3 Top Tips for Combining Personal Travel and Business

Those who know me know that I love to travel. From exotic locations to weekend getaways, seeing new places makes me incredibly happy.

I also have a business and keeping everything running smoothly with my clients satisfied and well taken care of also makes me happy. It’s imperative!

Since I’m not willing to give up on either pursuit, I’ve created MY way of making room for both. Perhaps, these suggestions will work for you as well.

· I leave nothing to chance. Running a business AND being a Mom of a toddler son means that I always have to plan my days and weeks, and the same is true when we travel. I research where we are going, the things that we’re going to do, and try to plan for any potential hiccups along the way. While I’m all for spontaneity, it’s difficult to do when you have to keep a lot of “balls in the air.”

· I set things up at work and make certain that my team is up to speed on what they have to do when I am away. I work hard to get “ahead” of my work before I leave, so I don’t return to surprises and chaos. Of course, things can happen when I’m away, but as much as possible, I take care of and resolve anything that is ordinary before I depart.

· I make myself available if something important arises. I know some people totally disconnect when they are away, but I am afraid that I’m not one of those people, and that’s okay because it works for me. I’m not on continual calls with my team, and my “away” message is on my email, but if something serious arises, I want to be apprised and be able to help out. I’ve found that emergencies are rare, and I’m confident that the day-to-day work is handled exceptionally well by my team.

With a little planning and an acceptance that you may have to compromise on certain things, it is possible to combine business and personal travel, but you have to have a passion and feel an urge to go.

It’s fine if you don’t and no one should ever let anyone convince them that travel is a must because it’s not for everyone.

But, if you love to travel and feel deprived if you don’t have travel plans in your future, then, by all means, set your sights on a trip.

Regardless of the time required to put things into place, the experience is well worth it.