How to turn a boring business trip into a mini-vacation
Ah, business trips. Meet-and-greets, business cards, handshakes, conferences, and an airtight schedule keeping you from having any fun. Awesome.
While business travel will never have the same appeal as an honest-to-goodness real vacation, there are ways you can hack your trip to ensure you can enjoy some time to yourself. Here’s how you do it.
1. Create downtime
People love to lean on the whole “I’m way too busy with work” argument. We get it, you’re busy, but there are still 24 hours in a day — that’s 86,400 seconds of time to divvy up. Even if you’re taking an hour to go back to your room and recharge between meetings, you should use that time for yourself. Brew a cup of coffee, read a book (remember books?), go for a walk, and explore the neighborhood near your hotel.
2. Stay an extra day to sightsee
So, you’re in a town you’ve never been to before for a 10-hour long conference on the importance of customer retention. Every town, city, state, and country has something special lurking beneath the surface — your job is to seek out that special something and make it a point to visit before you leave. Whether it’s taking the elevator to the top of the tallest building in the state or eating at a city’s most famous restaurant, going off the beaten path for even just an hour will take your mind off customer retention.
3. Turn your quick snack into a memorable meal
We all know how it goes when you check into a hotel after the longest flight in the world. You’re irritated, tired, and hungry. However, your options are usually limited to fast-food from a burger place or worse yet — a vending machine.
What if you could have a gourmet meal at your hotel? Enter the recently enhanced food and beverage offerings at Hilton Garden Inn. You can get everything you want, from a handcrafted cocktail created by a mixologist (hey, it was a long flight) to fresh hummus and veggies, small plates, and other delicious entrees. No need to curb your hunger with chips or candy bars – you can get the good stuff just as easily. Plus, whether you arrive in the wee early morning hours or at the stroke of midnight, Hilton Garden Inn offers quick and delicious options, from healthy salads and sandwiches to coffee and locally-sourced wine and beer.
4. Meditate
Did you know that mindful meditation can actually decrease both anxiety and depression while heightening your sense of empathy and self-awareness? That’s right—meditation might actually make you a more self-aware person, which is a pretty good souvenir to take home after a long business trip. The best part about meditation is that it can be done almost anywhere. Whether you step outside during lunch or schedule 20 minutes before bed, meditating can increase your mood and turn your business trip into a spiritual enlightenment getaway.
5. Meet up with an old friend
No matter where you go in this country, you can find a friend. Let’s say you have a conference that cannot be missed in an exciting city — it’s time to put out some feelers and hang out with someone who isn’t presenting a four-hour long speech on risk management. Before your big meeting, connect with your old college friend for breakfast at your hotel. Getting out of the business world for just a few hours will clear your head, while turning your business trip into a social event.
Finding a little room for fun on your next business trip is not only good for your mental health, but it'll help with productivity and professionalism while making the experience memorable. When you're on the go, you should treat your stomach with the amount of care you treat your mind, so check out the food and beverage offerings at Hilton Garden Inn and plan accordingly.
