Hump Day Hint 3# - The Efficient Traveller

As an EA I have travelled A LOT, especially in a previous role where I was supporting an Executive who was Sydney based. After 18 months travelling back and forth between Sydney and Melbourne each week it took its toll on him and as such I found myself sharing the travel load with him instead. I travelled to Sydney for 3-4 days every fortnight, with him travelling to Melbourne every other week. With that frequency of travel it was important I finessed my routine and as such picked up some handy tricks that made the travel a little easier and more pleasant (except for the 4am wake ups for the early flights, nothing was ever going to make that pleasant!) For the fellow EA travellers out there, or even the 'sometimes' travellers, I thought I would share some of my tips for efficient and EASY travel.

1. Go Digital: Do away with printing out boarding passes, or worse still having to waste time checking in and printing them at the airport and do a mobile check in. Set a calendar reminder for yourself 24 hours before your flight/s to check in and have your boarding pass sms'd to you or download the airline's app and manage your check in through that. Your ultimate goal is to be able to get out of the car at the airport, walk through security and go straight to your gate. The less airport time the better! Ultimately this converts to more sleep time, which is super important when you're alarm is going off at stupid o'clock for a 6am flight!


2. Ditch the case: Again the aim here is to actually minimise your airport time, so that means having no luggage to check in and only travelling with cabin sized bags. But I must stress, I NEVER travel with those small roller cabin sized suitcase as when you travel frequently you learn  very quickly that every Jo Blow is travelling with one too and as such you'll find yourself fighting for overhead baggage space. The popular morning flights (between 6-8am) are flooded with business travellers with their roller cabin bags in toe, but if you're clever and travel with a soft carry on bag you can tuck it under the seat in front of you and not have to worry about finding space up top. But that means the night before packing very efficiently and planning your outfits for the days you are away. Try to choose staple items that can be re-worn with different accessories and only wear the shoes on your feet. Choose one pair of pants or a skirt and change it up with different tops, scarves and jewellery. With some good outfit choices you'll fit everything you'll need in your soft bag making the ease of boarding your flight literally a walk in the park.

3. Travel light: Similarly, when it comes to travelling light we often, as women, have to review the toiletries that we pack given they can be the heaviest items in our bag. But rather than go without some of your favs just downsize everything you can to travel size. Transfer all your lotions and potions into small travel size bottles, and buy a second set of your staple products (deodorant, toothbrush, toothpaste etc.) to save yourself from having to pack these items every time you travel. Basically set yourself up so you have a toiletry bag with a second set of everything you need so you can just grab it and go every time you travel. Also its worthwhile asking your IT department if you can upgrade your laptop to a smaller, lighter model that is easier to travel with. Ultimately you want a laptop that will fit in a large tote handbag, leaving you only with 2 bags to carry when travelling. Better still, its worth purchasing a laptop bag that can double as a handbag, or vice versa. Lastly obtain a secondary laptop charger and phone charger that can live in your laptop bag/handbag to ensure you never get stuck without power on the go.

4. Become a member: Some companies will subscribe their frequent travellers to their preferred airline's club. This definitely comes in handy when you find yourself delayed or with some downtime at the airport. However if you do travel frequently enough you can earn yourself a complimentary airline lounge membership, which once you get a taste of it you'll be putting your hand up to travel whenever you can just to earn enough credits to sustain it!



5. Get to know the Driver: If your boss has a corporate car service that he uses when he travels, book your airport transfers with those drivers too (if your company policy will allow you to). Not only will this ease the stress of ensuring your on time for your flights and you're not standing around waiting for taxis or Ubers, it will also help to establish the very important relationship with your bosses driver. This is a significant relationship to nurture, especially if you have an Exec that travels frequently and you rely on the Driver to be able to pick them up at the drop of a hat or manage last minute changes with flexibility and ease.  

6. Flatten out: This is somewhat more common sense but something I learnt the hard way (and ended up having a foot operation as a consequence!). Always pack a pair of flat shoes in your handbag when you are travelling! Its all very well and nice to look glam when you strut into the office but when you've got to leg it to your gate across the other side of the airport you're going to wish you weren't wearing high heels! 


The last bit of advice I'll share about travelling is not so much a tip on efficiency but more so advice around nurturing relationships. When you are given the opportunity to visit your company's interstate offices, always make plans to catch up with your fellow EAs in in those locations and get to know them better face to face. Its difficult to manage relationships over email/phone so when given the chance to spend time together in person then do it! It's important to build on these relationships especially if your frequent flying boss may need some on-ground support when they are visiting those offices. Its easier to ask a favour of a 'friend' than a stranger.

Travelling for work as an EA can be a real privilege and can be very fun if done right. So happy travelling!  


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