10-12-2026IMPACT COUNCIL

34 leaders share their essential work-travel rituals

The small routines that restore energy, curiosity, and perspective on the road.

[Photo: Getty Images]

The Fast Company Impact Council is an invitation-only membership community of top leaders and experts who pay dues for access to peer learning, thought leadership, and more.

BY Fast Company Impact Council

Like it or not, most leadership roles require work-related travel, sometimes lots of it. While jet-setting to meetings and conferences sounded cool on paper, the reality of planes, trains, and automobiles can make anyone a little loopy. Most leaders have learned a thing or two about which little rituals make work trips go more smoothly and feel less draining.

We asked members of the Fast Company Impact Council what’s the one thing they always do for themselves when they’re on the road for work. Here, 34 of them share their must dos and must haves when hitting the road for business.

1. CONNECT, REFLECT, AND PRAY

When I’m on the road, I make sure I take the time to connect with my children, reflect, and pray. It’s the one thing on the trip I don’t let slide. — Usman Khan, ADP

2. BASEBALL UNDER THE STARS

When I am traveling for work, especially on a multi-day trip, I often sneak out from company activities for one evening and attend a baseball game by myself—minor league or MLB. The space and time of baseball games are so different from our daily schedules which are driven by speed and back-to-back interactions, moving from one closed room to another. Sitting under the stars, often with a great view of the skyline, is a peaceful respite from meetings, airplanes, and hotels. — Troy Thompson, SmithGroup

3. GET TO KNOW THE PLACE

One thing I always do when traveling for work is to get to know the place I’m visiting beyond my meeting schedule. I love learning about the community’s history, exploring the local culture, and imagining what life might have been like if I had grown up there. It keeps me curious, helps me feel connected to the place, and gives me a deeper appreciation for the people, experiences, and stories that make every community unique. — Erica Taylor, Golden 1 Credit Union

4. TAKE ALONG YORKSHIRE TEA BAGS

Ever since I watched Up in the Air with George Clooney, I’ve had a weird relationship with my wheelie carry on. And have attempted not to succumb to the tropes of solo business travel. But as I write this in a Chicago hotel room, I’m really grateful to be sipping a cup of English tea whilst I do it. I never leave home without my Yorkshire Tea bags. — Helen Andrews, Johannes Leonardo

5. MOVEMENT, INCLUDING WALKING MEETINGS

Movement is nonnegotiable for me. It’s part of my routine at home, and I need it even more on the road, when I’m sitting for hours on planes or in meetings. Wherever I land, I find a gym or a fitness class. I’ve gotten hooked on F45 lately, and there is often one where I travel. I also walk whenever I can, and I’m that person who drags her team out for a walking meeting instead of another conference room. — Tyler Perry, Mission North

6. AN UNHURRIED, NO-AGENDA DINNER

When I travel, I make a point of gathering colleagues or partners for a long, unhurried dinner with no agenda—just good food and real conversation. I’ve found that the best relationships aren’t built in conference rooms or on Zoom. They happen when everyone can exhale and be themselves. So, I pick a great local spot, silence the work talk, and let the evening go where it goes. It’s how I unwind, and it always turns out to be the most valuable part of the trip. — Kellie Lauth, MindSpark

7. GO FOR A “RUNSPLORATION”

I run. And when I’m traveling, it becomes something more than fitness. I call them runsplorations—getting out early, no agenda, and letting a new city reveal itself on foot. A neighborhood, a........

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