Filling your free time on your corporate travel can be tough. You’re away from home, feel as though you’ve exhausted the novelty of your new city and are coming dangerously close to turning your downtime into work time, too.
Hold on.
Treat your temporary corporate travel obligation as an opportunity. From staying fit to cooking to tackling your memoir, you have ample time to finally take on the projects you’ve wanted to do. We have compiled a list of ways that you can make your temporary assignment add permanent value to your life.
First of all, make yourself at home. If you’re staying in PC Housing corporate apartments, condos or homes, your space will be fully furnished, including a fully equipped kitchen, a comfortably set bedroom, cable TV and high speed internet. With so many amenities you don’t have to live out of your suitcase, so get comfortable!
A common side effect of business travel is binge eating. From seemingly endless breakfast pastries at meetings to the fact that takeout Chinese food is always so good, it’s easy to succumb to another big meal, especially when they’re expensed or provided buffet style. But resist the urge, and cook your own meals. With fully furnished kitchens, you’ll be able to whip up meals that aren’t just healthier, they’ll taste better. Download some recipes from epicurious, head to the grocery store and get cooking!
In that same vein, stay fit. Now that you’re spending a bit more time on this corporate assignment than you would for a quick business trip, creating and maintaining your routine is crucial. Many PC Housing corporate apartments include access to gyms and pools, so you’ll likely be able to make use of a fitness center. But no matter what, take long walks, hit the pavement or see if your city has a bike rental program. Your body will thank you for treating it right.
Of course, you might be getting into your new groove and finding your business-trip-routine, but you are still away from home, so why not be a tourist? You might think you’ve exhausted all the major landmarks of your city on an initial business trip, but there is always more to see and you might just come across some truly historic gems. We like researching attractions and must-visit places on Lonely Planet, Trip Advisor, and Yelp for insights into the highlights of an area.
At the same time, as you familiarize yourself, do as the locals do. Check local listings, city magazines and community Patch pages for upcoming events. What are popular town haunts that are visitor-free? The more secret, locals-only restaurants with the best Reuben sandwich or the annual festival the whole neighborhood shows up for?
Get to know your city well – through the eyes of a tourist and a local – and you’ll enjoy the best of both worlds.
At the foundation of all these endeavors is one basic truth: you need to schedule me-time. Being on corporate travel means you’re stationed away from home for a month or longer, you can’t occupy all your waking moments with business work. But if that gets tempting, start scheduling – literally, mark it in your calendar – leisure time.
And with the time you schedule, why not work on that project? You know, the one that you’ve told yourself you’ll start right when life slows down? Maybe it’s your memoir, or organizing your desktop or starting that nonprofit organization? Maybe your project is just catching up with friends you’ve been meaning to call back. Whatever it is, you have free time, few engagements and the time is now. Get it done!
Corporate travel doesn’t have to mean a period of unmitigated boredom. Use these tips and make your stay your own.
Images courtesy of lululemon athletica