Business Travel and My Rules of Two

I’ve been really lucky in my career to have travelled the world on business, consulting and giving speeches in Romania, Melbourne, London, Berlin, Stockholm, on a cruise ship, and more. Like everyone who does a lot of business travel, I’ve developed a set of little “rituals” to keep myself safe and and (relatively) sane.

I realized the other day that my most best tips all seem to come in pairs, and I thought I’d pass them along.

(Today, an accompanying video I did about my business travel rules of two is up on Chris Brogan‘s ManOnTheGo.com web site.)

The Taxi Two-Step
Whenever I step out of a taxi, I now do two things: First, I look back at where I was sitting to make sure something didn’t slip out of my pocket (I’ve lost two cell phones this way over the years), and second I look on the outside of the cab for its taxi number, which I try to remember. I almost never have a need to be able to identify the taxi afterwards, but in the rare case when you need to, knowing the specific cab you were in can help. (In Las Vegas once, I left my MacBook Pro in the backseat. I didn’t know the specific cab I was in, so all I could do was hope that the cabbie was honest and returned it to the cab company’s lost and found; he did. As I was a flagged cash fare, he could have easily made off with it without any record of me being in his cab.)

Two Keys
When I check into a hotel which uses those magnetic-stripe cards as keys (don’t they all now?), I always ask for two keys, even though I’m the only person checking in. I stuff one card in my wallet right away as a backup. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve left the room without my key or lost one along the way. This little trick has saved me some time here and there.

Two Wake-up Calls
Some hotel chains, like the Fairmont, ask if you want two wake-up calls — usually spaced 15 minutes apart. I always opt for this, just in case I answer the first one then slip back to sleep (jetlag can be a bitch). I’ve almost always been awake and moving when the second call comes.

Two Oils
Studies have proven that certain scents can have an effect on our brains and I’m a huge believer in this. I always travel with two essential oils — rosemary and clary sage. Rosemary is known to promote better concentration, alertness, and a general sense of well-being. It’s a great oil to burn if you’ll be working in your hotel room on your presentation or a report. Just bring along a small tealight candle diffuser or a ceremic light-bulb ring to burn it. At night, I use Clary Sage, a rich, musky smelling essential oil which gives me a very calming sense of rest. Put ten drops of Clary Sage into a hot bath — it’s more of an absorption oil than a burning oil — soak in it for 15 minutes, and you’ll be asleep in no time.

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