Traveling for work can be considered a fun perk, but if you’re logging too many hours away from home, the travel can become tedious. According to the Global Business Travel Association, Americans take about 488 million business trips every year. That’s a lot of hours on the road, but these trips don’t have to be a burden. If you’re traveling for work frequently, use some of these fun ideas to make the miles a little less monotonous.
Upgrade Your Accommodations
If you’re like most business travelers, you probably spend most of your off hours and leisure time in a room at one of the big hotel chains. While this type of lodging does offer some comfortable familiarity, it can be hard to get excited about your destination from within bland hotel walls. The next time you’re in a new place think about staying at a bed and breakfast or a charming local inn instead of the routine hotel. These boutique establishments often offer personalized service and give you a chance to get a better feel for what the local area is like. That can be a welcome change from the tedium of travel.
Stay the Weekend
It’s hard to enjoy a new destination if your work week is chock-full of conferences and meetings. Adding an extra day at the beginning or end of your visit gives you time to relax and check out some of the sites. If you’re traveling internationally, padding your time on both ends not only allows you to explore, but it can also help you acclimate to an unfamiliar environment, making the trip less stressful.
Become a Foodie
Locals in every city have their favorite eats, so make it your mission to seek out these foodie destinations. Whether you crave a juicy burger or have a hankering for some seafood, chances are you can find a restaurant with rave reviews. When it comes to finding these fun places, review sites like Yelp are your best friend. If you’re still stumped or feel overwhelmed after sifting through reviews, look to your bed and breakfast host for some ideas. Most major hotel concierges send their guests to all the predictable spots, but the staff at smaller accommodations are used to a more personal touch and may have a better fix on local hidden gems.
Explore the Unusual
If you’re traveling to a destination you’ve been to many times before or you aren’t interested in visiting routine spots like art museums and city parks, make it your mission to seek out the area’s strange attractions. Nearly every city has its own weird landmarks, like the Mystery Spot in Santa Cruz, California, or the Neon Museum in Las Vegas. To find these types of attractions, do a quick Google search or look to Atlas Obscura, which has an entire website dedicated to these types of unusual finds.
Make a Local Connection
It’s easy to let work become your sole focus when you’re traveling, which is why making a local connection is a great way to take a break from the humdrum of business. Even if you don’t have any immediate friends in the area, look to see if you have any social media connections who can meet up with you, or reach out a little further to your web of acquaintances. If you aren’t able to find someone, book a walking tour and make friends with the guide and other guests. You can chat about the city, learn some fascinating facts along the way, and get your mind off work for a little while.
If you’re regularly traveling to the same city for work, you might end up needing to rent a temporary home in the area to make your trips even more enjoyable and less stressful. Look to CORT Furniture Rental to provide the pieces you need to make a temporary apartment rental a relaxing place to unwind when business takes you on the road.
