Johannesburg – Remember when you scored an international business trip and felt like you were winning the office lottery? Reality check: Your body disagrees.
The five-day sprint to Tokyo (with a 7-hour time difference from consecutive meetings) is why I spend every weekend in recovery mode. And Monday? You are back to the desk running in smoke.
Here's what business travel experts understand: It's your itinerary, not you.
“Most travelers blame themselves when they feel they've been destroyed after a business trip,” says Mummy Mafojane, GM at FCM. “They think they should sleep better, stay hydrated and hit the hotel gym. But they lack the fundamental problem. Their bodies literally need more time to adjust.”
Please enter the rules for the week. Perhaps the easiest travel wellness hack to implement to date.
The concept is based on solid physiological studies. Your body needs about a day for each intersecting time zone to fully readjust your circadian rhythm. It takes 6 days, across six time zones. Seven zones, 7 days. It's that easy.
However, most business trips follow the outdated 3-5 day model. This ensures that your body is coming home accurately when it starts to adjust to local time. And radioactive fallout? not good.
At the postal school of the School of Public Health, it was found that travelling employees reported higher levels of stress and significantly worse health outcomes than their non-traveling colleagues. Meanwhile, a World Travel Protection survey found that more than half of frequent business travelers experience burnout symptoms that are directly linked to travel patterns.
When your circadian rhythm is disrupted, your cognitive function will be seriously damaged. Decision making is struggling. Creativity Plummets. It weakens the immune system. It deteriorates the ability to read important social clues in a cross-cultural business environment. Adding high stakes meeting pressure in an unfamiliar environment has a storm that is perfect for sub-performance.
“We've normalized the idea of pushing jet lag,” says Maphojan. “But do you expect athletes to compete at peak while they are lacking sleep or confused? And why do we expect business professionals to make a million-dollar decision?”
One week recommendation
According to Mafojane, travel management companies (TMCs) such as FCM are increasingly recommending health-friendly approaches.
“Companies need to have a candid conversation about the hidden costs of compressed trips,” says Maphojan. “If executives understand that potentially operating at 60-70% capacity during these quick trips, and the business impact of that, the one-week rule suddenly makes perfect sense.”
Adapt travel policy
To take serious effort in implementing the one-week rules, Mafojane recommends a step-by-step approach to policy updates.
“We start with the highest value international travel, which crosses five or more time zones to have a big impact on our business,” she advises. She says that the first companies that are targeted to the companies most affected by jet lag are executives over the age of 50, team members with health considerations, and team members who are presenting or negotiating within 24 hours of their arrival.
“Do your business case beyond wellness,” stresses Maphojan. “Better preparation, stronger relationship building, high quality decision-making – these are the measurable benefits of a well-timed trip.”
Even organizations that cannot implement a full weekly policy immediately, Mafojane recommends progressive improvements. “Add one adaptation day to an existing trip. After an overnight flight, we allow work from the hotel. We create space in the recovery schedule.
Apart from extending your stay, these strategies can dramatically improve your travel experience.
Book your daytime arrival
Landing during daytime hours gives you important light exposure that will help you reset your internal clock faster. Mafojane recommends prioritizing these arrival times over rock bottom fares, if possible.
Sleep your hotel
“Look beyond standard hotel amenities,” says Maphojan. “High-quality blackout curtains, room away from the lift, premium bedding – these are not luxury, they are recovery tools.” She suggests requesting these specifications when booking accommodation.
Includes a buffer zone
When crossing multiple time zones, schedule at least one day before an important presentation or negotiation. Similarly, do not pack your calendar on the day you get home.
Log off meaningfully
“Travelers need to establish clear availability overseas,” says Maphojan. “Constant connections to home offices disrupt the ability to adapt to local time.” She recommends setting up travel communications protocols that protect the adjustment period.
