It only takes once. One time to experience the terrible feeling of arriving 3047 miles from your home and/or office without your a) work cell phone, b) VPN token, c) eye glasses, d) medications, or e) all of the above. Seriously, getting wherever you’re supposed to be working only to discover that you are missing some critical element essential to actually performing your job, ranks right up there with the Endodontist muttering, “shit” while performing a root canal, or your spouse saying, “before you get upset, no one was seriously injured”.
I know. I’ve done it. Left the laptop in the office docking station. Forgotten the blood pressure meds. Hopped into the Uber to LAX only to realize half way there that I left both cell phones on the charger in the home office. It is No. Fun.
This is where you sit down and create a travel checklist. Pajamas. Contact lens solution. Heart medication for the duration. Etc…
It can be on your phone, a spreadsheet you print out and tape to your closet door, or a laminated card you leave inside your suitcase. Regardless of how you set this up, a Business Travel Checklist will save you that heart stopping, gut lurching moment when you are 45 miles into your trip to the airport and realize that you don’t have your ID.
Having a checklist will guarantee that you appear professional, organized, and collected when you arrive at the client site. It will mean a relaxing dinner with the project team, rather than a harried trip to the pharmacy to get a prescription. It means less stress all together.
Checklists… they’re not just for surgeons and airplane crew. Do it now.
Lindley On the Road 