Business travel presents a variety of benefits unavailable to professionals who stay grounded to the same workplace all year-round. From experiencing new cultures to amassing endless stories to tell your friends and family back home, frequent business travelers are modern-day Marco Polos. While these and many other perks motivate people to pursue careers that travel, this lifestyle comes with a number of potential risks to your health and wellbeing. It’s a list that should concern anyone who travels a lot for their job.
Fortunately for frequent business travelers, the following health concerns can be remedied with a few simple adjustments and a dose of planning:
Insomnia
Going from one timezone to another, especially if they are literally on opposite sides of the world, can wreak havoc on your sleep schedule. Over time, unchecked insomnia can lead to serious health problems. The easiest way for business travelers to avoid the negative effects of jet lag is to keep a few natural sleep remedies in their luggage. Melatonin gummies and hemp oil for sleep are good examples of natural solutions to travel-related insomnia. This enables business travelers to get to sleep on time and wake up ready to get to work wherever they happen to be relative to where they were.
Depression
Being away from your loved ones for long periods of time can easily lead to the symptoms of depression. This effect can be magnified in situations where you don’t speak the native language and experience social isolation as a result. Maintain contact with your family via Skype and other video chat technology, which will never replace a hug or a kiss but is better than nothing. If you find yourself spending your free time holed up in a hotel room due to a language barrier, make an effort to learn the basics and use a translator app to do the rest. You’d be surprised how easy it is to communicate in ways other than speech.
Dehydration
Long hours spent on international flights and commuting to and from airports and hotels leaves little opportunity to stay hydrated. The health consequences of dehydration include everything from headaches to, in extreme circumstances, coma and death. While it’s unlikely you’ll die of thirst while waiting for your connecting flight, proper hydration will prevent mental impairment, boost energy levels, and provide a natural moisturizer for your skin from the inside out. Set reminders to drink water throughout the day and include a reusable bottle with your carry-on luggage. Please note, however, that in certain countries it’s not advised to drink the local water. Opt for bottled water in these cases.
Infection
The human body grows accustomed to the various pathogens it encounters on a regular basis, building up an immunity to them or at least a tolerance to them. As effective as this system is, modern travel enables people to go far outside their native area, resulting in a greater risk of catching a bug your body doesn’t know how to fight. It’s important to always be mindful of the potential for various diseases and infections in various parts of the world before embarking there. While your employer should be responsible for considering these risks before sending you somewhere, the ultimate responsibility for your health lies with you. Consult the CDC Destinations page for determining what, if any, infectious disease risks exist in a given country.
Obesity
Given the amount of time spent seated on planes and other modes of transportation combined with waiting in terminals, attending meetings, and resting back at the hotel, it’s easy to see how business travelers struggle to stay physically active. Combined with the tendency to opt for carry-out and other quick service meal options high on calories and low on balanced nutrition, the likelihood for business travelers to become overweight is high. It’s important to make an earnest effort at maintaining a lifestyle for avoiding obesity while traveling, despite the challenges involved. Opt for hotels with on-site fitness centers and keep a careful eye on your caloric intake throughout the day. Wear a fitness tracker to monitor how much walking you’re doing and aim to knock out at least ten thousand steps per day. These and other measures can help to avoid weight gain for frequent business travelers.
Traveling for business enables men and women to visit parts of the world they may otherwise never get to experience. While this can do a tremendous amount of good for a person, it also sets them up for a few health concerns to keep in mind. Thankfully with a little consideration and planning, business travelers can manage these risks and make the most of their adventures.
