 |
| Terra Cotta Soldiers |
 |
| Todd Pomeroy Xi'an, China |
Lets face it, business travel today is anything but pleasant. So when I travel it has to be important and there must be a number of things I want to get accomplished. There must be better reasons than getting away from the kids for a few days! Over the past 20 years I have acquired some basic travel habits which help:
● I always travel light. If it won’t fit into my carry on bag I just won’t take it. If that means a little laundry while I’m away, so be it. This allows me to move from place to place and cover a lot of ground with a minimum of drama. As you can imagine my style of dress is anything but French Couture!
● While traveling light allows me to move around quickly it also makes for long days. Time is precious so I typically work for 12 hours a day. This can go longer if there are some car trips involved; which usually there are. I always travel with some snacks. I love all sorts of food but when you’re up at 5am trying to catch a flight somewhere or stuck in a 4 hour car ride in a remote area, don’t underestimate the value of a little granola!
● Travel is expensive; therefore, I make sure I get everything accomplished that I came to do. It kills me to spend so much time and money on a trip and not complete everything I had in mind.
Now that I’ve completed everything that I came to do, I try to see and do anything cultural that's available. I just went to Xi’an, China for the first time a few weeks ago and was finally able to see the terracotta soldiers. I could only allow a couple of hours but it was perfect, and no rain!
And so, by the time I begin to master my jet lag and and am finally on the time zone of the country that I’m in, it’s time to start the process all over again and head back home. Oh, and lest I forget, bring something interesting for the kids!
