Beat Burnout Find Joy on Every Business Trip
For years, my work travel followed a punishing script.
I'd fly into a city, work like a maniac for 48 or 72 hours, bouncing from keynote to networking reception to late night strategy session, and then fly home exhausted. My first day back wasn't for getting things done; it was a mandatory day of rest just to recover from the trip itself.
Why? Because when I'm onsite for an event, my brain goes into a sustained state of overdrive. I'm "on" from the moment I land until the moment I leave. While professional success often demands this intensity, personal well being doesn't.
The Confined Traveler
I'm incredibly fortunate that my industry takes me to amazing places: San Diego, NYC, Chicago, even London, and beach destinations like Sand Key in Florida. Yet, for years, these incredible locations served only as the backdrop to the hotel and the convention center. I was stuck in conference rooms, constantly running to meet professional demands. The world outside the glass walls was beautiful, but completely inaccessible.
Then came a shift.
The Mindful Pivot: Making Time to Pause
In the last few years, as I've gained more control over my schedule and prioritized aligning work with my personal life, I realized I didn't want my career to cost me my downtime. I started traveling with a new intention: to be mindful and to ensure I didn't need a "day of rest" just to function again.
The key to this transition is simple: I've started adding in Brain Breaks, small activities designed to give my brain a complete pivot away from the work stuff.
It's not about becoming a full fledged tourist; it's about engaging with the world in a way that doesn't require screens, speaking, or strategy.
My breaks are almost always:
Simple: A walk along the harbor, or an hour in a quiet park.
Solo: I love talking, but I often desperately need time alone to recharge.
Sensory: Popping into a museum for an hour to engage with art or history, letting my eyes and mind rest on something non digital.
While I try to keep these visits close to where I'm working, I've absolutely been known to hop a taxi or subway. The 15 minute journey is often part of the mental reset itself.
Explore | Pause | Connect: A San Francisco Example
My regular trips to San Francisco perfectly illustrate this philosophy.
Instead of rushing straight from the last session to the airport, I schedule time for a Curious Saunter. I will always try to make time for a visit to the Golden Gate and if it's early fall, you can bet I'm spending time in the vibrant Dahlia Dell. I'll also walk towards the Ferry Building to see the water and the impressive Bay Bridge.
Just this month, after a particularly intense morning of sessions, I treated myself to a quick spin on the famous Leroy Kind Carousel. That quick, silly spin, full of laughs with a friend, was the perfect pivot. It shocked my brain out of conference mode, released tension, and allowed me to return to the afternoon sessions feeling refreshed and ready to absorb more.
The Invitation
Business travel can be more than a transactional, exhausting exchange of time for work. It can be a series of micro adventures and necessary moments of peace. This blog, A Curious Saunter, is where I'll be sharing the concrete, actionable ways you can sneak these rejuvenating breaks into your own packed conference schedule, trading burnout for breakthrough, one short walk at a time.
I'd love to share some of my specific Brain Break ideas for cities like NYC and Chicago next. Which one are you most curious about?
