When I talk to people about my full time job as a traveling Salesperson, I often get asked if I like the travel, and how I manage doing it over and over again (almost) every week.  The truth is that I do love traveling, and being somewhere different each week definitely keeps things interesting.  The obvious benefits of travel status and awards points are great, and those have allowed my husband and I to a lot of personal travelling as well for a discount or sometimes even a free trip.  It’s also great if I get to a city or destination that I have never been before and get to explore new surroundings – one of my all time favorite things to do.  There are so many places to see, restaurants to eat at and people to meet, and blogging about those places has really forced me to get out of my comfort zone and try to experience something new in each city.

Of course, there are a lot of things about traveling that I don’t like, I mean no one likes a delayed flight, uncomfortable hotel bed, being exposed to different people and germs all the time, lots of time in cramped plane seats – you get it.  So I’ve had to adopt some routines to keep myself mentally and physically sane while traveling.  Here I’m sharing some of my top tops for travel enlightenment…

• · Be loyal to an airline – it can sometimes be frustrating if they don’t have the ideal flight time or price, but not only are there many perks in rewards points and status with an airline. Often you’ll get a better seat choice and priority in upgrades or changing flights. In addition to those perks, I find that familiarity at the airport helps ease stress. Knowing the normal gates that the airline flies out of, getting your routine down for where to grab your coffee, bottle of water, etc can make the experience a lot easier.

• · Have doubles of everything. I signed up for Birchbox specifically for this reason, and I make sure to keep stocked toiletries in my suitcase at all times, even when I am not traveling. Just knowing that you don’t have to re-pack all of your haircare, toothpaste, etc can make packing much easier. I also stock my suitcase with a ton of Vitamin C packets in case I start to feel sick or anything.

• · Eye mask – I cannot live without mine. So much so that I think my body has trained itself to become tired as soon as I put it on no matter where I am haha… you can buy my favorite mask here and it is super cheap. You can also put it in the fridge or freezer to use as a de-puffing eye treatment J

• · Protein bars – I pack one for each day I am gone so that if I can’t get a healthy breakfast somewhere, I’ve got a backup. Otherwise it is so easy to be tempted be the bagels, muffins or other unhealthy options at the local coffee place or hotel lobby. My favorites are RX Bars, Quest Bars and

• · Soul Cycle. Maybe I am just obsessed in general, but this is the best way for me to get a workout in while not in Chicago. For some reason those hotel gyms just don’t do it for me – too small, older equipment and the chance of running into a client or something, I just don’t get as motivated as I need to really get it done. So I try my best to be within a mile or 2 of a Soul Cycle or other studio like Core Power Yoga, because I know that I love those classes and they usually have a 5:30 or 6am one that works with my schedule. Just another thing to bring your “normal” routine into your travel and make life seem more regular.

• · Creature Comforts: What do you love at home? Your favorite candle, comfiest pillow case, or a white-noise maker? I actually travel with all 3 of those things to make the hotel room feel "homier". Anything to help me sleep better at night and be ready to go for my busy days during the week.

• · Just Ask - want a room upgrade? A nicer car from the rental place? I have found that if you are friendly and polite, sometimes all it takes to get that coveted upgrade is just to ask for it. No guarantees but worth a shot!

What do you do to make your traveling better?