For many reasons 2016 has been a tough year for a lot of people (we lost Bowie and Prince, never mind the economic downtown and natural disasters we had to get through). We have to hope that 2017 is going to be kinder to us all, and we can certainly do a few things to help get the year started off right. Here are some New Years resolutions for business travellers that will help next year to be better and more productive than the last.

    1. Apply for a Nexus Card. If you fly a lot, even if you don’t often fly through or into the US, a Nexus Card will be the best $50 you’ve ever spent. This allows you to cruise through security lines and checkpoints at major Canadian airports, and when entering the US. You need to apply, be interviewed by border agents for both Canada and the US, and then provided you don’t have a criminal background or say anything stupid in the interviews you get a card that lasts five years and saves you a lot of time and frustration when you fly.
    2. Get better luggage. Does your carry-on do everything you need it to do, or are you lugging around an inefficient case with wonky wheels that makes you mutter obscenities as you sprint from gate to gate? Upgrade to something that makes you happy and does more. There’s plenty of excellent luggage out there designed for professional travellers, with compartments and internal battery packs, GPS, or whatever bells and whistles you want.

  1. Use your downtime more effectively. Make a vow to stop the endless scrolling through social media and do something more constructive with that tremendously powerful microcomputer you carry around in your pocket. Download audiobooks on to your phone so that you can catch up on great ideas and inspiration (if you’re a member of a library, you can borrow and download audiobooks onto your phone for free through them) or learn a new language using a free app like Duolingo, which breaks learning down into easy chunks you can do in five minutes a day.
  2. Be fitter on the road. Lots of rich food or bad takeout coupled with lots of sitting around on planes, in airports, or in boardrooms, makes for a health and fitness nightmare. Stop feeling blah when you travel by making sure you get more exercise in, either by getting out and going for a walk, run, or what makes you happy, or by taking a fitness class in whatever city you are headed to.
  3. Stress less. Even on the smoothest trips, business travel can be stressful, but you can mitigate that by being more in control of your emotions. Many top level executives tout the power of meditation for making them more mindful, less stressed out, and better at life in general. Not sure how to start? Don’t worry, you don’t need to head to an ashram and find a guru, try using an app like Calm to get you started.

One extra New Years resolution you should make is to stay at better accommodations when you’re travelling, and if your work takes you to Calgary or Winnipeg, we can help you out on that front. Contact us now to see how we can help your next stay in those cities the most comfortable yet.