Have you ever thought to yourself: “that’s so simple – I just assumed everyone knew/did that?!!” It happens to me often because I have some basic, simple, success steps that I follow in my personal and professional life that, quite frankly, I have often assumed that most people knew about and executed.

I have come to realize that we all have our own individual gifts and talents and that what I take for granted is not necessarily something that everyone else does know.  For me, it is in the area of time management and pre-planning. Once I have made a commitment, for instance, with respect to healthy eating and exercise – there’s no stopping me. And the secret to success is in the pre-planning. Be prepared!

When it comes to business travel (or personal travel, for that matter), it is often easy to just throw things to the wind and tell yourself that you’ll get ‘back on track’ when you get home. I prefer not to operate that way. When it comes to business travel, I plan ahead and establish a routine and in this article, I will share some of my favorites.

1. HEALTHY EATING:

Eating in Restaurants: I do not look at the menu. Listen, I love eating as much as anyone but, quite frankly, I pretty much know what is on any given menu. When travelling, I am eating out all the time. I know what I want – and just ask for it – and for the way I would like it prepared – I always order first, when in a group, so that I don’t succumb to another food choice that sounds better than what I ordered, LOL!

The famous protein shake: With the food plan I am currently following, it calls for a protein shake for breakfast. That is not typically served in any hotel restaurant. So, I contact the hotels ahead of time and ask if they will accommodate my request – their only requirement is that I bring my own protein powder – they provide the strawberries and almond milk. Terrific.

Getting things across the border/Customs: I often travel to the U.S. from Canada. Taking a Ziploc bag of white powder across the border is, well, not a smart plan. So, I contacted one of my colleagues in the U.S., who attends the same meetings, and asked for her help with this. She showed up with individual mini-packs for me! Success!

Flight times that do not coordinate with meal times: We all know, by now, that food on airplanes would cause Dr. Oz to have a heart attack – and you, too, should you choose to imbibe! When sitting at airports, waiting for a noon flight for example – I purchase a salad (which includes some protein), a bottle of water and no-fat salad dressing. All set to go!

2. EXERCISE.

A good friend of mine, who travels ALL the time, gave me a great piece of advice years ago and that was ‘pack your exercise clothes first!”  If something else doesn’t fit in the suitcase as a result, TOO BAD!  That advice has stuck with me and ‘saved me’ many times. I always travel with my laptop and I take my exercise DVDs with me – and exercise in my hotel room. Failing the DVDs, I pack a skipping rope – that’s effective exercise! Phew! Always feels so good when it’s done.

3. SLEEPING

My sleep is very important to me especially when I am on the road. I make a commitment to myself to stick to my regular routine – no food or drink past 7:00 p.m. (where at all possible – sometimes meals are scheduled later, in which case, I choose a lighter selection).  I do not do any work late at night – sitting in front of the bright computer screen disrupts my sleep patterns, so I just don’t do it.  It also over-stimulates my brain and then I have things running through my head all night – not ideal.

I transition from business mode into quiet mode for about a half hour before hitting the bed. I keep the room dark, cool and quiet.

4. LEARNING WHILE TRAVELLING.

I love learning! Often, I download audios from different teleseminars and transfer them over to my I-Phone. When travelling, either on the plane or in airports waiting for planes, I pop on an audio – grab my notebook, sit back and enjoy some quality content. That’s efficient for me – otherwise, these audios pile up in my in-box with the thought that I’ll ‘get to it someday’ – yah, right! Doesn’t happen!

These are the success steps that I take to make my travel enjoyable and effective. As a result of having a plan and executing the plan, I do feel better – I sleep better – I am more effective – and, as a result, it shows in my business when it comes to the bottom line. That’s how you can become a wealthy women leader too!

Business travel tips for dummies? This just may be.   These are just some of the simple steps I take on a consistent basis that make for a successful road trip for me. As I mentioned earlier, it takes a lot of energy to reach your goals, both personal and professional. Taking care of yourself is a critical, and essential, first step. You have the power! Just do it!

What are some of your best business travel tips? Please share your thoughts!