Power of Play
Power of Play
Managing Business Travel and Personal Relationships All At The Same Time
Kelly is joined today by Scott Largay, Director of Marketing for Largay Travel and the producer of the Power of Play podcast. Scott and Kelly are both highly seasoned travelers and today they are discussing how to preserve both personal care and personal relationships when business travel is a part of your life.
Both Kelly and Scott stress the importance of creating a work/life balance while you are traveling. It is important to make room for personal time on your trips. Kelly recommends having specific rituals that bring consistency into your personal care on the road. These rituals allow you to ground yourself during a busy day and can improve your overall mood and well being. Scott explains the necessity of planning in advance to find time for these personal activities, even saying no to some events when you are able in order to find time for yourself. When you are planning, be clear on your intentions so you know who you need to connect with and when.
Personal relationships can struggle when one person is always traveling. Scott and Kelly offer tips for a positive work/relationship balance when travel is a part of your job description. They recommend always finding time in your day to connect with your significant other. Even a short recap of your day can be a great way to stay connected. Find the right rhythm of communication that works for both of you.
Social media plays a big role in our lives, especially in business travel. When posting to social media, Scott and Kelly recommend viewing your post from a personal and business perspective and be aware of how people in each aspect of your life may perceive the post.
Check out Largay Travel at https://www.pleasegoaway.com/
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Speaker 2:and welcome back to the power of play. I'm your host Kelly comments and today I'm joined by Scott Largo, who's third generation and also the director of marketing at Largo travel. He is also our producer for our podcast and I have him with me today because when we were starting to look at topics and all the things that we wanted to cover with our podcasts, obviously we had a large focus on entrepreneurship and travel as it relates to leisure travel and the, the concept of business travel came up. Obviously business owners require a fair bit of business travel for our lifestyles and we took that to be a really healthy topic to bring, how to preserve personal care and personal relationship care when business travel is a part of your life. So Scott, thanks so much for joining me on this today.
Speaker 3:Kelly, thank you for having me. And it's a pleasure to be here with the power of players. And yeah, as Kelly said, you know, one of the big struggles in my own life and a lot of people that are around me is how do you create a better work life balance and even relationship work balance when you're on the road all the time and when you're traveling and you're in all these different places with all of these different people and exotic locations and how do you balance that so that a, when you're on the road, you can find some time for personal time, you know, whether it's on the front end of a conference or on the back end or even throughout the day, waking up a little bit earlier to work out. Finding those little things to give you a little bit of balance so that it's not all about work and remembering the importance of personal time, especially when it comes to relationships. We talked about this a lot is making sure that you find that time maybe throughout the day or even having your spouse or significant other come with you on one of these trips. That all will help you have a much more balanced, successful and happy life.
Speaker 2:Totally. And obviously, you know, it takes two healthy people to create one healthy relationship. It takes a healthy business owner to create a healthy business. And so personal care is crucial. And I think we'll start with that. I think, you know, you hit the nail on the head is really carving out personal time because the fact is is to your point, the perception of business travel is, you know, it's a lot of entertaining. It's going to sporting events, it's parties, it's you know, those cruises. And it looks like a ton of fun. And that's the perception. And sometimes that's true, but the greater truth is that when we travel for business, we are always on, you know, it's, we're always entertaining clients or team members or working with prospects and you know, it takes a lot of energetic output to be in business travel. So I like to, when I work with my clients, I always talk about rituals. You know, having specific rituals because there is time where we need to decrease, I call it preserving our, our extrovert and whether it's journaling or a quiet walk or a great workout, but having rituals for trail so that every time you're on the road there is still some consistency that's present for you to just take care of yourself so that you can still show up at all those events and business travel and be present, fulfilled, engaging, and not burnt out.
Speaker 3:Yeah, I think rituals and planning in advance, when I first really started hitting the road and I was on the road all the time, I was trying to do everything all the time. I was trying to go to every cocktail party every single after hours event, every morning session. I was trying to cram it all in, but in the meantime I wasn't doing anything for my personal life, so I wasn't going to the gym. I was starting to feel really burnt out. You know? For me it's very important. I feel like I've failed if I haven't gotten at least some sweat out in a day if I haven't gone for a run or if I haven't gone to the gym. And so that was starting to happen to me. I was starting to feel that burnout effect where sure I was doing very well in my professional life, but you know, I was feeling a little bit of failure on my personal side of things. So in terms of rituals, like you're talking about, you know, I've found that trying to work out at night or after sessions was just not working. Something always came up, whether there was an email or a call I had to jump on or a cocktail party I had to go to, it just wasn't working. So I figured out that, okay, I have to go to bed a little bit earlier. I have to say no sometimes to some of these after hour events so that I can get up an hour earlier and get that workout session in so I can feel better about myself, which in turn is going to make me better overall.
Speaker 2:Totally. And you know, you talk about planning in advance and when, when you look at an agenda, whether you're going to a conference or a seminar or annual meeting, whatever is that you look at that agenda and it is packful. And so I think planning in advance, before you even get on the airplane to get to that destination, being really clear on what your intentions are, who are the people you need to connect with, what are the concepts and strategies you need to learn, get really clear on your own intentions first before you get there and get sucked into other people's agendas. Because then you can decipher like, okay, I need to make sure I'm at this session or I'm at this cocktail party cause this is where I'm going to meet X, Y, Z. And being really intentional with how you're spending your time and energy at those events because you're right when you get there, and this is Pat from, you know, morning yoga all the way through bedtime stories. It is a full day and of course we drain and nobody gets the best of us.
Speaker 3:Yeah. And sleep, sleep is key. I used to, you know, only get a few hours of sleep at these work events and I would feel like a zombie by the end of it. A lot of these times, you know, the perception is that we're just having a lot of fun. We're going to all these really exotic places and all of these great parties and all of that. But what you don't see is how much work is being had throughout the day. You know, like you said, a lot of these days start at 8:00 AM they don't end till sometimes midnight or after and trying to sneak in sleep, which I find is one of the most important things and having a healthy and productive life that I think that gets overlooked way too much. And especially like you said, we're always on, right? We're always answering emails, we're always taking calls. I'm, believe me, I'm still guilty of of doing that at night and at times when I'm not technically on the clock. And so I think when you have a lifestyle that's not that traditional nine to five, trying to find that place to actually get some sleep is so important. Absolutely. And you know when you talk about this jam packed agenda, and this is something that comes up constantly in my coaching work with couples staying in contact, you know, what's the right rhythm to be in contact because some couples are like, you know the spouse but I thank God he or she has gone for a couple of days. I got some, I get some peace and quiet at home, I can do my thing. And there are some couples who is like, you know, he leaves and I don't hear from them or it's like I haven't heard from him. It's 10 o'clock at night and I haven't heard from him yet. Or you know, I just like a little good morning just to at least know he's thinking about us cause I'm stuck at home. You know, I'm not out getting, getting all the excitement that he is and I'd love to hear from him. And so I'd like your perspective. I'll bring in a couple of other perspectives as well, but I'd like your perspective on what it's like to be present at an event that's pretty high octane, pretty demanding on time and energy and still retain, maintaining that relational connection to your spouse or partner at home. Yeah, I think that's a great question. And I think a, again, I don't think there's any perfect answer to it, but I think there's ways to make it better. And so when I first started really hitting the road and being at all these events, I was not checking in every day and not texting throughout the day. I'm sure on her end she was like, you know, I don't even know what he's been up to for the last couple of days. And what I've done to, you know, be better about that is, you know, I'll find pockets throughout the day, whether it's a coffee break or during lunch that I can sneak away. And even if it's a couple simple texts, like this is what I'm up to today. And then every single night, no matter what, I make sure that I call her. And you know, we can have a short conversation, a longer conversation, have a recap of my day, check in on how it's going back home, check in about the dog. All of those things are super important and just having that communication part of the entire business travel equation is so key. I think both, you know, that really is a collaborative effort that both partners really need to get clear on. You know, what the bare minimum is, what each partner needs to feel secure and present and engaged and connected during that time away. Another thing I always talk to my clients about is making sure that you have a really strong pre and post game for business travel. So a really, really great date night before one person leaves so that you're both leaving connected, confident, secure, and gotten really good quality time together right before that trip. And then having some time protected right after to reconnect or to give the spouse who hasn't just had a nice trip sometime off the clock where he or she can go and get, you know, pursue his or her own interest and fill their own buckets. It's a pre and post game is really important as well. Oh pre and post game is key. And I agree so much with that because you know, leaving on a positive note is so important. Focusing on each other, having a fun unite in and watching a movie and getting some dinner in and whatever that looks like to you. Having a nice positive sendoff is key. And then coming back, if you're the one off having this experience and being with all these people but maybe your spouse is at home and for me I have my dog but a lot of people have their kids and other factors where maybe it's time that you stay home with them and you know, take the dog out and wash the kids and let your significant other go enjoy some of the hobbies and things that they're interested in because they've been at home that entire time while you've been away. So I think those things are super key. And like you said, they don't have to be anything crazy. They can just, you know, be going out to dinner or having a night in or, or whatever it is to just kind of focus on you and your relationship.
Speaker 2:Totally. Totally. No. Let's talk about the perception and often the perception of our business travel is fueled by the monster of social media. And you personally have a unique set of circumstances because you're in a female dominated industry being in the travel industry. And so let's talk about how to manage the social media portrayal. You know, the perception of what's happening versus what's really happening. What's been your biggest struggle with that?
Speaker 3:Oh man. Now that's a, that's a biggie. And again, I don't think anybody has the perfect answer to this, but I think my biggest struggle, and I'm sure it's the same for many of the people that are listening, is the balancing act of blending my personal life with my family and my friends and with my professional life, with my colleagues and my business partners and trying to be conscious of how a post or picture of may affect someone or their feelings. If we're talking specifically about perception in regards to your significant other, I think the biggest struggle is making sure that whatever you post won't hurt that person or make them question your intentions or feelings towards them. I'm in a very unique situation where I'm in an industry that is made up of 80% women and because of that, when I'm traveling for work, most of the pictures that get posted are of me with other women and so naturally if you were to go to my page or see one of my posts in your feed, you might say to yourself, wow, look at Scott surrounded by all of these women. I wonder how his wife feels, or even worse, someone might say something to her directly. Now she has to defend our relationship because of a post I did. So if it wasn't for the trust that she has in me and our open and honest conversations about things like this and may lead to a fight or jealousy in our relationship, that's not to say that how I personally see something means that it will be seen the same way by her or by someone else. But I think in general if you have an idea of what is appropriate to post and what isn't and be aware of the way someone might perceive it, just know that before you put it out there to the world.
Speaker 2:Yeah, you know it obviously trust is a huge thing. You bring up appropriate and I think, I think almost even the biggest issue or that you know, the overlaying issue around that comes down to respect. You know, like why would a picture even get posted that would ever plant the seed of doubt in anyone's mind. Even if I trust you 100% if my parents eat that or my friends see that or whomever, like you know, I think there's a fundamental piece of respect that needs to be considered as we look at what's getting portrayed on. And obviously we don't always have control of that, you know? But to the best of our abilities, I think what it really comes down to is being respectful.
Speaker 3:100% I agree.
Speaker 2:Some other perspectives, I want to talk to some of the spouses who are used to being at home and what it's like on their end because I think that, you know, understanding is key and bringing awareness to each of the parties is really important. You know? And I think the biggest takeaway that I got from listening to you is really how grueling it can be on the road. You know, we're always in fight or flight mode because we're in new environments we're always on. And yes, even though the parties look like fun, it's not like where they were with our loved ones. And you know, it's work, it's work mode, it's game phase. And so bringing the perception of the grind and that it is grueling and not always rejuvenating is important. And I think to really preserving personal time and personal wellness, but you know when you're on road and off the road so that you can keep showing up as your best because if you get home from a quote unquote ruling business trip and you walk in the door and you're too exhausted to function and help at home, like that's not going over well either.
Speaker 3:No, certainly not. So I think there's a few keys here that we've hit on is that finding that personal time, whatever your ritual is, is super important. When you're on the road, you're in all these different time zones and all of these different things. So finding sleep is so important because, you know, like you said, if you come home and you just jump on the couch and say, Oh, it's been too rough, I'm just gonna lay here and watch TV all day, that's not gonna work out very well for you. I can guarantee you that. And you know, being able to set boundaries and prioritize both your work time and your private time, I think that's super key as well.
Speaker 2:Absolutely. Absolutely. All right, we're going to go over and we're going to bring in some spouse perspectives on this. Scott, thank you so much for your time and, and your input. It's always a pleasure.
Speaker 3:Oh no, the pleasure is all mine and thank you so much for having me on Kelly and for everybody out there this listening
Speaker 1:[inaudible].