Preparing for a business trip is hard work. Usually we have time to take care of everything except personal things. In order not to suffer from annoying inconveniences and delays, it is enough to follow a few simple tips. Experienced travelers will tell you how to have time to see the most interesting things in a new city, even with a very busy work schedule, and what to do if you want to buy more than you are able to take with you.
1. Important little things
When going on vacation, we usually think through everything in advance, carefully select clothes, cosmetics, prepare toiletries and other necessities. Business trip fees are a completely different matter. First, they simply may not have time. Bosses like to be unpredictable, and the need to travel often comes on suddenly. But even if the trip was planned in advance, there is an unspoken law - the closer the date of the business trip, the more things you have to do at work and the less time you have to prepare for the departure itself. Plus, travel is a big responsibility. You will certainly not go empty-handed, which means you will need to prepare working materials. All this takes a lot of energy and absorbs all the attention, especially not very experienced travelers. So as a result, they simply forget to take care of what to wash themselves and what to change into on a trip. Of course, it is better to forget shampoo or iron than important business documents. But on the other hand, you won’t go to a serious meeting with a dirty head or wrinkled clothes either. You can hope that the hotel will provide everything. And if not?
On a business trip, as a rule, it is not known in what conditions you will have to live. It is very likely that all household trifles will have to be solved in a hurry, and even in an unfamiliar place. And this is time, nerves and money that could be spent with much greater benefit. So it is better to exclude the element of surprise and be fully prepared. Think over your essentials kit - this is something without which you will not be able to put yourself in order. The ideal option is to stock up on mini-packs of personal care products. If more trips are planned in the near future, you can always keep them in your suitcase. So you will definitely not forget these important little things. Be sure to prepare clothes and necessary accessories for sleep. Getting enough sleep is essential for a pleasant journey and efficient work. Keep in mind that sleeping in a new place can be a difficult task: it can be too light, noisy, uncomfortable. It is better to take care in advance to make sleep more comfortable. Have earplugs and an eye patch with you.
Don't leave packing until the last minute - you're guaranteed to forget most of the things you need. Set yourself a deadline - prepare everything you need a week before the trip. There is a chance that then you still have time to deal with this matter before leaving.
Before packing, write yourself in huge letters, anywhere, even on the suitcase itself: “Don't forget the chargers and batteries!” Very often, these things are remembered already on the road, when the phone or laptop starts to require recharging. One small cord can be a big business trip headache. It is quite possible to add chargers to the traditional list of what must be checked before going out (documents, money, tickets).
2. Disposable luggage
Advice from experienced travelers and those who often make business trips - take with you something that will not necessarily be taken back. For example, for sleep, you can pack an old T-shirt or pajamas, which you can throw away later so as not to drag it back home. Business trips usually do not last more than a few days, so all sorts of disposable packages (say, toiletries) are your commodity. This little trick will significantly unload the suitcase on the way back. On a trip, one way or another, you always get something, and if some of the things are thrown away, you don’t have to puzzle over where to pack your purchases and souvenirs.
3. Outfit
You are unlikely to forget the clothes for business meetings. However, only it on a business trip is usually not enough. Chances are you won't have to work 24 hours a day. If you get the opportunity to walk around the city or go somewhere to have fun, you will probably want to change clothes. Bring a pair of comfortable shoes and jeans with you so you don't have to explore the local sights in a smart business suit or in heels.
4. Your travel friend
A suitcase does not need to be a burden that you have to push and carry all the way. This is your helper and friend, so it should be light and small. It is important that the suitcase is durable, and it is convenient not only to carry, but also to carry. Going somewhere for a few days, you should not take your entire wardrobe with you. In addition, you will wear some of the things for yourself. By fitting everything in a small suitcase, you will not only feel more comfortable on the road, but also save time. If you are flying by plane, you can take a small travel bag with you into the cabin as hand luggage. Then you do not have to spend time checking in and waiting for baggage claim. Just do not forget that not all items are allowed to be taken with you into the cabin. The list of prohibited goods is standard - these are all kinds of dangerous items, piercing, cutting, strong-smelling, oversized, etc. More specific information can be found on the website of your air carrier. In addition, you can not take sprays and liquids on the plane if they are not packed in airtight packaging. This means that toiletries should be folded into a bag with a zipper or a waterproof cosmetic bag, in a word, so that nothing spills.
5. Business - time, tourism - an hour
Of course, your company sends you on a business trip not to walk or have fun, but to work. But it's so insulting to visit a new city or country and see nothing but a workplace, a hotel room and a train station. Even in the busiest schedule, you can find an hour or two to go sightseeing. Only for this you need to know in advance exactly what you want to see and where it is located. You most likely won’t have time to look for a route, so before the trip it’s worth spending half an hour on the Internet to find out about interesting places in advance. It is absolutely not necessary to go on excursions, to see the next antiquities and architectural beauties. You can go to a good local restaurant or to some kind of performance.
6. Communication and its price
In order not to swallow validol upon returning from a business trip, having received a bill for mobile services, it is better to inquire about tariffs in advance and consider alternative methods of communication. For example, sometimes it is cheaper to buy a local SIM card, even for a few days, instead of using your number while roaming. Not every employer is ready to pay all travel expenses. Management's views on "necessary expenses" may be very different from yours. To avoid unpleasant surprises, the communication issue must be resolved in advance.
7. How to take away everything you want to buy
If you are lucky enough to be on a business trip to a shopping paradise where not only everything is available, but everything is cheap, you will almost certainly want to buy more than you can take with you. When there is a lot of luggage, a lot of problems immediately arise: paying for overweight on the plane, packing things, heavy suitcases. Experienced people know the way to go shopping and still travel home light. Some items can be mailed. This is a great way, if you are careful and foresee some points. First, reliability. You should not send expensive and valuable, as well as fragile things. Pack them in a suitcase, and let clothes and small things arrive by mail. And, secondly, timing. They are often unpredictable. It is preferable to choose express mail services, as it is faster and more reliable. It should be borne in mind that postal rates are calculated in such a way that the greater the total weight of the parcel, the lower the price per 1 kg will be. So you should resort to postal forwarding only if there are really a lot of things, more than, say, 5 kg. Then, in terms of price, it will most likely be more profitable than paying for the same excess.
Evgenia Rogacheva
Job & Salary
- Career and Self-development
Keywords:
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Should I let my husband go on a business trip - far and for a long time?
It happens that the husband has a need to work far from home. It happens that this is a completely new job in another city. And family members in this case are separated by time and thousands of kilometers. Do you agree to such a division? Is it risky? And what if there is no other way out?
It happens that the husband has a need to work far from home. It happens that this is a completely new job in another city. And family members in this case are separated by time and thousands of kilometers. Do you agree to such a division? Is it risky? And what if there is no other way out?
For the "long ruble"
Now we will not talk about professions that involve long separations of family members (sailors, geologists, polar explorers ...). We are talking, for example, about such a type of “long-distance earnings” as a shift method: for two or three weeks people work far from their place of residence, for the next two or three weeks they return home to their families. And these cycles are repeated.
According to statistics, people from such settlements, where there are few vacancies and no opportunity to feed their families, most often go to shift work far from home, but residents of large cities are sometimes tempted by high wages. In such cases, this decision is made at the family council: a difficult step, because now all the worries about the family, children, housekeeping fall on the shoulders of the wife. Yes, and for a husband and wife to live separately is a difficult test, not everyone can withstand it.
According to a VTsIOM survey on whether our fellow citizens are ready to work at a large construction site or a mining enterprise in Siberia and the Far East, the answers were distributed as follows: 46% of Russians would agree to this - if they had good wages and housing (among them, 56% were men, 56% % of citizens with a low level of education, 52% of rural residents). But 48% of our fellow citizens with a high level of education are not attracted by such a prospect. The same can be said about the residents of the capital: 55% of them are not ready to travel far to work.
But what about the family?
And yet, one day someone decides to leave home for a long time ... How in such a situation to maintain a sense of family integrity? Maintain close contact with your husband, psychologists advise wives. Fortunately, now there are many technical possibilities that allow you to do this: phone, skype, email. Call your husband often, do it with your children, let them also talk to dad. Tell him about the news, various family trifles. All this helps not to break off relations, to keep a man's sense of family and the presence of a rear.
“Look at this forced situation as a difficulty that must be overcome,” advises psychologist Arina Lipkina. Praise your husband-provider, maintain a sense of pride in him, show him your respect and admiration for the fact that he took care of providing for the family.
But despite the advice, women are jealous. They are afraid that temptations will overtake a husband who finds himself alone in a foreign land. Of course, on the one hand, they can be understood. But is it worth limiting the male initiative, resisting the desire of the head of the family to prove himself, to be a real support for his loved ones?
“What will happen if you don’t let your husband go? - asks female psychologist Tatyana Molchanova. - From lack of money and hopelessness, for example, he can start drinking. Let him go hunting for money, let him feel his own importance and contribution to the family. If he loves, he will be faithful both at home and at a distance. And if not, then everywhere he will find an opportunity for treason. Do not put your husband on a leash, give him the opportunity to prove his love for you and the children by deed, respect his male "I".
Here's what not to do, again psychologists advise, is to torment him with jealousy, checks, nit-picking. After all, it is already not easy for him: he took upon himself this work not for himself alone, but for the family. If he is robbed of his strength by jealousy and distrust, this can discourage him from making efforts for the sake of loved ones. Therefore, if you have already let your husband go far, then do not torment him with suspicion, but establish the presumption of innocence for him. It reads: "A person is innocent until proven otherwise."
Good is not sought from good
But if the wife is not particularly worried about the fact that her husband left, and for her the main thing is that he only sends money on time, then unexpected troubles can happen. Up to the threat of destruction of the family hearth. Of course, men distinguish between fleeting business trips and family, for them these are not equivalent things. But for women who want to get your husband, this is not an argument, they can assess their chances differently.
Psychologist Elena Shubina talks about situations when husbands who left to work started relationships away from home (and many of us also know cases when children were even born there, on the side). “On closer acquaintance with the participants in these stories,” says the psychologist, “I noticed the striking passivity of the wives. Well, the husband left and left ... He sends money, visits, so everything is fine. None of them has ever gone to visit her husband: to see how and where she lives, how her life is debugged. It's not that difficult... Such a trip could put a lot in its place. There are families where husbands have gone to work and feel forgotten... Isn't this the real reason for such tragedies?
“Would I let my husband go for six months ... without the opportunity to see each other as often as required by at least the notorious male physiology? - continues the psychologist. - Never! If need forced me, I would collect my things and go with him. It's a matter of priorities and ... love. It is worth recognizing that husbands leave anyway that they run. From the disgusting reality, from the eternal screams of reproaches, from the constant pressure and being in the “should” position.
It's just that the whole thing is in the atmosphere that was in the family before the decision to leave to work. If she was warm and all family members felt really close, united, then they will be able to survive the test of parting, not interrupt the emotional connection, but, on the contrary, will support her even more closely. And if before the relationship was cool and they lived together only for children or out of habit, then a long separation can be fraught with family breakdown. In this case, the man already had an emotional vacuum, so if on his way he meets a woman who wants and can fill it, then it is possible that he will stay with her.
“Letting go to work does not mean letting go from the heart, from the soul and from under your invisible female supervision,” continues Elena Shubina. - Every woman understands what it means to protect a loved one from a distance. This ability is given to us from above, from God. At all times, women let their loved ones go long distances, experienced long separations without mobile phones, Skype. And they were waiting…”
Inna Kriksunova, for Fontanka.ru
Long business trips have little to do with vacations, and many employees, after several business trips, either reluctantly agree to the next business trip, or refuse them altogether. Why are frequent trips so tiring and what to do if you can’t refuse them? About, how to survive on a business trip, Yegor Safrygin, Marketing Director of AlfaStrakhovanie Medicine, will tell.
As part of the “Year of Personnel Health” program, the AlfaStrakhovanie Analytical Center conducted a study, the results of which showed that only a third of employees (32%) who go on business trips no more than once a quarter do so without negative emotions and do not relate to them as an unpleasant duty. The survey involved 120 Russian companies with a turnover of over 100 million rubles a year. The less often employees go on business trips, the more loyal they are. Thus, among employees who go on business trips once every six months, the percentage of loyal employees increases to 52%, once a year - up to 75%.
Long business trips are tiring not only due to long flights or transfers, the fact is that they are knocked out of the usual schedule, and you have to postpone or guess going to the gym, meeting friends and relatives, visiting a doctor, solving household problems. In addition, frequent or long trips have a negative impact on relationships with relatives and friends, cause family troubles and once again raise the sore point for many people about the balance of work and personal life.
Fatigue, stress, changing time zones and temperature regimes, insomnia, the need to solve professional problems at the limit of one's strength - all this is about a business trip. Should there be a way out?
“Employees of AlfaStrakhovanie often have to travel to other cities on business matters,” Mr. Safrygin comments. – We analyzed the “life hacks” of our employees and compiled our own list of tips, which will help an employee on a business trip not to undermine their health, to remain as focused and efficient as possible. After all, a healthy worker is an efficient worker, and every employer must implement programs for personnel health management at the enterprise.”
- Collect information about the place you are going to. You can learn a lot about the customs and culture of the country. Explore the area around the hotel or house you will be staying in: convenience stores, laundromats, pharmacies - this can come in handy.
- Stock up on business cards, in a foreign city you may simply not be able to print new ones.
- Collect ready-made sets of clothes and put them in a suitcase next to you. Being late for a meeting, there is no time to think about the wardrobe, and a set of clothes prepared before the trip will save time.
- For a train or plane, choose comfortable, non-pulling or pinching clothing made from lightweight breathable fabrics.
- Keep in touch with your relatives, install Skype on your phone and, upon arrival, inform your loved ones that you have reached your destination. Your family will be calm, and you will be able to solve work issues without being distracted by emotional calls and messages.
- Download the city plan to your smartphone, which can be downloaded offline. Your phone will determine your location and help you navigate the city.
- In a new city, try to eat familiar dishes, do not lean on exotic products. For several days of a business trip, your body may not have time to adapt to new conditions, so choose food carefully, do not burden your stomach.
- It is better to give up strong alcoholic beverages. When traveling, drinking alcohol is especially not recommended for people suffering from chronic diseases. The best choice would be water, freshly squeezed juices, fruit drinks, dairy products.
Sometimes it is psychologically difficult to leave your hometown, especially if business trip takes several weeks. Take it as an opportunity to learn something new. There are places we would never go to on our own. In other words, if fate hands you lemons, make lemonade out of them.
- A mini tube of antibacterial hand gel can be carried in a bag or briefcase.
- Put the shoes in plastic bags, add a sachet with a refreshing aroma to the bag.
- Place your travel first aid kit and personal care products separately in a cosmetic bag or handbag so that you can easily find the necessary thing if necessary.
- Almost all cosmetic products can be found in a reduced format. There are all-in-one products, such as shower gel and shampoo in one tube. They take up less space, and the leftovers will not be a pity to throw out before returning home.
- Gather a travel first aid kit. It must contain painkillers, anti-inflammatory and antipyretic drugs, tablets for stomach pain, patches, sanitary napkins.
- Don't wear a lot of makeup on long flights. It is best to cleanse your skin and take a moisturizing facial spray with you. And you can apply makeup before landing.
- Take an additional set of change of linen and clothes with you along with your hand luggage. If your luggage is lost, you do not have to urgently buy everything you need in an unfamiliar city.
When one of the spouses has to leave home for work, disturbing thoughts begin to appear in the head of the other. Still would! There are a lot of jokes on the topic “how the husband returns from a business trip”. Is the situation really that dire? And what other legends go about business trips?
- Many believe that during work trips people necessarily change or even start new families. But, oddly enough, statistics on this issue are not kept. So no one knows for sure. Here the person decides whether to be jealous or not. Business trip is just an excuse. But the more you harass your partner with checks and interrogations, the sooner he will cheat on you.
- A completely opposite opinion says that business trips, on the contrary, strengthen families. And it is true. When spouses begin to miss each other, frequent calls, romantic texts and surprises appear. Breaking up will be a new stage in the relationship. After all, it's very nice to write letters, send photos, chat on Skype ...
- Some people don't like the fact that the partner who stayed at home has to take care of all the worries on work trips. It's hard to disagree with this. But the marriage union is between two adults, able-bodied people who are ready for responsibility. But, nevertheless, we must not forget that the missing family member will still return if you are going to buy, for example, a sofa, it would not hurt to consult with him by phone. Especially when it comes to a child. Never say in front of children that dad (or mom) doesn't need them. Thus, you will lower the status of a parent in the eyes of a son or daughter, do not turn him into a “Babayka”, no one will feel better from this.
There are several rules that a husband and wife should know during separation.
- The worst is in the evening. If in the first days of a business trip, the thoughts “nothing, we will be there very soon” are spinning in my head, then more gloomy thoughts come, it seems that there is no strength left at all. To avoid this cycle, you need to occupy yourself with something. For example, play board games with children, read an interesting book, watch your favorite movie, take some courses. You should not stay on social networks, talking with old friends or even worse with "ex", and even for the sake of interest, you do not need to go to dating sites. There are many examples when families collapsed after such "classes".
- You can divide the business trip into several parts - “there is a lot left”, “very soon”, “it's time to get ready!”. Attach a to-do list for each time period. When your spouse returns from a work trip, you can clearly show how much you managed to do.
- Do not swear during business trips. If suddenly a conflict nevertheless occurred, try to put up as quickly as possible, while leaving emotions on a notebook sheet. If you want, say everything when the partner returns. But most likely you won't even remember it.
- Every time your husband comes home, make a holiday out of it. So he will see that they were waiting for him.
Don't be afraid to be bored, it's useful. More relationship spoils the round-the-clock pastime of partners together. But this is a topic for a separate discussion.
If you can fix a broken faucet in the bathroom on your own, nail it, start repairs and know where the starter is in the car and where the battery is, then most likely your husband is a shift worker. Well, or a seafarer. About how to properly establish a joint life, says "Detstrana".
It turns out that even scientists became interested in this problem and introduced such a concept as a “seasonal family”. A woman in the absence of her husband takes on the role of the head of the family, and when he arrives, it is no longer easy for her to reorganize and give the reins of power into his hands. Yes, and he does not burn with desire - weaned. The redistribution of gender roles is almost inevitable. That is why it is so important to form rules in the family, following which, you can make life together quite comfortable and harmonious.
"I and the horse, I and the bull..."
No need! No need to "go into a burning hut" and stop the horses at a gallop! Of course, in the absence of a husband, you have to deal with problems ranging from a broken toilet to choosing a school for a child. Take advice, since now there are a million opportunities for this - instant messengers, skype, phone. Voice the problem to your spouse - it’s clear that he won’t fix the toilet at a distance, but at least he will tell you what to do. Maybe he will call his father and ask for help, maybe he will find the plumber's phone number - in this case, his involvement in household family affairs is obvious.
"Where is my socks?"
Let's reassure you: this question is asked with frightening regularity by all husbands, even those who are not sailors at all. But your husband, after a long business trip, may forget where you store the pans, he does not know where the towels and documents are at home. The main rule is not to get annoyed and not to demand to “open your eyes”. Firstly, fewer permutations, and secondly, more patience and tact.
"When my friends are with me"
Another inevitable circumstance that overtakes many "seasonal families" is a different social circle. You have a job, colleagues, girlfriends, he has the same shift workers or sailors. Take matters into your own hands and "form" mutual friends. Communicate with the wives of your spouse's colleagues, take your husband with you to meetings with your acquaintances. Invite guests, get out for picnics, movies, walks. And when the husband is on a business trip, periodically share with him news from the life of now mutual friends. Yes, you understood correctly - you can gossip.
“Who is that uncle with the big mustache?”
Children, especially small ones, can forget their father, and when he returns home, they begin to convulsively cling to their mother's skirt and cry at the sight of an "unknown uncle." And here the situation can be corrected only by you! Look at joint photos with your child more often, if possible, use video communication. Even when dad is not at home, his presence should be invisibly felt. “We will discuss with dad whether you can go to the camp”, “Let's ask dad which phone model is better”, “Dad will be upset when he finds out about your act.” Children who grow up in shift families often receive a distorted model of parenting. Ask your child to draw a family - most likely, the first and largest, with huge hands, will be the mother. Therefore, it is very important to correct the perception of the child, and for this you need to be a woman, a wife, and not “two in one”.
When the husband is at home, involve him in everyday life. Raiding the store, paying receipts, going to a parent meeting - all this is quite within the power of your man, who has become weaned from worries, do not turn him off from such a boring but necessary routine. Otherwise, after a couple of years, you will be surprised to find that your spouse does not know how much bread costs and what grade your son is studying in. And one more thing: try to foresee all the nuances during the absence of your husband. For example, he is on watch, and the car insurance ends. Or what to do if he is the owner of the car, and the car was taken by a tow truck. You can make a general power of attorney - this is an excellent way out for situations that require an urgent decision and the physical presence of the husband.