Hello, sweet friends! Welcome back to my Entrepreneur x Intrapreneur column – exploring what it’s like to be an entrepreneur and a full-time employee at Google.
Next up we’re going to tackle travelling while side hustling.
I’m projected to fly nearly 400,000 miles this year if all the travel I’m supposed to do pans out. That’s a lot of travel – consider that less than 50% of Americans took one commercial flight last year and I think you’ll agree. But what does that travel do to my body? How does business travel differ from leisure travel? What are the important things to consider? Let me break it down for you.
How do business and leisure travel differ?
First, I think it’s important to mention the rise of “bleisure travel” – the increasingly common trend of combining a business trip with a leisure weekend spent in the same destination. Beyond that, though, business and leisure travel don’t have much in common, at least for me.
My usual business travel trip: non-stop flights to and from my destination, four or five-star hotels, $80-100/day budgeted for meals, Ubers (or a rental car) to get around the city, nearly-infinite Starbucks.
My usual leisure trip: cheapest flight itinerary possible (often meaning one or more stops), Airbnbs/hostels (or a hotel partnership when I can appropriately leverage my Instagram), $20-30/day budgeted for meals, public transit where possible to get around the city, and one cuppa/day.
This can vary by person, but this is a pretty standard comparison of the difference between my business and leisure travel.
What are the important things to consider?
I try and find as many ways to consolidate my travel efforts as I possibly can – from booking to packing and everything in between. Here are some of my go-to resources in each step of the travel journey:
- Booking Travel: I use Google to do my research and TravelBank for my bookings.
- Navigation: I download the city map on Google Maps to my phone so I can navigate even if I don’t have data.
- Packing: Here’s what I pack – I either carry it all in an AWAY carry-on or an Osprey Porter 46L Backpack
- Learning About Places: These are my favorite travel YouTubers to follow and learn from
What does frequent travel do to the body?
Interestingly enough, frequent travel poses a number of health risks to the human body: stress, sleep interruption, unhealthy eating and drinking, and lack of exercise are all common side effects of being on the road. Over the long-term, these issues can add up to chronic disease risks. In fact, the Harvard Business Review published an extensive article discussing this topic and breaking down the impact of travel on the human body. Be cautious when travelling and plan rest periods and all will be well!
See you next time.
I am currently an employee at Google, Inc. However, this column, all its contents, and all the contents of all outbound links (i.e. social media accounts, etc.) are my personal opinions and do not reflect the opinions of Google, Inc., it’s parent company, or any of its subsidiaries.\
Portrait Photo Credit: Mo Speer Photography