Many Bleisure Living travelers fear the dreaded “delayed” notification from their airline or the “your room isn’t quite ready yet” message from the hotel front desk.
Regardless of your status level or travel acumen, this feeling is universal but doesn’t have to be detrimental. Here are some top tips for making the most of the unexpected downtime.
- Reflect. In the pursuit of maximizing each day, it can be tough for busy travelers to take time to breathe, pause, and examine what’s going well and what could be different. Check out this article about the benefits of self-reflection and how you can get started with this vital practice. This could be a great time to think about what you want from your current trip, or what you expect when you arrive at your destination.
- Optimize. If your delay location has wifi, use this extra time to plan even more details so you are most prepared. What restaurant menus have items you crave? Are there any special events near your hotel? Or maybe you are traveling to a destination with a different language, and you could use the time to practice and learn even more essential phrases. Duolingo is great for learning on the go!
- Catch up and connect. We all know how hard it can feel to keep in contact with loved ones. Use your unexpected delay to send a simple check-in message to a friend, loved one, or colleague. It can really make their day! Who haven’t you heard from in a while? Even in airplane mode, I’ll use the notes part of my phone to draft messages so I can quickly copy and paste upon landing.
Whether traveling for business or for leisure, a delay might seem like a letdown, so use these three tips to productively watch the minutes (or even hours) fly by.
