider adding on a day or two at the end of your trip to see the place as a tourist, not as a businessman or woman. Try to make your business trip an experience you'll remember years down the line. Why? Because to not see the Rocky steps in Philly, the Trevi Fountain in Rome or the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin would be a missed opportunity you may one day regret.
6. Live like a local
If you do have time to explore the city, use a local guide to make sure you don't just wander aimlessly and miss all the essential sites and experiences. As before, scheduling some down time to see the outside world will help you experience more, recharge your batteries between meetings and avoid burning out. But a word of warning: if you are likely to be wandering the city, pack appropriately – footwear you can walk in should be high on your list of priorities.
7. Stay fit and healthy
It's easy to live a less healthy life when you're flying around on business, it's been found that business travelers are more likely to get sick than 'regular' travelers. Pack your exercise gear and use the hotel gym facilities or explore the area on foot. Studies link regular exercise to a variety of cognitive benefits, including improved concentration, sharper memory, prolonged mental stamina, enhanced creativity and lower stress.
What you eat also impacts on how you perform. Fast food and extended periods of inertia can become the norm – and over time make you feel sluggish. The solution is simple: try to plan ahead as much as possible, long before you actually get hungry, and stick to what you generally eat. Grabbing something – anything – quickly when hunger strikes usually leads to bad quick-fix food decisions, and risking a new exotic diet in a foreign land right before an important presentation could have terrible repercussions.
8. Call home regularly
The lifestyle of a regular business traveler may be glamorous in parts, but it can get lonely if you're away from a wife or husband and kids. This was a more acute problem back before they invented FaceTime and Skype. And while staring down the screen at your loved ones many miles away isn't quite the same as a hug, it's the next best thing, so use the tech we have to stay in regular touch. Because while it's a generalization to say that a happier traveler performs more effectively, it's also usually true.
9. Upgrade your experience
One of the great benefits of flying regularly is that the more you fly, the better the rewards. Flying regularly on United Airlines helps you achieve Premier status, which gives you bonus award miles, upgrade opportunities, priority travel services, fee waivers, discounts and much more. Take advantage and the more you fly, the more comfortable your whole journey becomes.
United Airlines now offers the new United PolarisSM business class option. Offering a new United Polaris lounge, personalized dining and bar service, relaxation areas and rest pods, plus world-class comfort onboard, every element of United Polaris is designed to maximize your enjoyment of business travel. Click here to find out more.
If you can't get to Mars, what's the next best thing? Apparently Iceland. A team of renowned explorers and researchers recently journeyed to Iceland to test a Mars analog suit in a Martian-like environment.
The United sponsored expedition, led by The Explorers Club — an internationally recognized organization that promotes the scientific exploration of land, sea, air and space — and in partnership with Iceland Space Agency, involved the team venturing inside the Grímsvötn volcano and across the Vatnajökull ice cap. The group traveled to the remote location and lived for six days in the Grímsvötn Mountain Huts and endured harsh weather conditions and unstable terrain.
Helga Kristin Torfadöttir, Geologist and glacier guide, using the LiDAR system to map the ground and test the suit's capabilities on the glacier.
The objective of the mission was to explore the potential of concept operations at the Grímsvötn location while testing the suit in an arctic environment similar to what would be found on the surface of Mars. "This mission was an important test of the design of the MS1 suit, but it was also incredibly helpful to understand the how to conduct these sorts of studies in Iceland," said Michael Lye, MS1 designer and NASA consultant and RISD professor. "No matter how thoroughly something is tested in a controlled environment like a lab, studying it in a setting that accurately represents the environment where it will be used is absolutely essential to fully understand the design."
The suit was designed and constructed by faculty and students at the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) with input and guidance from members of the HI-SEAS IV crew and NASA's Johnson Space Center Space Suit Engineering team. At 50-60 lbs, the suit is similar to what a planetary exploration suit would weigh in Martian gravity. The suit was originally designed to be used in the warm climate of Hawaii, however the martian climate is much closer to what would be found on top of the glaciers in Iceland. The data collected will inform the future of habitat and spacesuit design that can be used to train astronauts on Earth.
Today, we remember the colleagues, customers and every single victim of the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.
I know each of us in the United family marks this difficult moment in our own way. Still, we all share a common commitment to honor how our brothers and sisters left us and also celebrate what they gave to us during their lives. We remember their professionalism and heroism. We cherish their camaraderie and friendship. We carry with us the examples they set forth, especially in the heroism and bravery displayed by so many on that terrible day. Above all, we understand a simple truth: While thousands of our fellow human beings lost their lives in New York City, Arlington and Shanksville, the attacks of September 11th were aimed at all people of peace and good will, everywhere. They were attacks on the values that make life worth living, as well as the shared purpose that make us proud of what we do as members of the United family: connecting people and uniting the world.
We may live in times scarred by discord and disagreement, and we know there are those around the world who seek to divide us against one another. But, on this day – above all – we come together, as one. We affirm our core belief that far, far more unites us as citizens and fellow human beings than can ever divide us.
Let us embody that belief as we go about serving our customers and one another – on this day and every day – as we continue to help building a world that's more united. Let that be our memorial to the sisters and brothers we lost, eighteen Septembers ago.
Humbly,
Oscar
A team of search and rescue experts from Empact Northwest departed Newark International Airport (EWR) this morning for Nassau (NSA), the capital of the Bahamas to help meet the pressing need for search and rescue services identified by Bahamian Prime Minister Hubert Minnis in the aftermath of Hurricane Dorian. The Empact Northwest team worked with Airlink, a rapid-response humanitarian relief organization that connects airlines with non-governmental organizations (NGOs), that respond quickly and efficiently in the wake of major disasters.
"We can't thank United enough for allowing us to jump out of the gate right away to aid people devastated by this storm," said Airlink Strategic Advisor Emily Sperling. "Search and rescue, medical care, temporary shelter, food and access to potable water are among the most immediate and pressing needs identified in the region. United's assistance is critical in ensuring that groups like Empact Northwest join others, including Mercy Corps, ADRA, and Heart to Heart International in fulfilling those most basic needs."
Airlink notes that our assistance enables two types of first responders to arrive quickly: those with specialized response capabilities like search and rescue, as well as assessment teams, who identify the most pressing needs and establish partnerships quickly to distribute supplies more efficiently once they are on the ground in country. Our partnership is felt long after the initial outreach after a disaster, too, according to Ms. Sperling. "After Irma and Maria hit the Caribbean in 2017, we received requests to transport relief workers a year or two later, to provide training and rebuilding assistance to help these communities develop future resilience," she said. The partnership also helps move responders into place to assist U.S. East Coast communities in the path of this tremendous storm.
You can join us in our disaster relief efforts by donating to our Crowdrise fundraising page here.
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