Whether you’re travelling for a business conference, going on a research trip or visiting a remote office, travelling for work still represents the dream for so many, even in 2026. You’re not stuck in the office, you get to visit and experience new cities, countries and cultures, and you get a little bit of ‘me’ time…in an ideal world, that is!
Indeed, with bleisure travel on the rise and companies increasingly open to employees extending work trips for personal time, more professionals than ever are spending time on the road. But the toll that frequent travel can take on physical and mental health is real, and it’s finally getting the attention it deserves.
Research from World Travel Protection found that a third of business travellers report feelings of anxiety and stress linked to work travel, with over half saying they’re packing more meetings into each trip than ever before. Sitting in airports, being away from loved ones, and dealing with jetlag, all while juggling work demands and deadlines, can grind you down if you’re not careful.
Whether you work in the events industry, the travel industry, or any industry where you have to travel for work, here are 9 ways to watch your wellbeing while on the road.
Keep A Gratitude Journal
There’s something about the disorientation of travel, the unfamiliar beds, the 6am alarms, the sense that you’re always slightly out of sync with everyone at home, that can make the whole thing feel like a slog rather than the privilege it often is. A self-guided journal focused on gratitude, as simple as it sounds, is a genuinely useful counterweight.
The practice is straightforward enough. At the end of each day on the road, jot down three things you’re grateful for. It might be a decent coffee in an airport that wasn’t trying to fleece you, a kind word from a taxi driver, or simply the fact that your flight wasn’t delayed. Research from the Greater Good Science Center at UC Berkeley has found that regular gratitude practice can reduce stress, improve sleep quality & even help with the kind of low-level anxiety that often creeps in when you’re away from home.
Keep a small notebook in your hand luggage, or use the notes app on your phone if you’d rather. The method matters less than the habit. Over time, you’ll find it shifts your perspective on work travel in small but meaningful ways, turning those endless departure lounges into something a little easier to bear.
Move Your Body, Even A Little
The sedentary nature of business travel is one of its less glamorous realities. Long flights, back-to-back meetings, conference chairs that seem designed to punish the lower back, dinners that stretch into the night. By day three of any trip, your body tends to let you know it’s unhappy.
You don’t need to find a fancy hotel gym or sign up for a hotel yoga class to counter this, though both are welcome if available. Even ten minutes of stretching in your room before bed, a brisk walk around the block between meetings, or taking the stairs instead of the lift can make a tangible difference. The NHS recommends 150 minutes of moderate activity per week, & while hitting that target on a packed work trip can feel ambitious, breaking it into small, manageable chunks makes it realistic.
If you’re somewhere new & have an hour to spare, walking is the easiest win of all. You get your steps in, you see a bit of the city, & you arrive at your next meeting with a clearer head than you would have done staring at your laptop in the hotel lobby.
Pack Healthy Snacks
When you’re on the road and have a busy schedule of events, you never know when you’re going to eat. Sure, if you’re on a long haul flight you’ll probably eat on the plane, but for the most part, inflight food options are pretty unappetising. And the food at the airport isn’t much better. Burger King, KFC or Starbucks, anyone?
A little treat is fine, but a long run of unhealthy eating can take its toll on your wellbeing. Pre-empt the necessity to eat the nearest food to hand and take snacks in your hand luggage, keeping some in your bag for when those hunger pangs strike.
Pretty much all solid foods are allowed in your hand luggage, even live lobsters if in clear, sealed, spill-proof containers with ice (yes, really), so consider cooking an extra portion of dinner the night before travel and taking leftovers on your flight. Trail mix is always a good idea too; if it’s good enough for sustaining mountaineers and trekkers, we reckon it’ll do the job for any long-haul flight, business meeting or conference.
IDEAL Tip: When you are finally home, take a little time to batch cook some meals that you can freeze and take with you on your next trip. This little trick also means you’ll have something tasty waiting for you when you get back next time.
Read: 6 IDEAL snacks to take in your hand luggage
Take A Loved One With You
Travelling for business forces you to spend time away from your home, family and friends, and because of this, it can be a pretty lonely affair. Video calls help, but they’re not the same as having someone there in the flesh. Consistent travel can cause strained relationships with those left at home, too. They have the burden of taking care of all things domestic while you’re away, and resentment can build.
Why not ask your work if you can bring a friend or spouse along on the trip? Businesses are increasingly open to this, and with 43% of corporate travel programmes now operating formal bleisure policies, it’s a far easier conversation to have than it used to be. Some employers will even help with your partner’s travel expenses if it means a happier, more productive employee on the ground. Everybody wins.
Work In Transit
If you have some downtime on that long train ride or long haul flight, and if you’re not too exhausted, try and get ahead of work while in transit. Making the most of travel time is one of the simplest ways to reduce stress at your destination, freeing you up to switch off properly once the work is done. Whether it’s prepping for that meeting or presentation or catching up on your emails, at least you’ll be putting all that largely liminal time to good use.
It can also mean you can take advantage of the free time at your destination, hopefully giving you the chance to unplug, recharge, and explore.
Prioritise Sleep
This one sounds obvious, but it’s remarkable how many business travellers treat sleep as the thing that gets squeezed when the schedule tightens. Late dinners with clients, early flights, and the temptation to catch up on emails from your hotel bed at midnight all conspire against a decent night’s rest.
Where you can, book a room away from the lifts and ice machines, pack earplugs and an eye mask, and resist the pull of your phone in the hour before bed. Some hotels now offer sleep optimisation programmes with circadian lighting and blackout blinds, and they’re worth seeking out if you travel frequently. A well-rested version of you will perform immeasurably better in that 9am meeting than the one running on four hours and three espressos.
Read: 12 types of wellness retreat currently making waves
Don’t Feel Guilty About Relaxing
Don’t feel bad if all you want to do is order room service, turn on the hotel telly and do nothing. We know you may think that you should be out experiencing the city you’re in, but sometimes it’s okay to just switch off. In fact, sometimes it’s actively better for you to embrace a little R&R.
As the Scientific American reports in their fascinating article Why Your Brain Needs More Downtime, downtime replenishes the brain’s stores of attention and motivation, encourages productivity and creativity, and is essential to achieving our highest levels of performance. So that guilt-free evening in your hotel room isn’t laziness. It’s strategy.
Keep A Sense Of Routine
We’ve all been there when travelling: having a pint for breakfast at the airport, catching up on sleep during daylight hours, and enjoying a croissant for dinner before logging into our emails…
We said we’d all been there, right? Right?
Anyway, there’s often a temptation on the road to throw your usual routine out the window in favour of something more freeform, but this can be detrimental not only to your productivity, but also to your wellbeing.
Routine and structure are, according to most experts, incredibly good for you, giving your day a sense of organisation, purpose and focus. Do try to observe a few of the same key moments during the day that you would back home, whether that’s your 11am run, your evening phone call to your folks, or your beloved breakfast of muesli. Your body and brain will thank you for the familiarity, even if everything else around you is new.
Beat Jet Lag
Hectic airports, delayed flights and lost luggage. Travelling on a plane can be stressful at the best of times. Unfortunately, if you are crossing multiple time zones, you can also expect symptoms of jet lag. From headaches and irritation to fatigue and a pounding heart, jet lag hits without warning and it can turn you into a zombie.
The good news? It’s more manageable than you think if you plan ahead. Start adjusting your sleep schedule a few days before departure, stay hydrated on the flight (water, not wine, sadly), and try to get some natural daylight at your destination as soon as possible. After that dire warning, let us end on a positive note and direct you to our top tips on beating jet lag naturally. We hope your next trip is a fruitful and happy one.
The Bottom Line
Business travel isn’t going anywhere. If anything, it’s ramping up. But the conversation around how we look after ourselves while doing it has changed for the better. Companies are finally recognising that a burnt-out employee is nobody’s asset, and travellers themselves are getting smarter about protecting their energy, their routines, and their relationships on the road. A little planning goes a long way. Safe travels.
