Business travel can be tiring, but it can also be exhilarating. You are away from home, which means you have more freedom. You can attend events, meet new people and explore a new city. It’s a great way to get to know yourself better and to get some perspective on your life. But how do you make the most of it?

Use your time effectively

Travel can be time-consuming, so you want to make sure you’re using your time wisely. Many people take a laptop, but if you will be in meetings most of the day, it’s not worth lugging it around. If you need to get some work done, check out the hotel business center, or go to the library or a coffee shop. If you don’t have to be in meetings, leave the computer behind and spend some time exploring the city. If you are going with a colleague, make sure your partner is also using their time effectively, so that neither of you is stuck in meetings all day.

Try Something New

Research ahead of time and book a splurge meal at a great restaurant, suggest that you take a client to baseball game or art gallery rather than just meet in their office, or simply find time to take a city tour when you arrive. The more you can earn about a city, the more you can bring to the table when working with clients or colleagues.

Take care of yourself

You may not have the same support network while traveling. If you usually exercise three times a week, you might have to do something different while traveling. You may not have access to a gym, or you might be traveling during your usual exercise time. That’s why it’s important to plan ahead and make sure you have a way to stay fit while you’re away.

Eat right and get enough sleep

When you’re traveling, it can be difficult to eat well. You don’t always have access to healthy food, and it’s tempting to indulge in rich and fatty foods that take no time to eat or cook. It’s also difficult to get enough sleep when you travel – your body clocks are out of whack by the time you reach the hotel,and you often can’t sleep. Check out our guide to beating jet lag.

Add a few days of leisure travel at the end

When you have traveled a long distance for work, it’s nice to actually get to the explore the destination. So why not speak with your boss ahead off time, and at your own cost add a few days at the conclusion of your trip to relax and see the sights.

One way to get your boss to agree is to schedule your work trip to end on a Thursday so you take Friday and the weekend for your leisure component.