Business travel is no longer synonymous with putting life on hold. When I’m a travel writer and am constantly moving between hotels and airports, small habits can make a place feel more welcoming. Before the work begins, I put on a Greek I can listen to Arabic podcasts to keep my family’s languages close. The languages are ones I learned at home, and I fear that they may disappear if i stop listening. Folding moments like these into my work day keeps me present—and more rooted in my personal life—amid the motion.
I’m not the only one who tries to bring home with me on the road. By March 2025, there will be nearly a quarter of US employees work remotely More than half of all business trips combine work and pleasure. Business travel accounted for $1.5 trillion worldwide last year. It’s safe say that carry-on luggage is now our portable home. According to business travelers who make the most of their layovers and flights to ground themselves and maintain their passions and habits, living on the go doesn’t have to mean putting our lives on hold.
Alex Green
For Jon Sáenz Madrazo, a native of Bilbao and the global brand president of Kiehl’sIt looks like stealing a few minutes, no matter where he is, to sketch in his sketchbook before the day gets going. Sometimes, it’s the barista’s hand in mid-pour. Other times, it’s an iconic celebrity moment. “That’s what I meditate on,” he says. The drawings rarely leave his notebook, but they orient him—a personal practice that travels lighter than any suitcase. Aaron Kithcart is a medical director who works at Regeneron Spending weeks between conferences and laboratories is not uncommon. TokyoIt is not a permanent place for him, but a constant touchstone. He uses FaceTime to share his morning espresso with his wife’s whisky before bedtime. “That little habit narrows the distance,” says he. It doesn’t matter if time zones change. Routines remain the same.
Always be prepared for surprises [on the road]So I make time for myself,” says Kelly Wearstler, the design eye behind Proper Hotels, who might have a mint tea before bed or a double macchiato before dawn; or apply face oils that tell her body it’s morning or midnight—small touch points that carry a whiff of life at home, keep the beat of one’s internal rhythm, and make a hotel room feel less borrowed. Christa Cotton is the New Orleans-based co-founder of El Guapo Bitters. takes a similar approach. Wherever she touches down, she unpacks fully, even if she’s gone by morning, then lights a votive candle—from her own brand, of course—and walks a local grocery aisle. She says that even unfamiliar shelves could spark her next million dollar idea. Mauricio Umansky, the founder and CEO at The Agency, a global brokerage specializing in luxury real estate, has a fitness regime that he follows. He travels with a jump rope and uses resistance bands to stretch between calls. Even a fully populated Netflix queue—much of which he’ll doze off to, he admits—is part of a routine designed to hold him steady, wherever business takes him. Umansky says that all of this “helps make me feel human.”
Alex Green
The tourism industry is not immune to this urge for ritual. They are working hard behind the scenes in order meet changing traveler needs. Tim Harrington is a boutique hotel designer who works with a team of designers. Maine’s coastline You can also find out more about the following: Atlantic HospitalityHe begins every reservation with a “pre concierge” where he checks details even before the guest drops their bag. Cottages pivot into studios; pool cabanas double as conference rooms. Harrington’s team repurposed a bunkroom into a sound booth in a hurry for a touring musician who needed to record at the last minute.
